Low-cost sandblasting package

A sandblasting package combining low cost and ease of use, making it ideal for the needs of enterprise educational establishments, is launched by Mega Electronics

The new Quikmask system combines a photosensitive mask processor incorporating a vacuum ultraviolet unit, an illuminated washout booth and drying unit, and a compact sand blaster that is supplied complete with an extraction unit, air filter and regulator.

The units are very compact and are easy to move and reposition.

Artwork can be produced easily and cheaply on a PC drawing package, allowing the system - which costs less than £2000 - to carry out all the functions of a CAD package linked with a milling machine that could typically cost £15,000.

The actual process involves printing the computer-generated images on LaserStar artwork media, and reproducing the artwork on a piece of Quikmask stencil film by exposing and processing in the processor.

The film is then adhered to the glass before blasting in the sandblaster itself.

The sand only goes through the clear parts of the film, leaving an image on the glass.

Schools and colleges running enterprise courses for GNVQ and vocational GCSE qualifications will find the system ideal for teaching the basics of running a manufacturing business, since it allows high-quality customised products to be produced cheaply and quickly and provides a clear illustration of the concept of adding value to a product.

It will also be of use to art departments, since it can be used to teach students the basics of progressing computer-generated images into three-dimensional objects.

This is particularly significant for the new vocational GCSEs.

In the past, the use of computer-aided manufacturing processes in schools has been limited by their high cost, but the new Quikmask system offers a solution that not only teaches students the relationship between capital investment and returns, but can also actually pay for itself within the context of the enterprise course.

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