Aftersales services of automated blasting systems

Aftersales, in a nutshell, means customer support. With Blastman, this entails a wide range of services, that are characterized by long-term experience and careful attention to customer-specific needs.

The purpose of Blastman's aftersales services is to help keep the robots and automated blasting systems operational, the goal being that the uptime of the customer’s process is as high as possible and increase the system's lifetime. However, aftersales services consist of much more than simply supplying parts and maintenance. They can in fact support production and increase productivity in many ways.

How have the aftersales services of Blastman Robotics developed and what exactly do they entail? Read along.

The roots of aftersales services

The main principle of Blastman Robotics is to look at its business as a long-lasting relationship with its customers instead of a series of separate deals. When it comes to aftersales services, this principle can be compressed to a simple idea: every single customer is an aftersales customer.

This can be traced back to the roots of the company’s earliest efforts because, in essence, Blastman has provided spare parts and technical support since it built its first robot. In this sense, Blastman’s aftermarket services have developed purely out of ongoing communication and mutual learning processes with all of its customers.

Through time, as more and more robotic solutions have been delivered and the first generation of them has started to grow old, focusing more on customer support functions and developing them further has become natural.

Expertise in aftersales stems from the experience in automated blasting solutions

Blastman’s greatest advantage is its long history. During the past decades, it has accumulated an enormous amount of experience and know-how. The oldest Blastman robots that are still in use, are 30 years old. At the same time, the company has employees who have done long consecutive careers and know the equipment inside out.

As of late, Blastman has also managed to successfully pass on the know-how to a new generation. All in all, the company has personnel who are more than capable of letting their customers know how their robots are doing and provide spare and wear parts as well as services the customers need to keep their operations running smoothly.

Independence in parts supply

During the early days, Blastman’s supply of spare parts worked on a hand-to-mouth basis. Through the years, the company has grown its storage and now stores all the necessary parts for its automated blasting solutions in quantities.

While longevity is characteristic of the company, it is at the same time heartwarmingly comical. If Blastman’s robots would only last for five years, a need for extensive storage wouldn’t even exist. Because robots can stay fully operational for decades, they have actually outlived the global supply of numerous parts.

However, with its extensive supply, Blastman is able to maintain and modernize its customer’s equipment continuously. This is a significant advantage for the company and a remarkable security for its customers, especially during the kind of trying times we’ve experienced during the last few years. During turmoils such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, the delivery time of certain electrical components of the world can be over a year. Considering the customer’s ability to keep their production running, choosing Blastman is a safe bet.

Additionally, Blastman is an original equipment manufacturer and guarantees the quality and compatibility of all parts used. The company offers tailored spare and wear parts packages that are precisely defined to support the customer’s operations, improve the reliability of their automated blasting systems, and guarantee the availability of parts.

Maintenance further improves the uptime and longevity of automated blasting systems

Even though Blastman’s robotic solutions have been specifically designed to handle the grueling conditions of a blast chamber on a daily basis, even they can’t go on for 30 years completely maintenance-free. On the other hand, when maintenance is regular, the robots stay in a fully operating condition with relatively small efforts.  

The significance of maintenance, or the lack of it for that matter, manifests itself through time. When utilized regularly, maintenance and other aftersales services can mean a difference of decades in the equipment’s lifespan and a great enhancement in uptime.

Blastman offers inspection visits, during which the company’s experts generate reports of the overall condition of the robots and possibly recommend further actions such as spare part replacements. The contracts typically consist of 1-2 annual inspection visits, but they can be completely tailored to suit any customer’s needs. Preventive maintenance is always available, and Blastman is happy to provide specific instructions on maintenance procedures its customers can take care of themselves.

Interestingly, Blastman’s automated blasting systems can also support their own technical availability, as they have been fitted with internal calculators that give out preventive maintenance notifications for the user. The system can for example keep track of hose wear and notify about a pending hose breakage. This way the customer becomes aware of necessary steps ahead of time and gets an early chance to schedule maintenance to the best possible moment.

If the user doesn’t react upon the early warning and the hose breaks, there is still a backup system. Blastman has developed a blast hose break monitoring system that notifies about an already occurred breakage.

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Aftersales enables modernization

During their long existence, Blastman’s robots have already reached the fourth generation. However, enhancing automated blasting systems and improving the efficiency of a production line doesn’t necessarily mean the equipment needs to be completely renewed.

In addition, aftersales services enable the modernization of spare and wear parts supply and retrofitting. This stems from the times when Blastman’s first-generation robots had started to become old but not obsolete and could be adapted to more modern needs with updated packages. As Blastman’s technology has advanced, so have the modernization services.

While the importance of sustainability has become more and more publicly recognized, the recent upheavals in the world order have impacted the global economy which can be seen, for example, in the increased price of energy. As companies are trying their best to keep climate change at bay and production running while many costs increase, Blastman’s customers can benefit from many helpful solutions.

Blast chambers can be fitted with energy-saving upgrades such as ventilation and lighting automation. With this solution, if nothing is happening in the blast chamber, the ventilation shuts down automatically. Because robots are programmed, they follow predetermined patterns and don’t need any lights. If there is no need for workers to visually monitor the blasting process, lights can be kept off.

Programming and optimization as part of aftersales services

To guarantee maximum productivity Blastman’s robotic solutions come with Blastman Studio offline programming tool and related training. With the tool, blasting can be designed and simulated on a remote workstation without disturbing production. If desired, a customer can also purchase the programming as a service. In this case, Blastman’s specialists can support the user remotely in blasting program design by programming and checking blasting programs.

Blastman’s aftersales services also include process optimization for the user’s benefit. For this purpose, a customer can send information on their most important parameters concerning, for example, air pressure or nozzles. Additionally, an abrasive sample can be taken for analysis. Based on all the information, Blastman’s experts can determine how optimal the abrasive is in relation to the process and how well the abrasive handling system works. Based on the analysis, production-enhancing changes can be implemented.

Aftersales in automated blasting systems rely on customer management

Any great aftersales service needs a well-organized and functioning management system. Blastman has utilized software that handles tickets, such as service and spare part requests, and executes customer-specific documentation. This way, customer management stays up to date, all cases stay safe, and all documents are tagged in one place. Contacting Blastman through the official aftersales email address (below) also enables a faster response time as the messages don’t get lost among personal emails.

However, for Blastman Robotics, cooperation is a much more natural term than management. Blastman is committed to its customers for the whole lifespan of its products and automated blasting systems and is continuously developing its services for the customers’ benefit. This can only be achieved through seamless cooperation. As a part of this, aftersales services prevent bigger problems and improve cost-efficiency. Keeping robots doing what they were built to do is a win-win situation.

Check out the detailed offering of Blastman Robotics aftersales services:

Service page

In case you have any questions concerning the services or wish to place an order, contact us at:
aftersales@blastman.fi