Leading manufacturer of abrasive blasting and inspection equipment, Elcometer, have won the contract to supply the Spencer Group with dry abrasive blast machines and a range of coating inspection gauges for the £18 million Erskine Bridge maintenance painting programme.

The most extensive maintenance painting of the landmark crossing in a generation, the four year project includes the blasting, painting and inspection of 60,000 square meters of the structure’s existing steelwork, which will require approximately 46,000 litres of paint.

Spencer Group, landmark bridge works specialists, will be using Elcometer 24285H high pressure portable blast machines, which operate at up to 15bar, to blast the 1.3km bridge over the river Clyde. Elcometer will also be providing a range of inspection equipment including digital dry film thickness gauges, dewpoint meters and an automatic pull-off adhesion gauge to ensure quality control throughout the painting process.

Neil Beswick, UK & Ireland Sales Manager at Elcometer said: “We are very excited to be involved in the Erskine Bridge maintenance project and believe that the equipment we are supplying will play a substantial part in its success. Bearing in mind the huge span of the bridge and significant elevation, Spencer Group wanted the best option to effectively and economically blast the structure, which is why they opted for our 15bar 285 litre blast machines that minimise pressure loss over distance.”

Opened in 1971, Erskine Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge of its type in the world and was awarded Category A status by Historic Environment Scotland in recognition of its special architectural interest in 2018.

For more information about Elcometer's range of dry abrasive blast machines, click here.