The UK Government acted. The Factories Act 1948 banned the use of silica in sandblasting. Overnight, an entire industry needed a safer process - Norman Ives Ashworth already had one.
The invention: a jet engine problem that changed surface finishing forever
Prior to the ban, Norman was working alongside Sir Frank Whittle on the development of the jet engine. The challenge was precise: how do you achieve a consistent, high-quality surface finish on cast turbine blades when dry abrasive processes are too aggressive and too unpredictable?
Norman's answer was to add water. By suspending abrasive media in water to form a slurry and propelling it with compressed air, the process delivered a far more controllable impact. Normans liquid polishing process cushioned each particle as it struck the surface, producing a finer and more consistent finish than any dry method could achieve. Dust was eliminated at source. Silica contamination became irrelevant.
Wet blasting was not a workaround. It was a demonstrably better process.
Building the first commercial wet blasting company
With the technical proof established and industry demand created by the Factories Act, Norman founded Abrasive Developments Limited (ADL) in the Warwickshire village of Henley-in-Arden. Under the Vaqua brand, ADL produced machines: the Kompact, Komet, Juno, and Achilles, all names that became well known across Europe through the 1950s and 1960s.
ADL was consistently first to market. The innovations set the technical standard others followed. That track record made ADL an acquisition target, and Norman sold the business to United Surface Finishing, now part of the Wheelabrator Group, in the 1970s.
The founding of Vapormatt
Norman's son, Stewart Ashworth, had grown up inside ADL. He had helped build the technology, understood the process deeply, and was not prepared to stop when the company was sold.
In 1978, Stewart founded Vapormatt with his eldest son, Terry, on the Channel Island of Guernsey. Their intention was clear: continue developing wet blasting, improve it, and build a business defined by engineering rigour.
The first machine Vapormatt sold went to Jersey Fine Tools in the Channel Islands. Built for jewellery finishing, they were precision applications demanding exactly the kind of controlled, gentle surface treatment that wet blasting delivers where no dry process can. The customer relationship that began with those three machines demonstrated from day one what the process could achieve on high-value, delicate components.
Four years later, in 1982, Vapormatt delivered its first automatic machine. The customer was Agusta Westland helicopters in the UK. The application was demanding: preparing composite rotor blades for bonding the metal leading edge, a process where surface consistency directly affects structural integrity in flight. That machine was the first, digitally controlled, cartesian robotic system that is still in operation today.
Four decades of patents, zero diversification
Vapormatt filed its first patent in 1982 and has continued filing across every critical dimension of the wet blasting process. Twelve patents in total:
- 1982: Improvements to abrasive finishing machines
- 1987: Blast gun systems
- 1990: Surface treatment methods
- 1996: Blast apparatus design
- 1997: Particulate conveying systems
- 1998: Cleaning apparatus
- 2003: Particle separation
- 2007: Slurry feed systems
- 2009: Sump design
- 2012: Workpiece treatment methods
- 2018: Blast gun and surface preparation methods
- 2021: Cutting edge treatment
Every patent solves a specific engineering problem that competitors had either failed to address or had not yet identified. No other wet blasting company has this depth of documented process development.
From the Channel Islands to 50+ countries
For the next two decades, Vapormatt grew entirely from its Channel Islands base. Manufacturing, design, and operations all ran from Guernsey until 2003. The company became a significant local employer, funding community initiatives and engineering sponsorships: from powerboat racing to hill climb motorsport.
What began in a Stewart's house became a global operation. The engineering focus never changed.
In 2004, the company made a deliberate strategic choice: rather than compete on machine volume across broad markets, Vapormatt concentrated on high-precision machines for technically demanding applications.
The result was deeper expertise in fewer, more critical sectors: carbide cutting tools, aerospace components, wire and cable manufacturing, composites, additive manufacturing, and medical devices. R&D investment increased. The engineering team expanded. The patent programme continued.
Today, Vapormatt operates from its Innovation Centre in Bridgwater, Somerset, with partner networks across every continent. Over 2,000 machines are in service across 50+ countries. Terry Ashworth serves as Non-Executive Director, representing three generations of the Ashworth family in wet blasting.