Why should steel tubes be grit blasted rather than simply degreased?
Why steel surface preparation matters in the manufacturing of safety pallet locks
When manufacturing a safety pallet lock, steel surface preparation is not a detail!
When choosing a safety pallet lock, a pallet lock gate or a collective fall protection system, we naturally tend to focus on its design, dimensions, operation, certification and ability to effectively protect operators during pallet handling.
But there is another factor that is much less visible and yet plays an essential role in the quality, corrosion protection and long-term durability of the equipment: steel surface preparation before coating.
Two safety barriers may look virtually identical once they have been painted. Yet the way their steel components were prepared before coating can be completely different.
And this difference can have a significant impact on the long-term performance of the protective coating.
At AC2M – be safe!, we have made a clear choice: our steel tubes are grit blasted rather than simply degreased before their finishing treatment.
Why?
Because when manufacturing equipment designed to contribute to operator safety, we believe that quality and durability should never be sacrificed simply to reduce manufacturing costs.
Degreasing or grit blasting: what is the difference?
Degreasing mainly removes contaminants from the steel surface, such as oils, grease, manufacturing residues and other dirt.
It is a useful and sometimes essential operation.
However, degreasing alone does not fundamentally change the surface condition of the metal.
Grit blasting goes much further.
Abrasive particles are projected at high speed onto the steel surface to remove contaminants and surface residues and to prepare the substrate for the subsequent coating process.
The ISO 8501 series provides internationally recognised methods for assessing steel surface cleanliness and preparation. ISO 8501-3:2025 also addresses imperfections in welds, edges and steel surfaces that can affect corrosion protection.
In simple terms:
Degreasing = cleaning the surface.
Grit blasting = cleaning and mechanically preparing the surface for the next treatment.
This distinction is particularly important when a protective coating is subsequently applied to steel.
Why is steel surface profile important?
For a protective coating to perform its function over time, it is not enough for it simply to cover the steel visually.
The coating must also adhere properly to the substrate.
Abrasive blasting creates a suitable surface profile that can improve the mechanical anchoring of the coating to the steel.
Surface preparation is therefore an important part of the performance of a protective coating system.
ISO 8501-3:2025 states that the condition of the steel surface immediately before painting significantly affects the performance of protective coatings. The standard identifies factors including rust and mill scale, surface contaminants such as salts, dust, oils and grease, as well as the surface profile.
A steel component may therefore look perfectly clean after simple cleaning or degreasing without necessarily having received the level of surface preparation required for a durable coating system.
What does this mean for a safety pallet gate?
This is where the subject becomes particularly important.
A safety pallet lock, pallet transfer gate or other collective fall protection equipment is not simply a metal structure installed on a platform. It is part of a system designed to protect operators working at height.
Such equipment may be installed in industrial environments exposed to numerous stresses:
In this context, the durability of the protective coating should not be overlooked.
A coating properly applied to a suitably prepared steel substrate provides a stronger basis for long-term protection.
Conversely, inadequate surface preparation can contribute to premature coating deterioration, particularly if adhesion is compromised or corrosion develops beneath the coating.
This is precisely why steel surface preparation standards exist: the condition of the substrate before coating directly influences the performance of the protective coating system.
Why does AC2M choose grit blasting?
When manufacturing its safety pallet locks and pallet transfer gates, AC2M has chosen not to consider surface preparation as merely another production step where costs can be reduced.
We have chosen grit blasting.
Why? Because we believe that a safety barrier must be designed as a complete system. Safety is not limited to the mechanical operation of the barrier.
It also involves:
Immediate cost is not the only criterion.
Degreasing can be a simpler and less costly surface preparation process.
In the safety equipment industry, some manufacturing approaches may therefore favour simpler preparation methods in order to reduce production costs.
At AC2M, we have made a different choice. We prefer to invest more in the preparation of our steel components in order to manufacture equipment with a genuine focus on quality, reliability and durability.
Because savings made during manufacturing should never come at the expense of the durability of safety equipment.
An invisible difference...but an essential one
The challenge with surface preparation is that it is difficult to assess once the finished product is in front of you.
A safety pallet lock can be perfectly painted. It can have an attractive finish. It can look exactly like another safety barrier. And yet, what lies underneath the coating may be very different.
That is why it is worth asking this question before purchasing: How are the steel tubes of your safety pallet lock prepared before the finishing treatment? Are they simply cleaned and degreased? Or do they undergo genuine mechanical surface preparation by abrasive blasting?
This question matters because it allows buyers to compare not only the purchase price, but also the manufacturing quality and expected durability of the safety equipment.
Safety pallet gate: don't compare prices alone
When comparing two safety pallet locks, it is easy to focus on: price + dimensions + delivery time. But when the equipment is designed to protect people, the comparison should go further.
It is worth looking at: Materials → design → manufacturing → welding → surface preparation → coating system → finishing → inspection → certification → durability.
It is the combination of these elements that determines the real quality of safety equipment. A price difference between two products therefore does not necessarily mean that the products are equivalent.
At AC2M, safety also means invisible quality
For almost 30 years, AC2M has been developing and manufacturing solutions for working-at-height safety and collective fall protection. Our safety pallet locks and pallet transfer gates, including our SG solutions, are designed to secure pallet transfer operations and protect operators working on platforms and mezzanines. But for us, safety does not stop with the mechanical operation of the barrier.
It starts with the choice of materials and manufacturing processes.
That is why we choose grit blasting rather than simple degreasing.
A safety pallet lock is safety equipment. It must be reliable. It must be durable. And the quality of safety equipment is also determined by the manufacturing steps that cannot be seen once the product is finished.
Before buying a safety pallet lock, ask the question!
The next time you compare several offers for safety pallet locks, pallet transfer gates or collective fall protection equipment, don't just ask: “What is the price?”
Also ask: “How are the steel tubes prepared before the finishing treatment?”
The answer can tell you a great deal about the manufacturer's approach to quality.
At AC2M, our answer is clear: We grit blast our steel tubes. Because we believe that safety deserves more than the lowest-cost treatment.
AC2M
Z.A. La Métairie
307, rue du Val d’Ardoux
F-45370 DRY
Phone +33 (0)2 38 59 97 99
Specialist in safety gates and access to tankers (folding stairs, mobile safety ladders), AC2M in the heart of France is also your parner for metalwork, boiler making and water jet cutting.
