The success of Kaser’s blast shop can be attributed to one man: Stan.
Since 2007, Stan has (largely single handedly) cycled parts through Kaser’s blast booth. He’s experienced, efficient, and very comfortable working alone. Here’s a normal day in Stan’s life as an abrasive media blaster.
Checking the Schedule
Stan starts his day by looking at the production schedule, which is my best approximation of what he can accomplish in eight hours. Stan then sets up the blast booth – this could mean hauling in sawhorses, setting up a table, or loading parts onto carts to make them mobile. It all depends on the sizes and shapes of the incoming parts.
Suiting Up
Stan’s blast suit is essentially head-to-toe leather. In lieu of a respirator, he wears a blasting helmet (complete with a cape) to which we supply breathable air. Blasting is objectively more hazardous to the operator than powder coating, which is why Stan’s personal protective equipment is heavier-duty than that worn by the powder coating operators. Folks who aspire to be blasters, take note: the longevity of your career depends on your ability to keep yourself safe in the booth.
Getting to Work
Kaser’s powder shop is a collaborative environment, requiring 8-10 people to keep parts moving through the multi-step coating process. Blasting is far less nuanced. Stan loads parts into the blast booth, blasts them, and then packages them if necessary. He works alone most of the time, only asking for help when he needs to flip particularly large parts.
Getting to (Re)Work
Unless they are particularly oily, parts require little to no preparation before blasting. This means the chance of rework is dramatically reduced compared to powder coating, where a tiny slip up in the wash bay spells disaster in the powder booth. In the rare event that parts return to the blast booth for rework, it’s typically because something went wrong during the coating process. Not much else slows Stan down.
Stan excels in his role because he’s a self-starting introvert who’s highly internally motivated. His commitment to excellence is the reason I trust him implicitly, and our customers are lucky to have him blasting their parts. Learn more about Kaser’s blast booth here.
