Dry Ice Blasting

What is Dry Ice Blasting?
How it works

Dry ice blasting is similar to sand blasting, plastic bead blasting, or soda blasting where a medium is accelerated in a pressurized air stream to impact a surface to be cleaned or prepared. But that's where the similarity ends.

Instead of using hard abrasive media to grind on a surface (and damage it), dry ice blasting uses soft dry ice, accelerated at supersonic speeds, and creates mini-explosions on the surface to lift the undesirable item off the underlying substrate.

Process of Dry Ice Blasting

Dry Ice Blast Cleaning works like every particle blasting process - sand - soda - bead - or steam blasting. The frigid temperature of the dry ice -109.3°F or -78.5°C "blasting" against the material to be removed, can cause it to shrink and loose adhesion from its sub surface. Additionally when some of of dry ice penetrates through the material to be removed, it comes in contact with the underlying surface. The warmer sub surface causes the dry ice to convert back into carbon dioxide gas. The gas has 800 times greater volume and expands behind the material speeding up its removal. Paint, oil, grease, asphalt, tar, decals, soot, dirt, ink, resins, and adhesives are some of the materials removed by this procedure. Only the removed material must be disposed of, as the dry ice sublimes into the atmosphere.

Replacing Sandblasting:

In many cases this method is superior to sandblasting because the dry ice is soft enough not to pit or damage the underlying surface. The dry ice sublimes quickly into the air and only the removed material must be cleaned up. Dry Ice blasting eliminates equipment damage in two ways. First, dry ice does not erode or wear away the targeted surface as traditional grit media and even wire brushes do. This means that surface integrity and critical tolerances are preserved and equipment will not have to be replaced due to surface erosion common with sand, glass beads, and other abrasive media. Second, with traditional cleaning methods, equipment is often damaged (bumped, dropped, etc.) while in transit to or from the dedicated cleaning area. Instead most equipment and machinery can be cleaned while in place.

Replacing Steam or Water Blasting:

Sometimes Dry Ice Blasting is also an improvement over steam and water blasting for several reasons:
1) Electrical parts and generators can be immediately put back into service used without waiting to dry.
2) Radioactive contaminate removal doesn't require large storage containers for contaminated water.
3) Mildew and mold removal are far more complete with less chance of regeneration because of water vapor or moisture.
4) Dry ice blasting removes more algae, sea slime, and mussels on boat hulls, than water blasting, which allows the organic matter to reattach sooner.

Replacing Environmentally Damaging Solvents:

Many times Dry Ice Blast Cleaning is used in place of many environmentally damaging solvents. These chemicals include trichlorethane, methylene chloride, perchlorethane, orthodichlorobenzene, cresylic acid, and caustic solutions. Since dry ice evaporates completely as a gas it leaves no wastes. Only the material being removed must be disposed of. When dry ice cleaning replaces hazardous chemical cleaners the disposal cost of that chemical is eliminated. Tinker Air Force Base has reported it eliminated hazardous waste disposal associated with 17,000 gallons of chemicals they no longer need to use each year because of dry ice cleaning.

Applications of Dry Ice Blasting

Adhesives

Adhesives are easily removed in comparison to alternative methods as the lowered temperature serves to weaken the adhesive bond. Many companies are blast cleaning old labels off containers that are being re-used. Abrasive methods often generate heat therefore failing with some adhesive removal. Simple glue over-runs left on a conveyor belt can be dry ice blast cleaned while the conveyor belt is running.

Cleaning Printing Presses
Printing Press

Because of the precision nature of printing, it is important to keep certain parts and components continually free of foreign material for efficient operation and maintaining presses at their highest value. Owners must establish periodic cleaning and maintenance schedules of all printing machines to cut maintenance costs and provide faster setups and fewer re-run's. In a recent case, a printing facility was charged with an astronomical troubleshooting bill only to find out that the cause of the 'doubling' was due to clogged gripper pads. Just putting a CO2 blast cleaning machine in inexperienced hands may not be the best. Printing machinery is very complex, compared to most industrial machinery, and there are many parts that can be compromised through careless and negligent blasting. Therefore, a properly trained crew of CO2 blast cleaners will make the world of difference in the overall integrity of printing production.

Tool Die's Used in Manufacturing

Dry Ice Blast Cleaning is the best method for cleaning dies. The softness of the dry ice will maintain the critical tolerances of the dies better than any other cleaning method.

Fire remediation
Fire Damage

Dry Ice cleaning is extremely effective in removing toxic residues, soot, and associated smells after a fire. Independent dry ice blasters often work with major insurance companies over a large geographic area to quickly clean fire and smoke damaged locations.

Food and Hospital Use

Dry Ice cleaning of the surface of products and instruments is not toxic and will stop the growth of mold, mildew and other fungi as well as stopping odors at the source by elimination of the bacterial host environment, not as a masking agent or cover-up. Dry Ice cleaning is 100% ecologically safe, USDA rated, biodegradable and harmless to humans, animals and marine life.

Mold Removal
Mold Removal

Dry Ice Blast Cleaning has been proved highly successful with mold removal because of the speed the spray of pellets can wipe a surface clean. Many hours of time are saved. Not only is the mold removed but the top layer of wood that has the roots of the mold are removed. This will leave clean mold free wood.

Electrical Motors

Electrical motors windings can be best cleaned in place by dry ice blast cleaning. This process is done without any moisture and results in saving hours of time for drying. The cold of the dry ice breaks the bond of the contaminate faster than solvents or steam blasting. Only the contaminant needs to be disposed of as the dry ice evaporates into the air.

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