The Best Accessories for Your A95 | Meet the A95

Is the A95 right for me? Is a different shot blaster a better option? Do I need a grinder instead of a shot blaster? We can’t answer those questions for you, but we’re happy to share our knowledge to help you make the best decision for you and your business.

How Does a Shot Blaster Work?

Learning how a shot blaster works will help you get the most out of your A95, A96, and A97. The fundamentals of shot blasting are universal, but the operator experience is leagues above the rest with National Flooring Equipment’s Apex Series of Shot Blasters.

Shot blasters work off of two main principles – rebound and suction. The blast wheel propels the shot at the hard concrete. The shot then bounces (or rebounds) back up. This momentum carries the shot partially, but not fully, through the machine. This is where the suction part of the equation takes over.

Once the shot rebounds part way up the machine, your paired dust collector will pull the shot the rest of the way. It’s important that you pair an appropriately rated dust collector with your shot blaster. With too much suction, your dust collector will pull still-usable shot out of your machine. Too little suction and your shot blaster will drop shot because there isn’t enough force pulling it through.

When the shot is pulled to the top of the machine, dust and small pieces of shot are sucked into the dust collector. Any pieces of shot intact enough to be cycled through will cascade down into the shot hopper. The shot will pass through a screen at the top of the shot hopper. This screen filters out things you may have picked up (e.g. cotter pins, nails, other small pieces of metal) to prevent damaging your machine.

In the image below, the blue arrow shows the travel path of the shot and the yellow arrow shows the travel path of the air.

Pair your A95 with a DL2000.

Pair your A96 and A97 with a DL3000 or DL4000P.

Learn more about pairing a dust collector with your shot blaster here.

The NFE Helix 16″ planetary grinder has it all – adjustable speed, direct or passive grind, a wide selection of tooling, work light, and more! Watch the video to see everything Helix has to offer!

Meet the Helix®, the most versatile 110 volt planetary grinder on the market. Learn the basics of the machine, the options you have for tooling, what to expect when it comes to maintenance, and more.

The Helix is a 16-inch, 110-volt passive planetary grinder capable of direct drive grind, grinding within 1/4″ of the wall, as well as prepping and polishing concrete up to a 400 grit finish!

Pair a wide variety of tooling including metal bond diamonds, brazed diamonds, scarifier tooling, PCDs, carbides, and more with your Helix.

Metal Bond Diamonds

PCDs

Helix® vs 8274-4: A Planetary Grinder Comparison

Dave Bigham, National’s Director of Global Training, discusses the features both machines offer and does a planetary grinder comparison. He also covers which machine is the best fit for different contractors and why we make two machines that are similar.

National offers two planetary grinders, both of which are powered with 110 volt power, use the same tooling, and even pair with the same vac. What’s different?

The Helix, a 206 lb. machine, has a 16″ grinding path. While the 8274-4, a 388 lb. machine, has an 18″ grinding path.

The Helix has passive planetary satellites that spin freely. The 8274-4 has driven satellites. How does this impact results?

With a few exceptions, the Helix and 8274-4 can even use all the same tooling. This includes metal bond diamonds, PCDs, prep and polishing tooling, and more.

The Helix® is a modular machine. The handle is not only fully adjustable but fully removable as well. This makes operator comfort and job site access a breeze. Because of the Helix’s passive satellite design, it is the only NFE grinder that works with the Helix Scarifier Tooling. See Scarifier Tooling in action here.

Clean up tile or other job site debris quickly with NFE’s Tile Box.