A system for blast-cleaning a barge deck, sides, and fittings providing for safety and avoidance of damage to the barge and to persons, where a barge is blast-cleaned with moving blaster units suspended from and traveling along an overhead track beam. In one embodiment, the moving blaster units are each controlled by a person in a moving operator capsule moving in tandem with a moving blaster unit. In another embodiment, the moving blaster units are robotically controlled from a robotic controller which has access to a three-dimensional plan of the barge, communicating with the robotic blaster units via RF antennae, and receiving real-time data from sensors located on each blaster head. Optionally, the system for blast-cleaning a barge can provide blaster-head cameras for real-time remote monitoring of operations and for recording of the operations allowing review of any issue, such as damage, that might arise.

In order to provide a method for hardening a metal sheet material by means of which a particularly hard and scratch-resistant surface is produced on the metal sheet material, it is proposed that the method comprises the following: applying at least one peening stream to the metal sheet material, wherein at least one peening stream is applied to a front side of the metal sheet material and/or a rear side of the metal sheet material, respectively.

In order to provide a method for hardening a metal sheet material by means of which a particularly hard and scratch-resistant surface is produced on the metal sheet material, it is proposed that the method comprises the following: applying at least one peening stream to the metal sheet material, wherein at least one peening stream is applied to a front side of the metal sheet material and/or a rear side of the metal sheet material, respectively.

A method and apparatus for causing attrition to an outer surface of a food product to provide a removed portion of the food product and a remainder of the food product. In a first aspect, an abrasive stream contacts the outer surface of the food product, thereby separating at least a portion of the outer surface of the food product from the remainder of the food product to provide the removed portion of the food product. In a second aspect, the apparatus includes a product positioner to position the food product in an attrition zone and a nozzle for discharging the abrasive stream into contact with the food product in the attrition zone. The abrasive stream can be food grade and can include a food grade fluid and a food grade abrasive, for example, air and salt, respectively.

A method and apparatus for causing attrition to an outer surface of a food product to provide a removed portion of the food product and a remainder of the food product. In a first aspect, an abrasive stream contacts the outer surface of the food product, thereby separating at least a portion of the outer surface of the food product from the remainder of the food product to provide the removed portion of the food product. In a second aspect, the apparatus includes a product positioner to position the food product in an attrition zone and a nozzle for discharging the abrasive stream into contact with the food product in the attrition zone. The abrasive stream can be food grade and can include a food grade fluid and a food grade abrasive, for example, air and salt, respectively.

Methods for hardening a metal sheet material include applying at least one peening stream to the metal sheet material, wherein at least one peening stream is applied, in each case, to a front side of the metal sheet material and a rear side of the metal sheet material, respectively, at least at times simultaneously. In one example, the metal sheet material is a stainless steel material, wherein the at least one peening stream is generated from a peening material in which at least 50% by weight of the peening material has a largest particle diameter of at least 0.8 mm and wherein the metal sheet material has a mean final surface hardness after the application of the at least one peening stream of at least approximately 300 HV.

Methods for hardening a metal sheet material include applying at least one peening stream to the metal sheet material, wherein at least one peening stream is applied, in each case, to a front side of the metal sheet material and a rear side of the metal sheet material, respectively, at least at times simultaneously. In one example, the metal sheet material is a stainless steel material, wherein the at least one peening stream is generated from a peening material in which at least 50% by weight of the peening material has a largest particle diameter of at least 0.8 mm and wherein the metal sheet material has a mean final surface hardness after the application of the at least one peening stream of at least approximately 300 HV.

A treatment and containment system for treating an elongate object to be treated. The system comprises surface treatment equipment or device for treating a portion of the elongate object to be treated; a housing defines an enclosed treatment area and separates the enclosed treatment area from an operator of the surface treatment equipment or device, and the housing is opened at opposed ends thereof; each opposed opened end of the housing accommodates a pair of movable doors which seal against the elongate object to be treated and thereby closing each opposed opened end of the housing; the housing has an access aperture therein through which the surface treatment device passes and communicates with the enclosed treatment area, and the access aperture facilitates manipulation of the surface treatment device within the housing; and a transparent viewing aperture facilitates viewing of the elongate object to be treated by the operator.

A treatment and containment system for treating an elongate object to be treated. The system comprises surface treatment equipment or device for treating a portion of the elongate object to be treated; a housing defines an enclosed treatment area and separates the enclosed treatment area from an operator of the surface treatment equipment or device, and the housing is opened at opposed ends thereof; each opposed opened end of the housing accommodates a pair of movable doors which seal against the elongate object to be treated and thereby closing each opposed opened end of the housing; the housing has an access aperture therein through which the surface treatment device passes and communicates with the enclosed treatment area, and the access aperture facilitates manipulation of the surface treatment device within the housing; and a transparent viewing aperture facilitates viewing of the elongate object to be treated by the operator.

A method for cutting electrode foils (1) by means of a particle stream (2) is proposed. A cutting device (4) for cutting electrode foils (1) that are intended for use in a battery cell is also specified which comprises at least one nozzle (5) with an outlet (6), one cutting tool (7), one vibration device (8) for exciting at least the cutting tool (7) to vibration (14), one particle feed line (9) for supplying at least particles (13), and one gas feed line (10) for supplying a first gas stream (12), wherein the particles (13) and the first gas stream (12) can be mixed in the cutting device (4) to form a particle stream (2) and fed via the nozzle (5) to the outlet (6), wherein the cutting tool (7) and the outlet (6) can be arranged above the electrode foil (1) with separation (11) from a surface (3) of the electrode foil (1), and wherein the electrode foil (1) can be cut at least as a result of the particle stream (2) and the vibrations (14) of the cutting tool (7).