NAVIGATION

Applications

The use of a dry ice blasting machine is a dry, non-toxic, non-conductive and non-abrasive way to clean production equipment. It has already found valuable use in a wide range of industries such as:

  • Aerospace and defence
  • Automotive
  • Electronics
  • Food and packaging
  • Foundry
  • Medical and pharmaceutical
  • Printing
  • Plastic and rubber
  • Power generation

Dry ice blasting machine applications

For example, there’s a need for an effective and yet gentle cleaning method when dealing with generators. The windings are delicate and other cleaning methods might result to damage. Although manual cleaning is still possible, it’s labour-intensive and time-consuming.

It’s a similar case when cleaning food processing equipment. Crumbs, waxes, proteins and residues can build up in the food processing facilities. The build-up of dirt and residues might then affect food quality. As a result, it’s important to apply a proper cleaning method while also ensuring that there will be no chemicals and solvents left behind after the cleaning.

Dry ice cleaning is an effective and economic way in maintaining various equipment. No chemicals and residues will remain because dry ice directly turns into gas. The method’s effectiveness in cleaning comes from the ability of the dry ice to loosen the contaminant and the high velocity at which the dry ice pellets impact the surface.

Dry ice cleaning has also become a great choice because corrosion is not an issue anymore. Corrosion is costly and inevitable but dry ice cleaning helps reduce that because the cleaning method doesn’t require the use of moisture. Electrical failure is not an issue as well because the method doesn’t wet the equipment.

This cleaning method has also helped many companies from different industries to save hours from downtime and scheduled maintenance. There’s no need to wait several hours for the equipment to dry. The production schedule will resume to normal sooner.

Another advantage is that the method is an environment-friendly way of cleaning various production equipment. There’s no need to use hazardous chemicals and solvents to remove residues. This is a great way to perform cleaning and maintenance on equipment while minimising environmental impact.

Aerospace and Defence
Aircraft Building and Maintenance With dry ice blasting, moulds can be cleaned more regularly, which can help reduce rejected products. Cleaning aircraft wings before painting can easily be achieved with dry ice cleaning. While plastic hand scrapers can be tedious and time consuming, dry ice blasting allows cleaning to be done quickly and efficiently. Airports Dry ice blasting is the perfect cleaning method for removing dust and burnt rubber can often accumulate on runway lighting...
Automotive
Mold Maintenance Dry ice blasting has helped the automotive industry conquer a variety of cleaning tasks, including the typical downtime associated with cleaning moulds. Dry ice blasting allows operators to clean moulds while they are still hot and in the press. Dry ice blasting has reduced downtime by up to 80% when cleaning permanent aluminium moulds, blow moulds, compression moulds, injection and tyre moulds. Weld Lines While welding is the most cost effective and efficient...
Electronics
Electric motor When an electric motor runs inefficiently it can waste as much as 50% of electrical energy. Dirt, soot, grease and other contamination can cause electric motors to malfunction. In order to benefit from the full functionality of the motor it must be cleaned regularly. Traditional cleaning by wiping down with solvents is time consuming and requires a stop in production. By utilizing EcoClean dry ice blasting this downtime can be reduced. Dry ice...
Food and Packaging
Food processing equipment Carbon residue, proteins, waxes, seasonings and crumbs can build up inside food processing equipment and affect product quality. Food processing facilities are held to strict hygiene standards, so proper cleaning and maintenance is a key factor in operations. Dry ice cleaning provides a way to clean ovens without chemicals, solvents, or water. The dry ice pellets turn to gas (sublimate) upon contact, so there is no secondary clean-up. Cleaning with dry ice...
Foundry
Moulds Removing residue with kerosene is ineffective when trying to clean contamination that gets trapped in the loops and corners of a mould. Dry ice blasting provides a superior cleaning tool for permanent mould cleaning because moulds can be cleaned hot and in place. Cleaning can be done without chemicals, solvents, or water. Downtime is significantly reduced as dry ice blasting allows moulds to be cleaned while they are still hot and in place. Unlike...
Medical and Pharmaceutical
Micromolding Mould maintenance is critical when manufacturing small, high performance medical devices. In order to support sanitation requirements, cleaning needs to be done without water. For this reason, methods such as hand scraping and sand blasting had been used. However, these methods lead to equipment wear and tear. Dry ice blasting provides a proven method for cleaning medical and pharmaceutical devices without causing damage to the microscopic details of these moulds. Tablet production moulds/pill moulds...
Printing
Presses Presses can accumulate paint, paper, and other contaminants if not cleaned regularly. Manual cleaning such as wiping with kerosene or thinner can be time consuming and ineffective. Printing equipment can be cleaned effectively and in a short period of time with dry ice cleaning. Dry ice blasting is an ideal solution for cleaning all types of printing presses including flexography, offset, and web-fed. Cleaning Gears & Decks Ink build-up on the gears and deck...
Plastic and Rubber
Plastic As any plastics professional knows, moulds and the plastic coming into them are heated to extreme temperatures. This generates a gas that liquefies and sticks to the mould and can be tough to remove. Additionally, vents at the end-of-fill get clogged from the build-up of gases. These vents need to remain open and unobstructed in order to help keep the mould clean. This gas can damage the mould and effect product quality. In addition...
Power Generation
Generators When cleaning generators it is important to utilize a solution that will not damage the delicate windings. A cleaning solution that can be effective yet gentle is required. Corn cob blasting, wiping, and brushing are just a few methods that have been used for cleaning generators. However, corn cob blasting is a messy process that hand cleaning is labour-intensive and time consuming. By utilizing the dry ice splitter nozzle this cleaning can be achieved...