In the late 1940s, Norman Ives Ashworth invented the wet blasting machine, a process he called liquid honing at the time, while working alongside Sir Frank Whittle on the jet engine. The process he developed became the foundation of an entire industry. Nearly eight decades on, his family's company, Vapormatt, still sets the standard.
That is not a claim we need to make. It is a fact our customers demonstrate every time they stay with us for the life of their wet blasting machine.
Why heritage matters in precision engineering
Surface finishing is one of the few disciplines where experience genuinely can't be replaced. Every material behaves differently. Every application demands a different approach. A process that delivers consistent results on a titanium aerospace component will behave entirely differently on a carbide cutting tool. Getting it wrong means scrapped components, rework costs, and production delays that compound quickly at scale.
Most suppliers offer wet blasting (also known as vapor blasting, vapour blasting, or aqua blasting) as one capability within a broader portfolio. When problems arise, you may not get the expert support you need. That is not how we operate, and it is not how we are structured.
When Stewart Ashworth established Vapormatt in 1978, wet blasting was our sole focus. It still is. Over nearly five decades of singular commitment, we have built a depth of process knowledge that generalist competitors cannot replicate, because they have never had cause to develop it.
Learn more about the history of wet blasting
Specialist knowledge. Engineered into every machine.
Vapormatt holds patents across process control, blast slurry conditioning, media filtration, and blast gun systems. These include several world firsts. They are not historical footnotes. They are the engineering foundations that make our wet blasting machines more precise, more consistent, and more controllable than anything else available.
Patented innovations
Vortex pumps
Capable of handling up to 50% abrasive concentration
Micro nozzles
Using at least 60% less compressed air than industry standards
Low level sumps
Our 'doughnut' sumps allow large cabinets to be built without pits or platforms
Particle separation
Using elutriation to separate broken media better than anything else
Learn more about our R&D and patents
Proof, not promises
Our wet blasting machines are trusted by leading manufacturers in aerospace, medical, carbide tooling, and advanced manufacturing, in more than 50 countries, across more than 20 industries, with over 2,000 machines sold worldwide.
The results are specific. One customer improved machine availability from 50% to 98% after moving to Vapormatt technology. A leading aerospace manufacturer reduced a compressor hub cleaning cycle by 89%, from three hours to 20 minutes. AgustaWestland (now Leonardo Helicopters) has run Vapormatt equipment since 1982. Others hold consistent edge hones to within 2 microns across full production volumes. These are not best-case figures. They are what precision process control delivers as standard.
We are ISO 9001 certified and our engineering teams work regularly within the compliance requirements of aerospace and medical manufacturing environments.
Four generations. One commitment.
The third generation of the Ashworth family has been at the heart of Vapormatt from the start. Terry Ashworth co-founded the company with Stewart in 1978, and Robin Ashworth became Managing Director in 2003 and is now CEO. The fourth generation, including Matt Ashworth (Head of R&D) and Ryan Ashworth (Head of Sales and Marketing), already hold senior roles.
Most of our customers stay with us for the life of their machine. That retention is the product of a culture that does not treat customers as transactions, and does not give up when problems arise. Our process consultants, design engineers, and service teams support every machine we build, from commissioning to end of life.
Buying a Vapormatt machine is not simply a capital expenditure decision. It is a partnership with the organisation that invented the process, and has spent eight decades proving it.
Learn more about the team behind Vapormatt
Our three pillars
Technical excellence
World-first innovations, extensive patent portfolio, and engineering advances that deliver precision finishing unmatched in the industry.
Commercial performance
Nearly five decades of trusted partnerships with leading manufacturers worldwide. Machines that deliver exceptional performance for decades, not just years.
Generational commitment
From Norman's pioneering work in the 1940s, through Stewart founding Vapormatt in 1978, to today's leadership preparing for tomorrow's innovations.
The bottom line
We brought wet blasting to the world. We hold the patents that define how precision wet blasting works. We have placed machines on six continents in the most demanding applications in aerospace, medical, and advanced manufacturing. And we have been doing it since before any of our current competitors existed.
If you are specifying surface finishing equipment for a critical application, the question is not whether Vapormatt has the experience. It is whether you can afford to choose a supplier who doesn't.
Learn more about Vapormatt
The history of wet blasting
From the 1940s to today, discover how the Ashworth family has led the way for nearly 80 years.
The team behind Vapormatt
Combining decades of experience, it's our people that make Vapormatt great.
Our global partners
Our worldwide presence is possible with many local sales and service partners.
FAQ's
What is wet blasting and who invented it?
Wet blasting - also known as vapor blasting, vapour blasting, and aqua blasting - is a precision surface finishing process in which abrasive media is mixed with water to form a slurry and propelled onto a component by compressed air. It is used across aerospace, medical, carbide tooling, and advanced manufacturing. The process was invented in the late 1940s by Norman Ives Ashworth while he was working alongside Sir Frank Whittle on the jet engine; he originally called it liquid honing. In 1978, his son Stewart Ashworth and son Terry founded Vapormatt, a company dedicated solely to wet blasting. Nearly five decades on, Vapormatt remains the global standard-setter in wet blasting technology.
Why choose a specialist wet blasting machine manufacturer over a generalist supplier?
Most surface finishing suppliers offer wet blasting as one capability within a broader portfolio. When problems arise with a generalist supplier, specialist support is rarely available. Vapormatt was founded with wet blasting as its sole focus, and that has never changed. Nearly five decades of singular commitment to wet blasting has produced a depth of process knowledge - and a patent portfolio covering process control, blast slurry conditioning, media filtration, and blast gun systems - that generalist competitors have never had cause to develop. Every material behaves differently, and every application demands a different approach. That expertise is engineered into every Vapormatt machine.
What world-first innovations has Vapormatt developed in wet blasting technology?
Vapormatt holds 12 patents, filed between 1982 and 2021, covering the core systems of the wet blasting process. These include the world's first vortex pump for wet blasting, capable of handling up to 50% abrasive concentration; micro nozzles that use at least 60% less compressed air; the doughnut sump, which allows large cabinets to be built without pits or platforms; and the elutriation tower, a particle separation method that removes broken media more effectively than any other method. These aren't historical footnotes - they are the engineering foundations that make Vapormatt wet blasting machines more precise, more consistent, and more controllable than any other wet blasting equipment available.
What results have manufacturers achieved using Vapormatt wet blasting machines?
Vapormatt wet blasting machines deliver measurable, documented performance improvements in real production environments. One customer improved machine availability from 50% to 98% after switching to Vapormatt technology. Pratt & Whitney cut a compressor hub cycle by 89%, from three hours to 20 minutes. In precision edge honing applications, customers consistently hold tolerances within 2 microns across full production volumes. AgustaWestland (now Leonardo Helicopters) has operated Vapormatt equipment since 1982. These are not best-case figures - they represent what precision process control delivers as standard.
Which industries and applications are Vapormatt wet blasting machines used in?
Vapormatt wet blasting machines are trusted by leading manufacturers in aerospace, medical device manufacturing, carbide tooling, and advanced manufacturing. With over 2,000 machines sold worldwide, Vapormatt equipment operates across more than 20 industries in more than 50 countries on six continents. Applications range from aerospace component cleaning and surface preparation to medical device finishing and carbide cutting tool edge honing - environments where surface finishing quality directly affects component performance, regulatory compliance, and production efficiency.
Are Vapormatt wet blasting machines certified for aerospace and medical manufacturing?
Yes. Vapormatt is ISO 9001 certified, and its engineering teams work regularly within the compliance requirements of aerospace and medical manufacturing environments. Vapormatt wet blasting machines are used by leading aerospace and medical manufacturers worldwide, including AgustaWestland (now Leonardo Helicopters), which has operated Vapormatt equipment since 1982. Vapormatt's process knowledge, patent portfolio, and long-standing experience in safety-critical manufacturing make its machines the trusted choice where surface finishing quality, traceability, and process repeatability are essential.
Learn more about our wet blasting solutions for the aerospace industry
Learn more about our wet blasting solutions for the dental and medical industries
What after-sales support does Vapormatt provide for its wet blasting machines?
Vapormatt supports every wet blasting machine it builds from commissioning through to end of life. Process consultants, design engineers, and service teams are available throughout the operational life of every machine. Because wet blasting is Vapormatt's sole focus, customers have direct access to the deepest specialist knowledge base in the industry - not a generalist support team managing multiple product lines. Most Vapormatt customers stay with the company for the life of their machine, a retention rate that reflects a culture built on long-term partnership rather than transactional sales.
What is the history and ownership of Vapormatt?
Vapormatt was founded in Guernsey in 1978 by Stewart Ashworth and his son Terry, building on the wet blasting process invented by Norman Ives Ashworth in the late 1940s. The company has remained family-owned across generations: Robin Ashworth, also of the third generation, became Managing Director in 2003 and is now CEO, and the fourth generation already hold senior positions. This generational continuity shapes long-term decision-making in a way that short-term commercial pressures cannot. The Ashworth family has spent nearly eight decades proving the process it invented, and that commitment to wet blasting - and to the manufacturers who depend on it - remains unchanged.
How much of Vapormatt's business comes from international markets?
Around 80% of Vapormatt's sales are to customers outside the UK. Our wet blasting machines are installed in more than 50 countries across six continents, supported by a network of local sales and service partners. While Vapormatt was founded in Guernsey and is now headquartered in Bridgwater, Somerset, the majority of manufacturers who rely on our technology - in aerospace, medical, carbide tooling, and advanced manufacturing - are based overseas. This global footprint reflects nearly five decades of exporting precision surface finishing technology, not a recent shift in strategy.
What is Vapormatt
Vapormatt is a family-owned manufacturer of manual and automatic wet blasting machines, also known as vapor blasting machines, headquartered at the Vapormatt Innovation Centre in Bridgwater, Somerset, UK. It was founded in 1978 by Stewart Ashworth and his son Terry, and the Ashworth family still owns and leads the company today. Vapormatt has supplied more than 2,000 machines to manufacturers in over 50 countries across aerospace, medical, cutting tool and advanced manufacturing.