What types of applications are not appropriate for dry ice blasting?
The range of applications with our machines is vast – from delicate surfaces like glass to baked on contaminates like grease. However, soft contaminants, like grease and oil tend to splatter and may be pushed into cavities and crevices in the object being cleaned, and sometimes the blast effect cannot reach these places. Other methods are better for applications like paint stripping and corroded metal.
 
How does dry ice blasting compare to other methods?
Dry ice blasting is superior to other methods in many situations. Click on Cleaning Method Comparison to compare waste for disposal, abrasiveness, health hazards, electrical conductivity, and performance.
 
What are the drawbacks of Dry Ice Blasting?
The loud noise produced requires protective earphones and may cause irritation to other people nearby. Also, the carbon dioxide released can be harmful in enclosed areas and may need to be ventilated out of the space.
 
What happens to the contaminate after it’s removed?
It depends if the contaminate is dry, wet, hard or soft. Dry contaminates will break up into small chips and can be swept up or vacuumed. If the particles are large enough, they do not become airborne. If the contaminate is wet, such as grease or oils, the liquid will be pushed away much like a high pressure water stream would, except that the surface where the contaminate was will be dry and clean.
 
Does dry ice blasting cool the cleaning surface?
Yes, but not dramatically. On average, the change in temperature is around 10°C.
 
What equipment will I need?
We will bring everything needed to get the job done. If you don’t have sufficient plant air, we will bring our own air compressor for an additional charge.
 
How much air will I need?
Our machines operate up to 218 psi blast pressure – but that’s much more power than anyone will need. For the typical application, 75 – 120 psi with up to 200 cfm (cubic feet per minute) are needed. Normal, “dry” air is required for general applications. The compressor should include an After Cooler and a Water Separator Filter. For the Power Industry, the driest air quality is a must and therefore a Refrigerator Dryer unit installed between the compressor and blast unit is a must.
 
Can I clean my tooling in the machine without disassembly? What if the tooling is hot?
Yes, as long as the cleaning residues do not cause a problem. One of the major benefits of dry ice blasting derives from cleaning tooling while still in the machine; less downtime, dismantling, reassembly. Hot tooling is often easier to clean than cold.
 
Is a dedicated cleaning room recommended for indoor operations?
Generally yes, but it depends what you’re cleaning. Where the applications involve indoor materials or products, it is often best to clean in a dedicated room that can contain the contaminant and also isolate the noise of blasting.
 
  What is the effect on the atmosphere of releasing CO2 gas?
Environmental concerns are important to us all, and dry ice blasting addresses these issues. The technical answer is that about 90% of commercial CO2 is produced as a by-product of other chemical processes. Gas that would have been discharged into the atmosphere is actually reclaimed. By reclaiming this gas and purifying it, commercial dry ice is not a true source of CO2 pollution.
 
   
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