Reduce Blast Media Consumption and Shorten Cycle Times Immediately

Changing Blast Media

A die caster was using zinc cut wire in two identical shot blasting machines. This company had expressed interest in switching from zinc cut wire to Transmet Cast Zinc Shot multiple times, but kept delaying. This procrastination led to four years of being “busy keeping up with production” and not testing Cast Zinc Shot.

When production increases forced the die caster to consider making a capital expenditure on a new machine or sending parts out for contract work, they decided to get serious about changing blast media. They contacted Transmet and discussed ways to shorten cycle times and eliminate their bottleneck.

It was decided that the best way to do this without interrupting production was to run a side-by-side comparison in their two blast machines. One blast machine would be kept full of zinc cut wire and the other would blast with Cast Zinc Shot.

Testing continued for a month.

Results from Side-By-Side Test

One month later, the company Owner told Transmet that he wished he had ran this test sooner. The numbers revealed that not only did Transmet Cast Zinc Shot reduce shot consumption by 65%, they also found that they could load the machine with more parts and shorten cycle times by 40%!

Changing blast media was the solution to removing the production bottleneck and get castings to their customer quicker. This eliminated the need for the capital expenditure they were considering just months before.

By reducing shot consumption and shortening cycle times, making the switch from zinc cut wire to Cast Zinc Shot saved this die caster over $12,000 in the first year. If you factor in the four years this project was delayed, it could be said that their procrastination cost them almost $50,000!