A Comprehensive Guide to Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM)

ByPiping Mart

Various procedures are used by manufacturing businesses to remove extra material from workpieces. Some of these procedures, like drilling and cutting, are relatively straightforward. But some are more complicated than others.

The last group includes abrasive jet machining. It includes removing unwanted and extra material by blasting a workpiece with highly abrasive particles. Please continue reading to find out more about abrasive jet machining and how it functions.

The Definition of Abrasive Jet Machining

Abrasive micro-blasting, pencil blasting, and micro-abrasive blasting are other names for the abrasive blasting machining procedure known as abrasive jet machining (AJM), which employs abrasives propelled by a high-velocity gas to erode material off the workpiece.

Cutting heat-sensitive, brittle, thin, or hard materials is a typical use. It is used specifically to cut complicated forms or make particular edge shapes.

Fine abrasive particles, typically 0.001 inch (0.025 mm) in diameter and propelled by a high-velocity fluid stream—often air or inert gases—remove material. The gas may move at up to 300 m/s (1,000 km/h) with pressures ranging from 25 to 130 PSIG (170-900 kPa or 4 bars).

Abrasive jet machining, also referred to as pencil blasting, is a machining technique used in manufacturing to remove extraneous material from a workpiece. By bombarding a workpiece with harsh and abrasive particles, it lives true to its title.

Gas is used to move the particles at a rapid speed. They can thus remove material from the workpiece’s surface by eroding it.

How Does Abrasive Jet Machining Work?

A specialized machine coupled to an air compressor is used for abrasive jet machining. Gas or stagnant air are both used by the air compressor. A nozzle in the process shoots tiny particulates in the direction of the workpiece.

The particles used in abrasive jet machining are microscopic, frequently having a diameter of just 0.001 inches. The air/gas and abrasive particles released onto the workpiece remove material from its surface when they land there.

Bench-mounted abrasive jet machines are the most common. They are set up on a bench so that the compressor may mix the gas and the abrasives. After that, the workpiece is put in front of the machine. The machine is turned on with the nozzle placed in the desired location to remove material from the workpiece.

Applications of Abrasive Jet Machining

  • The method helps make shallow fissures, cut slots, thin sections, drilling, deburring, and complicated shapes in hard and brittle materials.
  • It is frequently used for tasks like icing the inside surface of glass tubes, etching markings onto glass cylinders, cleaning and polishing plastic, nylon, and Teflon components, etc.
  • It is utilized to clean, etch, and deburr brittle metals, alloys, and non-metallic materials.
  • Plastic polishing is easy to do in Nyon.
  • Drilling is simple to perform.
  • It is simple to machine the delicate material.

Advantages of Abrasive Jet Machining

  • The capacity to precisely cut intricately shaped holes in materials of any hardness and brittleness.
  • The ability to cut heat-sensitive and fragile materials without causing damage because the passage of gas or air generates no heat.
  • Inaccessible areas can be machined with a reasonable degree of accuracy.
  • A low capital cost.

Disadvantages of Abrasive Jet Machining

  • Due to the sluggish rate of material removal, its application is constrained.
  • Flaring can spread rapidly.
  • The nozzle wear rate is significant, and the machining accuracy is subpar.
  • Because abrasive granules can adhere to softer materials, extra work surface cleaning may be required.
  • It is a pricey procedure.

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