The MontiPower Method
Four steps from corroded steel to a certified, coated surface — without grit blasting, blast containment, or media disposal.
How It Works
The MontiPower Method
Surface preparation is the most cost-sensitive and quality-critical step in any industrial coating project. MontiPower tools simplify the process, achieving the two results that determine coating performance (surface cleanliness and anchor profile) in a single pass, without the logistics and environmental complexity of abrasive blasting. For the theory behind each step, profiles, salts, standards, see the MontiPower Academy. Where does it apply? Browse industries we serve or start with the Belt Selector. The full theory lives in the grit-free surface preparation guide on montipower.com.
Identify the Surface Condition
Assess before you prepare.
Surface preparation quality starts with correct diagnosis. The substrate condition, rust grade, old coating adhesion, mill scale thickness, contamination type, determines which MontiPower tool is appropriate and what result you can expect.
ISO 8501-1 visual rust grades (A, B, C, D) are the international standard for assessing initial surface condition. MontiPower tools are effective from Grade B (light rust) through to Grade D (heavy pitting), achieving cleanliness comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3 across all grades in a single preparation pass.
ISO 8501-1 Visual Standard: Rust Grade A (mill scale) through D (heavy pitting)
Remove Corrosion & Contamination
Comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3. Independently verified.
The Bristle Blaster or MBX tool removes corrosion, mill scale, and failing coatings in a single continuous pass. The patented wire tips impact the surface at high velocity, fracturing and ejecting corrosion products, mill scale and loosely adherent coatings to expose bright, clean metal.
The surface cleanliness result, comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3 (11mm BB belt, Rustgrade D), has been confirmed by independent third-party laboratory testing. The same test reports used to qualify abrasive blast contractors can be used to qualify MontiPower surface preparation.
Confirmed by independent laboratory testing — ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ test reports available on request
Create the Anchor Profile
65–85 µm Rz angular profile. In the same pass.
This is the step that makes MontiPower unique. Conventional preparation with angle grinder discs and needle scalers cleans the surface but produces a flat or peened profile, inadequate for zinc-rich primers and high-build coating systems. Verify the profile on site with an ISO 8503 surface comparator, replica tape (ASTM D4417 Method C), or a digital depth gauge reading Rz, Rp and Rv.
MontiPower wire tips are precision-formed to peen the steel surface as they impact, creating an angular, jagged anchor profile in the same pass as cleaning. The result, 65–85 µm Rz, is verified by profilometer testing and meets the requirements of virtually every industrial coating specification for surface profile.
Profilometer verified: 65–85 µm Rz angular anchor profile
Apply Coating Without Delay
No media removal. No containment dismantle. Start coating.
Without blast media to collect, no contaminated dust residue to neutralise, and no containment scaffolding to dismantle, coating application proceeds immediately after preparation. This eliminates the window in which freshly prepared steel can flash-rust, a critical factor in marine, offshore, and humid environments where turnaround time between preparation and coating is tightly managed.
The absence of embedded blast media in the anchor profile also removes a hidden source of long-term coating failure: grit particles that corrode under the coating and cause premature delamination.
No media embedment in the coating profile = better long-term coating adhesion
The Patented Geometry
Why Wire Tips Outperform Conventional Prep
The performance of MontiPower tools comes from the precision geometry of the wire tips. Unlike standard wire brushing, which polishes the surface and produces a rounded, low-profile result. MontiPower wire tips are engineered to impact the steel at a specific angle and velocity.
On impact, the wire tip flexes, stores elastic energy, and releases it as a percussive blow to the surface. The cumulative effect of thousands of impacts per second creates both the cleanliness and the angular profile. It is, in effect, localised mechanical peening, which is why MontiPower achieves results that other wire tools cannot.
Independent Proof You Can Take to Any Specifier
ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ Test Report
Independent third-party laboratory testing confirms that Bristle Blaster and MBX tools achieve surface cleanliness comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3 (11mm BB belt, Rustgrade D), the grade most coating specifications require. Download the test report.
Download Test Report →Surface Profile Certificate
Profilometer test results confirming 65–85 µm Rz angular anchor profile. Compliant with major coating specifications for zinc-rich primers and high-build epoxy systems.
Download Profile Certificate →ATEX II 2G/2D Zone 1 & 21 Certification
Pneumatic MontiPower tools carry full ATEX certification for use in explosive atmospheres, offshore platforms, refineries, LNG facilities, and chemical plants.
Download ATEX Certificate →No Media — No Disposal
MontiPower tools use no abrasive media. No media procurement, no lead-contaminated grit disposal, no silica dust exposure, no containment required. WHS and environmental compliance simplified.
View Safety Data Sheets →Comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3. Without the Blast.
Comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3
Independent ISO 8501-1 tests confirm surface cleanliness comparable to grit blasting, without abrasive media, containment or dust suppression.
ATEX Zone 1 & 21 Certified
Pneumatic tools carry ATEX II 2G/2D certification — safe in offshore, refinery, and petrochemical explosive atmospheres.
65–85 µm Anchor Profile
Patented wire-tip geometry creates the angular profile coating specs demand, ideal for zinc-rich primers and HBE systems.
No Media, No Containment
Eliminate blast media procurement, disposal, dust suppression and containment scaffolding. Reduce mobilisation cost by up to 60%.
Works Anywhere
Cordless, electric, and pneumatic options mean preparation comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3 on remote sites, at height, in confined spaces, or on live plant.
30+ Years Proven
Over three decades of in-service history across oil & gas, offshore, infrastructure, and mining across more than 50 countries.
See the Method on Real Steel
Request an On-Site Demonstration
The best way to understand MontiPower performance is to see it on your own substrate, with your coating spec in hand. Our technical team will come to your site, prepare a test panel, and show you a result comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa2 ½ & Sa3 alongside your current preparation method.