VIDEO: Obliterate Cleaning & Surface Prep Issues with Dry Ice

From maintaining machinery to preparing parts for painting, surface preparation is important.

In an industrial manufacturing environment, routine cleaning
of equipment and surfaces such as machinery and robotics is part of regular
maintenance. In addition, surface preparation is an essential part of the
process prior to painting, powder coating or adhesive bonding. In the past, you
may have had to deal with solvents or media blasting. The trouble with these processes
is that they leave residue or result in additional cleanup steps. 

Watch this video to see Cold Jet pellet dry ice cleaning
machines in action.

Dry ice blasting uses dry ice mixed with compressed air to
clean surfaces. Cold Jet can blast over metals or plastics without abrading or
damaging them. With sand or water blasting, there are environmental, safety and
cleanup issues. With dry ice blasting, in contrast, the dry ice sublimates to a
gas, leaving nothing behind but the debris removed from the surface. 

This cleaning process is ideal for welding clean up and clean
up of electrical fluxes. In some cases, with abrasive blasting, there are
issues of masking, environmental hazards and safety, and the cleaning medium
must be kept away from delicate components such as sensors, electrical
contacts, wires and finished surfaces. 

According to Cold Jet, dry ice blasting is a soft cleaning
process. This means the worker does not need to wear full protective gear—just
hearing protection, gloves and eye protection, plus any protective measures
required according to the material being cleaned (for example, cleaning weld
slag or chemical residue may require a face shield). The Cold Jet process can
clean over twelve-gauge wire without damage. It also won’t damage paint, provided
the paint is not already failing and flaking off. 

When cleaning electrical equipment, care must be taken to
ensure no debris or residue interferes with electrical contacts. This makes dry
ice blasting ideal for this application. 

Josh Robinson, regional sales manager at Cold Jet, said the
process is simple. “First of all, you want to make sure everything is
deenergized, but because the dry ice sublimates to a gas, we’re not leaving
anything behind. So, you don’t have to worry about sand sticking and creating
problems with the contact.” 

Dry ice blasting will remove greases and oils, and will not
profile or etch any metals, including aluminum. One thing to note, however, is
that wood is softer than dry ice on the hardness scale, so dry ice blasting
will remove layers of wood material.  On
the other hand, you often can’t remove mold or smoke damage from a porous wood
surface without removing material. 

The process requires a minimum of 80 psi compressed air and
readily available dry ice. Dry ice blasting pellets are 3mm in size, often
called ‘rice’ pellets. Certain machines can also take nuggets or blocks of dry
ice and internally process them down to microparticles.

For more information, visit Cold Jet’s website.

Written by

James Anderton

Jim Anderton is the Director of Content for ENGINEERING.com. Mr. Anderton was formerly editor of Canadian Metalworking Magazine and has contributed to a wide range of print and on-line publications, including Design Engineering, Canadian Plastics, Service Station and Garage Management, Autovision, and the National Post. He also brings prior industry experience in quality and part design for a Tier One automotive supplier.