Empire Industries 2636, 3648, 4848, 7272, 6060 User Manual

BUYING GUIDE
FOR INDUSTRIAL
AIR-BLAST CABINETS

Modular design
lets you select
the right pieces
for a perfect fit

EEMMPPIIRREE

PRO-FINISH® SYSTEMS

TM

High-intensity flood lights

reduce the chances of over
blasting caused by poor visi­bility. Lights can be tilted to
focus illumination on areas
being blasted. Two lights are
supplied on 2636, 3648 and
4848 models; three are pro­vided as standard on 6060
and 7272 cabinets.

Sure-Flo®media regulator (Patent No.

4,518,145), used on pressure cabi-

nets, is easy to adjust and assures

precise media regulation, as
well as continuous flow. These
regulators have excellent wear

characteristics and, once the meter­ing tube is worn, it can be easily
replaced more quickly and economi­cally than in any other media

regulator on the market.

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STANDARD PRO-FINISH FEATURES

No other blast cabinet on the market today offers the
many practical benefits included on a Pro-Finish cabinet
as standard equipment. Just look at the features. The
standard components in a Pro-Finish system have been
carefully designed for safety, ease of operation, reduced
maintenance and increased productivity. Throughout,
these cabinets are built to meet the challenges of non­stop industrial blasting.

A

Dust collector features an energy-saving air-filtration
system that captures 99% of all particles one micron or
larger so cabinet ventilation can be recirculated. Fan is
mounted on dust collector rather than reclaimer to pre­vent abrasive wear to the fan housing and impeller.

Cartridge-type dust collectors, offering improved
efficiency and durability, are also available in 600, 900
and 1200 CFM models to simplify cleaning and mainte­nance.

B

Tunable reclaimers can be adjusted to control media
size. Externally adjustable tuning band requires no tools
and controls the size of fines extracted from the blast
media. Screen prevents oversized particles from causing
clogging and an easy access door permits quick filling.

C

One-cubic-foot pressure vessel minimizes refilling time
and seals automatically for fast, easy startup. Construc­tion is ASME coded only.

D

Rigid, dual-panel doors stand up to abrasives and seal
more tightly than single-panel doors. Flush construction
minimizes media spill when the door is opened.

E

Safety-door switch (Patent No. 4,505,077) prevents
accidental blasting when doors are open. Complies with
OSHA requirements.

F

Self-adjusting door latch assures continued tight seal­ing as door gasket ages.

G

Simple, pneumatic controls deliver greater reliability
than electric controls employing limit switches and
solenoids that often stick and burn out.

H

Wide foot treadle enables operation with either foot.

I

Moisture separator improves efficiency and reduces
downtime by helping to prevent oil and moisture in sup­ply lines from contaminating media.

J

Large, safety-glass window (14”x22”) can be changed
in a few minutes without tools and has rounded corners
for safe handling.

K

Kleensweep™ creates an air stream across the viewing
window to reduce dust buildup and improve visibility.

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Window glass

Knobs

Gasket Bushing

Window
frame

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E
M

P
IR
E

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A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

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WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE
A PRO-FINISH

®

SYSTEM

If your operations involve cleaning with chemicals, acid
etching or dipping, liquid honing, wire brushing,
sanding, deburring, grinding or peening, odds are a Pro­Finish system will save you time and money.

• These cabinet systems, designed for non-stop blasting,
increase production rates because blasting is faster than
other manual methods.

• Their versatility enables you to perform multiple tasks,
ranging from blending surface flaws to removing for­eign matter, such as carbon from pistons, without
affecting tolerances. By simply varying air pressure and
blast media, you can clean or peen and do a lot in
between.

• Modular design, including many standard factory
options, lets you select a system that’s just right for
you—without paying for features and accessories you
don’t need. Pro-Finish also gives you the choice of a
suction or pressure blast system.

• Blasting eliminates the environmental hazards associ­ated with chemical finishing because most modern blast
media are non-caustic and non-toxic. Plus, Pro-Finish
systems put the emphasis on safety in mechanical ways
with features such as blasting interlocks on cabinet
doors, rounded corners on safety-glass viewing win­dows and guards on sharp floor edges, just to list a few.

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OPERATING PRINCIPLES

EMPIRE

Compressed air

Blast media

Negative pressure

SUCTION SYSTEMS

Compressed air

Blast media

Air flow

PRESSURE SYSTEMS

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OPPORTUNITIES TO AUTOMATE

Powered movement of blast nozzles and/or workpieces
automates air-blasting operations to varying degrees.
For instance, using a powered turntable in combination
with oscillating nozzles makes many blast-finishing pro­cesses virtually automatic when a timer package is
added to control duration and on/off functions. Some
techniques for automating Pro-Finish cabinets—easily
and economically—are described below.

Turntables

Turntables, offered in both manual and
pneumatically powered models, facilitate
the handling of heavy parts and provide
opportunities for automation. Turntables
can be wheeled into or out of cabinets on a
dolly or track, or fixed inside cabinets.
Most stationary designs feature a low-profile,
giving operators easy “over-the-top” access
without wasting interior cabinet space.

Turntable sizes range from 18 to 48 inches
in diameter with load capacities of up to
1,500 pounds. (Turntables with higher
capacities are also available.) Powered
turntables, with speed ranges from 8-to-20
rpm, can be controlled by a manual on/off valve or tied
into an optional timer circuit for purposes of automa­tion.

Gun Oscillators, Timers & Other Accessories

Gun oscillators, suitable for larger Pro-Finish cabinets,

can be used with powered turntables and multiple noz­zles to reduce the number of guns required, therefore
reducing compressed-air consumption. The oscillator
will blend multiple passes of the nozzle, creating a more
uniform finish. Production rates increase as the benefits
of manual coverage and multi-gun blasting are com­bined.

A radially sweeping oscillator, powered by an air
cylinder, strokes as many as four blast guns through a
range of up to 18 inches. Stroke length, stroke speed and
on/off functions can also be controlled automatically.

Timers are employed to control the on/off functions
of blast guns, oscillators and turntables. Our 60-minute
spring timer is powered mechanically and works well
in most automated applications. Empire’s precision
reset timer, powered by a synchronous motor, always
clicks down from the same preset time. This feature,
along with large graduations on the timer dial, assure
more accurate control of blast durations.

When using timers with pressure systems, an ade­quate media supply must be available for the duration of
the blast process. Consequently, a larger pressure vessel
and/or media-level indicator should be considered.

Automatic door clamps lock the cabinet during
blasting. For environments in which passive dust emis­sions present a safety concern, a timer is added to allow
for adequate dust evacuation before the cabinet doors
are opened. When “close-to-clean-room” standards are
required, delay switches are supplied.

Turntables speed up parts handling and open
avenues to automation.

Precision reset timer

controls blast duration and
helps deliver consistent
results.

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24” Powered with Dolly & Track (1000 lb)
36” Powered with Dolly & Track (1000 lb)

TYPE OF TURNTABLE 2636 3648 4848 6060 7272

18” Manual with Dolly & Track (300 lb)
24” Manual with Dolly & Track (1000 lb)
36” Manual with Dolly & Track (1000 lb)
48” Manual with Dolly & Track (1500 lb)

18” Manual, Fixed inside (300 lb)
24” Powered, Fixed inside (300 lb)
36” Powered, Fixed inside (300 lb)

CABINET MODEL

Not available with this modelAvailable with model number shown above

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Pressure (PSI) 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1/4” nozzle, 3/32” air jet 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 15

1/4” nozzle, 1/8” air jet 10 12 15 17 19 21 23 26

5/16” nozzle, 5/32” air jet* 15 19 23 27 31 37 38 42

7/16” nozzle, 7/32” air jet 31 38 45 52 59 66 73 80

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SUCTION CABINETS

Suction-Blast Air Requirements (SCFM) Suction-Blast Spray Diameters

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Pro-Finish suction cabinets cost less and are simpler
than pressure cabinets. They also blast continuously
without the need to stop for media refills, and they sim­plify the use of multiple nozzles. The results are usually
comparable to those achieved with a pressure system
although production rates are not as high. When initial
cost and maintenance are primary concerns, the suction
system is a good choice.

Pro-Finish suction systems come in five sizes and
can be specified with a collector or dust bag on smaller
units.

A media reclaimer is optional. Nevertheless, when using
media that can be recovered, a reclaimer is advisable
because it normally pays for itself quickly in terms of
reduced waste and high-quality, repeatable results.

Pro-Finish suction cabinets are available with many
factory options that contribute to ease of operation,
reduced maintenance and greater productivity.

Plus, Pro-Finish’s modular design lets you upgrade to
a pressure system in the field at any time, enabling you
to build on your original investment.

SRB (Suction
with reclaimer
and bag)

SC (Suction with
collector)

*Unless otherwise specified, this nozzle is supplied.

4 SCFM = 1 compressor horsepower.

SRC (Suction
with reclaimer
and collector)

SB (Suction with bag)

GUN

ID 6” 12” 18”

1/4” 1-3/8” 2-5/8” – 2-3/4” – 1”

5/16”* 1-1/2” 3-1/2” 1-3/4” 4-1/2” – 3-3/4”

7/16” 2” 3-3/4” 2” 4-1/2” – 3-3/4”

Gun

Spray Diameter

Distance from Workpiece

Hot Spot Brush-off

Hot Spot Brush-off *Standard nozzle

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