What are the benefits of Dry Ice Blasting?
Recent advances in technology have made dry ice blasting an increasingly practical and affordable alternative to many traditional cleaning methods, especially any labor intensive cleaning tasks or solvent-based operations.
Dry ice blasting can be used in a wide variety of applications ranging from sensitive cleaning situations, like removing flux from electronic circuit boards, to heavy sanitation jobs, like removing slag from automotive assembly rails.
Dry ice blasting has a wide range of applications in food processing, plastics and molded products industries, automotive, printing, aerospace, contract cleaning, general maintenance, and many other industries. Listed below are the primary benefits of cleaning with dry ice:
• Faster & More Effective
Compared to manual cleaning with solvents and a wire brush, dry ice blasting can cut cleaning time, leading to reduced costs. With dry ice blasting, you can clean your equipment, molds, and dies on line and “in place.” There is no longer any need to disassemble, mask, and then reassemble large complex machinery. Downtime is minimized, labor costs are reduced, and productivity increased.
• A Dry Process
Since dry ice sublimates (turns directly into carbon dioxide gas – no liquid generation) upon contact, the process is dry. Dry ice blasting is non-conductive and safe for electrical applications where using water may not be advisable or permitted.
• No Media or Chemical Waste
Sometimes the “clean-up” from your current cleaning method is worse than the cleaning itself. Dry ice solves that problem by eliminating secondary waste. Dry ice pellets do the job and simply disappear, eliminating the disposal costs associated with other materials.
• Non-Abrasive
The non-abrasive nature of dry ice means that cleaning won’t damage sensitive parts or production equipment, extending the useful life of equipment and minimizing the chances of defective products.
• Environmentally Friendly & Safe
Dry ice cleaning is a “green” process that uses small pellets of recycled carbon dioxide to clean a surface. The pellets sublimate (turning from solid directly to gas) during the cleaning process. The carbon dioxide gas is absorbed by trees and plants and converted into carbon (plant growth) and oxygen. Dry ice blasting is really “green” recycling at its best.
Dry ice blasting does not contribute to greenhouse gasses and no hazardous wastes are produced. With basic safety precautions, the work process is safe. No ozone-depleting chemicals are used and there is no exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
Utilizing dry ice blasting can help companies achieve Sustainability Objectives.