Piscataway, NJ • You need 5,000 pounds of aluminum oxide in less than 36 hours. So who are you going to call?
That’s what Ed Minnix, Senior Project Manager for Quinn Construction was facing when he picked up the phone and dialed Kramer Industries for a special flooring project of which he was in charge. Says Minnix, “They got right back to me and said ‘it’s on its way.’ Sure enough, 5,000 pounds rolled in the next day.”
“We use aluminum oxide more often as a blasting media for restorations,” explained Minnix. “It’s a great substitute for sand when you’re removing dirt, rust or other build-up of surface material. However, this time we needed a huge amount of 24-grade aluminum oxide grit to create a highly slip resistant floor coating for a heavily trafficked public area.”
According to Steven Schneider, sales manager of Kramer Industries, aluminum oxide grit has a wide variety of applications, from cleaning engine heads and aircraft turbine blades, to lettering in monument and marker inscriptions.
“Aluminum Oxide is the most widely used abrasive in blast finishing and surface preparation because of its cost, longevity and hardness,” says Schneider. “It will even cut the hardest metals and surfaces, and unlike sand, it can be re-used. However, it is becoming the media of choice among some of our more innovative customers who use gritty aggregates to create non-slip flooring and pavement.”
Through its innovation, and adherence to strict quality control standards, Quinn Construction has become an industry leader in protection and restoration services over the last 20 years. The company services clients throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States from its Folcroft, Pennsylvania facility.
Kramer Industries offers specialty cleaning equipment and media for a multitude of uses. Its line of media includes corncob, walnut shell grit, crushed glass, plastics, pumice, silicon carbide, steel grit, steel shot and aluminum oxide. When it comes to aluminum oxide, Kramer Industries recommends using virgin, brown aluminum oxide for optimal performance versus reprocessed or remanufactured product. “Virgin, brown aluminum oxide contains less than 1.5% free silica,” says Schneider, “and is therefore safer to use than sand, as well as less expensive.”