Abrasive blasting of any kind tends to produce a large volume of airborne particles that can make work more difficult and unpleasant, either from the abrasive itself or from the surface that is being blasted. Dust extraction from shotblasting and sandblasting (grit blasting) areas improves operating conditions in four ways:

• It improves visibility during work. This is often considered the main reason for dust extraction in blasting operations.
• It protects the working environment and workers from the possible damaging effects of the dust.
• It limits the spread of high concentrations of dust into other areas.
• It facilitates the speedy clean-up of the booth or space after operations have ended.

Maximally effective dust collection systems need to remove the greatest possible amount of dust, as well as dust of the smallest possible particle size. To do this while saving as much energy as possible, the collector should generally be placed opposite air inlets. This maximizes the air volume in the booth or enclosure that will enter the extraction system. To effectively remove dust-laden air, the inlets, outlets and fan airflow rating need to be large enough. The presence of more dangerous or toxic dusts indicates the need for higher airflows. Requirements can reach 80-120 air changes per hour or even more.

Either filter systems or cyclones may be used. Wet scrubbers are best where dusts are potentially explosive. Professional-quality extraction systems are very quiet and efficient at collecting the particles.

For enclosed booths, extraction systems may be either vertical – with air introduced through the ceiling and extraction occuring at or near the bottom (under floor grating, for example) – or horizontal, with air moving across the space. Vertical systems are often better for dust draining, especially when there is more than one operator or the length of the space is greater than 15 m.

The main factors to consider in choosing the right dust collector are the cost, maintenance needs, session use, use over a period, filter requirements and the nature of the operating area.

If blasting uses high volumes of abrasive, it is advisable to reclaim abrasive, separating it from contaminants. This will reduce wastage and increase the life of blasting media.