How does the MagTrack Swing Arm work for open water blasting?

The MagTrack Swing Arm works by mounting a rotating, swing-motion blast head onto a magnetic crawler that adheres to steel surfaces, allowing it to perform open water blasting across large flat and curved areas without an operator needing to hold or guide the equipment manually. The swing arm sweeps the high-pressure water jet in a controlled arc pattern, covering a wide cleaning path with each pass. Below, we break down exactly how each element of the system functions, from magnetic adhesion to pressure ratings and real-world applications.

What surfaces can the MagTrack Swing Arm clean with open water blasting?

The MagTrack Swing Arm is designed for open water blasting on flat and slightly curved steel surfaces, making it suitable for large structural panels, ship hulls, storage tank walls, offshore platform decks, and industrial steel structures. The magnetic crawler requires a ferromagnetic steel substrate to maintain adhesion, so the system is purpose-built for steel-intensive environments found in maritime, petrochemical, and energy sectors.

In practical terms, this covers a broad range of surfaces that maintenance engineers and field technicians encounter regularly. Ship hulls are among the most common applications, where large surface areas need consistent coating removal or corrosion treatment before repainting. Offshore platform legs and deck plating, refinery vessel exteriors, and the outer walls of large storage tanks all fall within the system’s operational scope.

The open blasting configuration means that water and removed material are not contained by a vacuum dome, which makes it particularly well suited for outdoor or well-ventilated environments where runoff can be managed. For applications where a clean, dry surface is required immediately after blasting, a closed waterblasting setup with a vacuum-connected blast can is the preferred alternative. The MagTrack platform is modular, so operators can switch configurations depending on the job requirements.

How does the magnetic track system keep the unit attached during blasting?

The MagTrack crawler stays attached to steel surfaces through permanent magnets integrated into the chassis, generating a constant attractive force between the unit and the steel substrate. This magnetic adhesion does not rely on power to maintain grip, which means the crawler remains secured even in the event of an electrical interruption during operation.

The strength of the magnetic system is calibrated to handle the reactive forces generated during high-pressure water blasting. When a jet operating at several hundred to several thousand bar strikes a surface, it creates significant thrust. The magnets are engineered to hold the crawler firmly against this reactive force while still allowing the drive wheels to propel the unit across the surface in a controlled manner.

Height-adjustable magnets give operators the ability to fine-tune the grip force depending on the surface condition, the curvature of the substrate, or the specific pressure being used. On surfaces with mill scale, heavy corrosion, or irregular coatings, the adjustability ensures that the crawler maintains reliable contact without losing mobility. This balance between strong adhesion and controlled movement is one of the defining engineering features of the MagTrack platform.

What water pressure and flow rates does the MagTrack Swing Arm operate at?

The MagTrack system is designed to operate across a wide pressure range, from 500 bar “7,252 PSI” up to 3,000 bar “43,511 PSI”, with flow rates matched to the specific blast head and nozzle configuration in use. This range covers ultra-high-pressure water jetting applications, making it capable of removing even the most stubborn coatings, corrosion, and surface contamination from industrial steel structures.

Operating within this pressure range allows the MagTrack Swing Arm to be deployed across a variety of surface preparation grades. Lower pressure settings within the 500 to 1,500 bar “7,252 to 21,755 PSI” range are typically used for washing, light coating removal, or preparation tasks where the underlying substrate must be preserved. Higher pressures approaching 3,000 bar “43,511 PSI” are used for aggressive coating removal, mill scale elimination, and preparation to bare metal standards required before protective coating application.

Flow rate is equally important to pressure when determining cleaning efficiency. The combination of pressure and volume determines the energy delivered to the surface per unit of time. The system’s nozzle and manifold configuration is selected to match the available pump output, ensuring that neither pressure nor flow is wasted. This is a critical consideration for maintenance engineers who need to optimize equipment performance against the output capacity of their high-pressure water jetting unit on site.

How does the swing arm motion pattern improve blasting coverage?

The swing arm motion pattern improves blasting coverage by sweeping the high-pressure jet across the surface in a wide arc rather than directing it at a single fixed point. This oscillating movement distributes the cleaning energy evenly across a broad cleaning path with each forward pass of the crawler, significantly reducing the number of passes needed to treat a large surface area.

When a fixed nozzle is used without any swing or rotation, the jet treats only a very narrow strip directly in its path. The swing arm mechanism addresses this limitation by continuously moving the jet laterally while the crawler advances. The result is a cleaning band that is considerably wider than the nozzle’s own footprint, which translates directly into faster surface coverage and more consistent results across the treated area.

The arc pattern also helps avoid the striping effect that can occur with linear jetting systems, where the transition zones between adjacent passes receive less energy than the center of each pass. By overlapping the arc at the edges of each sweep, the swing arm ensures that the entire surface within the cleaning path receives a consistent level of treatment. For surface preparation work that must meet specific cleanliness standards before coating application, this consistency is not just a convenience but a technical requirement.

What safety advantages does the MagTrack offer over manual water blasting?

The MagTrack system removes operators from direct exposure to the high-pressure water jet, which is the single most significant safety advantage it offers over manual water blasting. In manual operations, the technician holds the lance and is in close proximity to a jet that can cause severe injection injuries, lacerations, and fatalities. Remote-controlled crawler operation eliminates this proximity risk entirely.

High-pressure water jetting is one of the most hazardous activities in industrial maintenance. Safety organizations including SIR (Netherlands), EWJI (Europe), WJA (UK), WJTA (USA), and DIRV (Germany) all publish guidelines and training standards specifically because of the serious injury potential involved. These organizations recognize that reducing operator exposure to the jet stream is one of the most effective risk mitigation strategies available.

Beyond jet exposure, the MagTrack system also reduces fatigue-related risk. Manual high-pressure lancing over large surface areas is physically demanding work, and operator fatigue increases the likelihood of handling errors and loss of control. The crawler handles the physical effort of maintaining the blast head in position and moving it across the surface, leaving the operator to focus on monitoring and control from a safe distance. For work at height on ship hulls or elevated structures, the crawler also reduces the need for operators to work in awkward or exposed positions on scaffolding or rope access.

What industries and applications use the MagTrack Swing Arm most often?

The MagTrack Swing Arm is used most frequently in the maritime, offshore, petrochemical, and energy industries, where large steel surfaces require regular surface preparation and maintenance cleaning. Ship hull treatment, offshore platform maintenance, storage tank exterior preparation, and refinery vessel cleaning represent the most common real-world applications for the system.

In the maritime sector, dry dock operations rely heavily on robotic blasting systems to prepare hull surfaces for antifouling coating application. The scale of a ship hull makes manual blasting impractical within tight dry dock schedules, and the MagTrack’s ability to cover large areas consistently makes it a practical solution for shipyards and ship repair facilities operating under time pressure.

Offshore oil and gas platforms present a particularly demanding environment, combining large steel surface areas, strict safety requirements, and often challenging working conditions including wind, salt spray, and restricted access. The remote-controlled operation of the MagTrack is well suited to these conditions, allowing surface preparation work to proceed with reduced risk to personnel.

In the petrochemical and energy sectors, storage tanks, pressure vessels, and structural steelwork all require periodic surface preparation as part of corrosion management programs. The consistency of the MagTrack’s cleaning output supports compliance with the surface preparation standards that coating manufacturers and asset owners specify before protective coatings are applied.

How MagTrack supports your open water blasting operations

For maintenance engineers, operators, and field technicians working on large steel structures, the MagTrack Swing Arm addresses the core challenges of open water blasting directly. Here is what the system brings to your operations:

• Operator safety: Remote-controlled operation keeps personnel away from the high-pressure jet zone, reducing injury risk in line with SIR, EWJI, WJA, WJTA, and DIRV safety guidance.
• Wide pressure range: Operates from 500 bar “7,252 PSI” to 3,000 bar “43,511 PSI”, covering everything from light washing to aggressive coating removal.
• Consistent surface coverage: The swing arm motion pattern delivers even cleaning across wide areas, reducing rework and meeting pre-coating surface preparation standards.
• Modular platform: The MagTrack carrier is compatible with multiple tool configurations, so the same crawler can be adapted for different jobs without replacing the entire system.
• Reliable adhesion: Height-adjustable permanent magnets maintain secure contact on flat and slightly curved steel surfaces, even under the reactive forces of high-pressure blasting.
• Reduced fatigue and downtime: Robotic operation replaces physically demanding manual lancing, lowering the risk of fatigue-related errors during long surface preparation campaigns.

We at DERC Salotech have been developing high-pressure water jetting solutions for over 40 years, and the MagTrack platform reflects that depth of engineering experience. If you want to see full technical specifications or discuss how the system fits your specific application, explore the MagTrack product page or contact our team to talk through your requirements directly.