What makes a good abrasive metering valve on a blast pot?
Efficient blasting is about more than just the right abrasive and blast pressure. The metering valve on the blast pot plays a crucial role in consumption, blasting quality, and overall process efficiency.
Balancing too little and too much abrasive
Setting the correct amount of abrasive is essential for an effective blasting process. Too little abrasive means insufficient cleaning power and disappointing production speed. What many users don’t realise is that too much abrasive can be just as counterproductive.
When more abrasive is dosed than the blast nozzle can handle, the flow becomes disrupted. This lowers abrasive velocity, even causing a ‘stuttering’ flow and irregular blast pattern — ultimately slowing down production speed instead of increasing it. On top of that, overdosing leads to unnecessarily high costs for both abrasive purchase and disposal.
Accurate metering improves both quality and efficiency — while saving money.
What makes a good metering valve?
To dose abrasive accurately, a well-designed metering valve is essential. There are three key factors:
- Precise adjustment
A metering valve must allow for smooth and gradual adjustment, giving you a controlled, predictable increase or decrease of the opening. No jerks, no large jumps — just consistent precision. - Straight, direct passage to the mixing tube
A (nearly) straight line from the blast pot to the mixing tube avoids resistance and flow disturbances. This ensures a stable and repeatable abrasive flow. The more constant the flow, the easier it is to control dosing and achieve a consistent blast result. - Automatic open/close when starting and stopping
A metering valve that automatically closes when stopping the blast pot prevents abrasive from accumulating in the mixing tube. This eliminates waste and avoids an uncontrolled abrasive surge when restarting — saving costs, improving efficiency, and ensuring steady blast quality.
35 years of expertise in metering technology
At Gritco, we’ve been perfecting this for over 35 years. Not a side issue, but the core of our blast pot design. The difference between a standard metering valve and a well-designed one is immediately noticeable: reduced abrasive consumption, lower disposal costs, more consistent results, and a more efficient blasting process.
In practice, much more savings are achievable here than most people think.
Want to optimise your blasting process?
Our specialists can show you how the right metering technology makes your blasting work faster, more efficient and more cost-effective.
