Dry ice blasting technology is an innovative a go-to solution for efficient, cost-effective and non-abrasive cleaning of a wide range of different surfaces and spanning a whole host of distinct industries for years now – from foundries through manufacturing and assembly plants to food production facilities!
How exactly does dry ice blasting work?
Dry ice blasting uses dry ice pellets that are -78.5°C, which blast against the undesired substances on the surfaces that need cleaning. This causes the substances to shrink and lose their adhesive grip on the subsurface. In addition to this primary cleaning mechanism when some of the dry ice penetrates the material to be removed it will contact with the surface beneath. The warmer subsurface will cause the dry ice pellets to convert back into carbon dioxide gas. This gas is 800 x greater in volume and will expand behind the material, thus accelerating its removal, resulting in a delayed double whammy!
Dry ice blasting is, in one way comparable to sand blasting, plastic bead blasting or soda blasting, in that the media (in this case dry ice) is accelerated via a highly pressurized air stream to impact on the surface that needs cleaning. However, unlike the other methods mentioned, dry ice blasting is unique in not producing secondary waste as the dry ice pellets evaporate, leaving behind only the waste that has been cleaned from the surface of the dirty machinery or side. In addition, dry ice blasting benefits from many other unique characteristics:
- It is a non-abrasive, non-flammable and nonconductive
- It is sanitary and appropriate for use within the food industry
- Cleaning can take place in situ without any costly and timewasting reassembly
- Causes no fire hazards
- Extreme flexibility in application means that it can be incredibly delicate or very aggressive, meaning it can be used in myriad industries
The application of dry ice blasting is so far-reaching that it would be impossible to list all of them here, but in essence the dry ice blasting procedure will result in the removal of all material that has a strong reaction to extreme change in temperature. This includes but is not exclusive to paint, varnish, adhesive, oil, wax, residues in bakeries, bitumen, synthetic residues and foams. It is possible to remove such materials with no damage or alteration to the surface. Such is the softly, softly approach of dry ice blasting, using the likes of ASCOJET machinery, that even switch boards and delicate electrical parts can be cleaned using this method. There can be no greater endorsement of dry ice blasting than the fact that it is being used in luxury car cleaning as evidenced in this article. After all, there can be fewer more demanding demographics than owners of high end sports cars!
It is clear that dry ice blasting is the cleaning solution of now and into the future. It not only saves time and money, but produces superior results across a wide range of industries and applications and is environmentally friendly to boot.