FAQS

Surface preparation refers to the process of cleaning, treating, and conditioning surfaces to ensure proper adhesion of coatings, paints, adhesives, or other materials. This step is crucial in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, and automotive, to achieve optimal performance and durability.
Key aspects of surface preparation include:

1. Cleaning: Removing dirt, grease, oil, dust, and old coatings to ensure a clean surface.
2. Sanding/Grinding: Smoothing or roughening surfaces to enhance adhesion.
3. Chemical Treatment: Applying chemicals to remove contaminants or to condition surfaces.
4. Priming: Applying a primer coat to improve adhesion and corrosion resistance.

Proper surface preparation can significantly impact the longevity and effectiveness of the final product.

Kaytech offers multiple technologies for optimal coatings removal. These technologies include abrasive blasting (grit and dry ice), manual grinding and ultrasonic/chemical cleaning.

Grit blasting (also known as abrasive blasting or sandblasting) is a surface preparation process in which abrasive particles (commonly referred to as "grit") are propelled at high velocity onto a surface to clean, smooth, or roughen it. The process is commonly used for cleaning or preparing metal, concrete, wood, and other materials.
Various types of abrasive media can be used, including sand, steel shot, glass beads, aluminum oxide, and even organic materials, depending on the specific application.

A sandblasting cabinet or booth is used to blast the abrasive material. Compressed air is used to propel the grit toward the surface.

Grit blasting can remove rust, old paint, coatings, corrosion, or other contaminants from the surface of materials. It creates a roughened texture on surfaces to improve adhesion for paints, coatings, or other finishes. Fine abrasives can be used to polish or smooth surfaces, such as glass or metal. It helps in removing sharp edges or excess material left after manufacturing processes.

Grit blasting is widely used in industries such as manufacturing, automotive, construction, and aerospace for various cleaning, preparation, and finishing processes.
 

In addition to achieving cleanliness, abrasive blasting alters the substrate from a more or less smooth surface to a uniformly textured surface.  This textured surface is the result of the sharp abrasive particles striking the steel at high speed and leaving small impact craters or irregularities.  This texture is called surface profile. Coating specifications will require a range of surface profile depths. Surface profile is important in that it increases the surface area and roughness to which a coating can adhere. 

At Kaytech, we measure surface profiles using Replica Tape (Testex) and other digital surface profile measurement tools. Kaytech can provide any surface profile required by our customer’s technical specifications
 

Corrosion is the process of deterioration or degradation of materials, typically metals, due to chemical reactions with their environment. It occurs when a metal reacts with substances such as oxygen, water, acids, or salts, causing the metal to break down, lose its strength, and eventually fail.

The most common form of corrosion is rusting, which occurs when iron or steel reacts with oxygen and moisture in the air, forming iron oxide (rust). Corrosion can lead to significant damage in materials, particularly metals, affecting structures, vehicles, machinery, and pipelines.

Kaytech uses various technologies such as grit-blasting, grinding, and ultrasonic chemical cleaning to remove harmful corrosion in preparation for repair and/or re-coating.
 

Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a substance loses electrons, typically to oxygen, during the process. It is often associated with the addition of oxygen to a substance or the removal of hydrogen from it. In many cases, oxidation leads to the formation of oxides, such as when metals react with oxygen in the air.

One of the most familiar examples of oxidation is the rusting of iron. When iron reacts with oxygen and water, it forms iron oxide, commonly known as rust. This process of rusting is a type of oxidation that leads to the degradation of metal.

Through abrasive blasting technologies, Kaytech removes oxidation from a substrate in order to increase its performance and prepare the surface for potential repair and coating.
 

Kaytech specializes in working with nickel based "super alloys" particularly used in the aerospace industry where they are designed for and exposed to high temperature application. However, Kaytech also works with other industries that utilize steel, aluminum and other alloys that are not necessarily designed to be exposed to elevated temperatures. We are able to blast those various components in order to get them ready for repair and coating. 

Kaytech most commonly uses blasting media consisting of aluminum oxide, glass beads, steel shot or grit, garnet and silicon carbide. The choice of media often depends on subsequent metal treating requirements and specifications. Various grades of coarseness are used depending on the material to be removed and the desired residual surface finish.
 

Kaytech provides local delivery to Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg Counties. We have a 22ft flat bed truck that can handle large loads. We have a flexible delivery schedule, to accommodate the various needs of multiple manufacturing facilities, as we understand the sensitive nature of timeliness in keeping up productivity.
 

Kaytech works with many industries, including manufacturing, automotive, construction, and aerospace for various cleaning, preparation, and finishing processes.  If a manuracturer works with metals, Kaytech can be of service.