As a surface treatment equipment, crawler through-type shot blasting machine is widely used in cleaning, rust removal, and descaling of metal materials. It mainly uses high-speed rotating shot blasting machines to spray shot onto the metal surface for cleaning. Although shot blasting machines can handle many types of metal materials, they are not suitable for all metal materials. The following is an analysis of the applicability of shot blasting machines to different types of metal materials:

1. Applicable metal materials
Shot blasting machines are particularly suitable for cleaning the following metal materials:
Steel metals:
Carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, etc. can all be effectively cleaned by shot blasting machines. Shot blasting machines can remove scale, rust, welding slag, etc. on the surface of steel, making its surface smooth and enhancing its coating adhesion.
In the treatment of most steel materials such as cast steel, forged steel, and welded parts, shot blasting machines can provide uniform surface treatment effects.
Cast iron materials:
Cast iron materials (such as gray cast iron, ductile iron, etc.) are usually hard, and shot blasting machines can effectively remove surface oxides, casting sand, iron filings, etc.
The burrs and scale produced during the production of cast iron parts can also be cleaned by shot blasting machines.
Aluminum alloy:
For soft metals such as aluminum alloy, special attention should be paid to the surface treatment of shot blasting machines. The surface of aluminum alloy materials is easily damaged, and the spraying force of the shot blasting machine needs to be adjusted according to the specific situation to avoid excessive wear or surface damage.
Aluminum alloys are often used in industries such as automobiles and aviation. Shot blasting machines can remove the oxide layer and impurities on the surface and improve the surface quality.
Copper alloy:
Metals such as copper alloys and brass can be cleaned by shot blasting machines, but due to the strong softness of copper, the selection of shot materials, the ejection speed and other parameters need to be carefully adjusted to prevent the surface from being scratched.

2. Unsuitable metal materials
Although shot blasting machines are suitable for a variety of metal materials, not all types of metals are suitable for shot blasting machines, especially some soft or brittle metals. The following types of metal materials should avoid using shot blasting machines for surface treatment:
Soft metal materials (such as tin, zinc, etc.):
The surface of soft metals such as tin and zinc is easily damaged by the shot of the shot blasting machine. Especially for soft metal materials with thin or fragile surfaces, the impact force during the shot blasting process may cause excessive wear or dents on their surfaces.
These metals usually need to be surface treated by other methods, such as sandblasting, chemical cleaning, etc.
Some highly brittle materials (such as bismuth, lead, etc.):
Metal materials with high brittleness such as bismuth and lead are prone to cracking or fragmentation during the shot blasting process, so they are not suitable for surface treatment using shot blasting machines.
Precious metals (such as gold, silver, platinum, etc.):
Precious metal materials are usually softer and have higher surface finish requirements. The impact force of the shot blasting machine may damage the gloss of the precious metal surface, so it is not suitable for surface cleaning of precious metals.
For these precious metal materials, chemical, acid pickling or other milder cleaning methods are more commonly used.

3. Factors affecting shot blasting effect
When using a shot blasting machine to clean metal materials, there are several factors to consider to ensure the best effect:
Shot material selection: Different metal materials are suitable for different types of shot materials. Metals with higher hardness (such as steel) usually use harder shot materials (such as steel shot, steel sand), while soft metals (such as aluminum alloy, copper alloy) need to choose softer shot materials (such as aluminum shot, glass beads, etc.) to avoid excessive wear on the metal surface.
Shot speed and angle: The shot speed and angle of the shot blasting machine need to be adjusted according to the properties of the metal. For softer metal materials, the shot speed should be reduced and the spray angle should be adjusted to prevent the surface from being damaged.
Surface treatment requirements: Different metal materials have different requirements for surface treatment. In some high-demand industries (such as aerospace, automobiles, etc.), the fineness of metal surface treatment is required to be high, and a milder treatment method such as sandblasting or chemical cleaning may be required instead of shot blasting.

4. Summary
Shot blasting machines are suitable for most common metal materials, especially steel, cast iron, aluminum alloy, etc., but they are not suitable for some soft metals and brittle materials (such as tin, zinc, bismuth, lead, precious metals, etc.). Therefore, when using shot blasting machines for metal surface treatment, you should choose appropriate shot materials, adjust appropriate parameters according to the characteristics of different metals, and ensure process adaptation. If you encounter metal materials that are not suitable for shot blasting, you can choose other surface treatment methods, such as sandblasting, chemical cleaning, etc.