Dry Ice Blast Cleaning:

 

 CLEANING WITH DRY ICE? 

  Yes, that's right! Cleaning with below freezing dry ice. This new development is quickly expanding around the world. One system uses small hard pellets of dry ice the size of rice shooting them out of a jet nozzle with compressed air. Yet the dry ice is softer than sand or glass beads, so it doesn't spoil the substrate. It works somewhat like sandblasting or high-pressure water or steam blasting, but with different results - often better. The frigid temperature of the dry ice -109.3°F or -78.5°C "exploding" against the material to be removed, causes it to shrink and loose adhesion from its sub-surface. Additionally when the dry ice penetrates through the material to be removed, it comes in contact with the underlying surface. The warmer sub-surface causes the dry ice to convert back into carbon dioxide gas. This gas has 800 times G volume and spreads out underneath the material which speeds up its removal. Paint, oil, grease, asphalt, tar, decals, soot, dirt, ink, resins, jet exhaust trails, and reateradhesive, are some of the materials removed by this procedure. Only the removed material must be disposed of, as the dry ice sublimes into the atmosphere. Another system shaves dry ice off a block of dry ice and then sprays it in a wider pattern cleaning faster than sand blasting ever could.

 

 

Prior to repainting old corroded flaking surfaces, dry ice blast cleaning is the superior way to both clean and prepare the surface for its new coating. The surface is immediately available to paint - no waiting for drying or dangerous solvents to be removed.

 

 

Dry ice blast cleaning is sometimes used for restoration of fire damaged buildings and rooms - successfully removing the  char and smoke damage to wood and other materials.

Many manufacturers find dry ice blast cleaning can be used in-house for  maintaining or cleaning their equipment as often as needed. This results in reduced downtime and greater annual production. Of course, an experienced professional contractor can clean your equipment safely and quickly with the least downtime.