What Does
Dry Ice Blasting Mean?
Dry ice blasting is a form of abrasive blasting, where dry ice (the solid form of carbon dioxide) is accelerated in a pressurized air stream and directed at a surface in order to clean it. Dry ice blasting is a powerful, gentle, dry and ecologically friendly cleaning method applied in many industries.
Dry ice blasting is similar to sand blasting, plastic bead blasting or soda blasting, but substitutes dry ice as the blasting medium. Dry ice blasting leaves no chemical residue, as dry ice sublimates at room temperature.
Dry ice blasting is also known as dry ice cleaning, CO2 blasting and dry ice dusting.
Corrosionpedia Explains Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is a blasting method that uses small, compact dry ice pellets as the blasting material. The dry ice pellets are accelerated in a jet of compressed air similar to that used in traditional blasting methods. Dry ice blasting is non-toxic, non-conductive and non-abrasive. Surfaces are therefore treated very gently, and wear and tear resulting from the use of steel brushes, scrapers and the like is avoided.
Dry ice blasting systems have extremely high cleaning speeds, and can even clean numerous objects with differing, complex geometries at once. Due to the blast media sublimating without residue, dry ice blasting finds use in the semiconductor and aerospace industries. It is ideal for cleaning machinery, electrical installations, electro-mechanical equipment, surfaces and molds.
Several important benefits can be gained from using dry ice blasting:
- Reduced maintenance downtime
- Improved production quality
- Maintenance without dismantling
- No need for environmentally damaging chemicals
Dry ice blasting basically removes all material which reacts strongly to differences in temperature. Paint, varnish, adhesive, oil, wax, bitumen, synthetic residues and foams etc. are removed easily without damaging or altering the surface. Even delicate parts like circuit boards and other electric components can be cleaned gently.