General points

The small shot blasting equipments which can be transportable by hand or in a light vehicle are considered as "portable" equipments. This equipments are used generally in workshops or on site in order to do small interventions or finishes on hardly or not movable parts. The only necessary constraints are the junctions to the electrical energy and the compressed air.
We can find in this very vast products family both projection principles which are: (they are the more characteristic)
- the pressure principle,
- the suction principle,
with the variants, with or without dust.

Pressure principle

The mini sandblasters
These small pressure pots with a capacity inferior to 20 litres are generally of type autoclave and hand controls.
The filling up with abrasive is made through a funnel through opening situated on the upper part and which is closed with a screwed cap. Then the pot is put under pressure and the mixture air/abrasive is shot through a supple hose.
They can be used with all kind of abrasives but with low diameters hoses and nozzles for renovation work which do not require an output. It is possible to attach them, if necessary, a nozzle rack of water pulverization or an annular collar to avoid making dust..

Suction principle with dust

Tank guns
This small equipment is based on the GIFFARD effect principle, with a projection gun similar to the ones used for painting.
This gun is fixed on a mixer ti on top of a capacity ( a kind of cylindrical pot) filled up with abrasive. The partial vacuum created by the compressed air injected in the gun generates a suction of the abrasive contained in the pot and projects it through a nozzle on the part to treat. The abrasives used are generally of low granulometry and low density considering the low output of this system. They are used mainly for small interventions or finishes in coachwork for example.

Bucket guns
They have the same principle and design as the previous ones. They are made of a projection gun fixed to the end of a pair of pipes. One of them feeds it with compressed air and the other one with abrasive. The capacity is no more a pot but a bucket with a variable capacity which is fitted with either a diver, a kind of stainer which sucks the abrasive in the mass, or a mixing ti fixed to its basis (see heading suction).
They can be used with all kind of abrasives, even metallic ones but with a low granulometry. The output is lightly superior to the previous one thanks to the use of nozzles and injectors with a bigger diameters.

Suction principle without dust

The re suction guns
Based on the principle invented by William MEAD, these guns are real small autonomous units allowing doing operations everywhere and safely for the staff and the environment. The sucking bell is replaced by a big diameter rubber sucking nozzle, directly in contact with the part to treat or fitted to the end with an annular brush. The projection nozzle is inside and in the vertical axis of the sucking nozzle. The feeding in abrasive is made through a pot on the gun body. The recovery of the dust and the air filtration is made from a pocket directly fixed to the end of the gun.
A set of sucking nozzles and various shaped brushes makes it possible to treat any kind of parts with very different profiles.

Nota: This projection system without dust also exists in different shapes and superior dimensions for higher outputs. (see heading mobile sets).