Glass plays a pivotal role in various industries due to its versatility. Apart from commonly used cosmetic packaging containers, it includes types used for making doors and windows, such as hollow glass, laminated glass, and those used in art decorations, such as fused glass and embossed glass.
Characteristics of Sandblasting
Sandblasting is a process where compressed air propels abrasives onto a surface for treatment. It is also known as shot blasting or shot peening. Initially, sand was the only abrasive used, so the process was commonly referred to as sandblasting. Sandblasting achieves dual effects: it cleans the surface to the required degree and creates a certain roughness to enhance coating adhesion on the substrate. Even the best coatings struggle to adhere well to untreated surfaces over the long term.
Surface pretreatment involves cleaning and generating the required roughness for “locking” the coating. Industrial coatings applied to surfaces treated with sandblasting can extend the coating’s lifespan by more than 3.5 times compared to other methods. Another advantage of sandblasting is that surface roughness can be predetermined and easily achieved during the cleaning process.
About Frosted Glass
Frosting involves making the surface of an originally smooth object rough, causing light to create a diffuse reflection on the surface. In chemical terms, glass is mechanically polished or manually polished with abrasives such as corundum, silica sand, or garnet powder to create a uniformly rough surface. Alternatively, hydrofluoric acid solution can be used to process glass and other objects, resulting in frosted glass. In skincare, exfoliation removes dead skin cells, which is effective but should not be overused, depending on your skin type. Excessive exfoliation can prematurely kill newly generated cells before forming a self-protective membrane, making delicate skin more susceptible to external threats such as UV rays.
Differences Between Frosted and Sandblasted Glass
Both frosting and sandblasting are processes for making glass surfaces translucent, allowing light to scatter evenly through lampshades, and general users find it difficult to distinguish between these two processes. Here are the specific production methods for both processes and how to identify them.
Frosting Process
Frosted glass is immersed in a prepared acidic solution (or coated with acidic paste) to etch the glass surface through strong acid erosion. Simultaneously, hydrofluoric ammonia in the strong acid solution crystallizes the glass surface. Therefore, well-done frosting results in an exceptionally smooth glass surface with crystalline scattering and a hazy effect. If the surface is relatively rough, it indicates severe acid erosion on the glass, suggesting the craftsman’s lack of maturity. Some parts may still lack crystals (commonly known as “no sanding” or “glass spots”), also indicating poor craftsmanship. This technique is technically challenging and is characterized by the appearance of sparkling crystals on the glass surface, which forms under critical conditions due to the imminent consumption of hydrofluoric ammonia.
Sandblasting Process
This process is very common, where a sandblaster shoots sand grains at high speed onto the glass surface, creating a fine uneven surface that scatters light to create a diffuse glow when light passes through. The glass products processed by sandblasting have a relatively rough texture on the surface. Because the glass surface is damaged, the originally transparent glass appears white when exposed to light. The process difficulty level is average.
These two techniques are completely different. Frosted glass is generally more expensive than sandblasted glass, and the effect mainly depends on user preferences. Some unique types of glass are not suitable for frosting. From the perspective of pursuing nobility, frosted glass should be chosen. Sandblasting techniques are generally achievable by most factories, but achieving excellent frosted glass is not easy.