Dry Ice  and Equipment / Storage

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Dry Ice Blast Cleaning

This exciting technology was first developed overseas and is now available in South Africa. The process requires a blast cleaning machine, fresh high quality 3mm dry ice pellets and a source of compressed air.

The dry ice pellets are thrown into the hopper of the blast cleaning machine, the air hose connected and the pellets are then blasted out of the gun at super sonic speeds onto the substrate. The cleaning process works in 2 stages. Firstly the pellets that strike the substrate cool it down to a very low temperature (up to - 78°C), this makes the substrate hard and brittle. The second part of the process occurs due to the impact of the pellets against the cold brittle substrate. Their mass multiplied by their high velocity creates a powerful force that removes the brittle substrate leaving behind a clean surface.

Benefits of dry ice blast cleaning

• Moulds can be cleaned in-situ which saves a huge amount of down time. No longer do the moulds have to be disassembled, manually cleaned and then reassembled.
• There is minimal mess, only the particles of the substrate which has been removed are left behind. 
• The pellets sublimate straight into CO2 gas, there is no sand or water residue, so this process can be used on sensitive machines like electrical motors, printing presses etc.
• The velocity of the pellets can be adjusted according to the cleaning application. As a result damage to the mould or machine is minimized.
• No toxic chemicals are required anymore with their associated health and environmental risks.
• It's fast and efficient and produces excellent results

Some of the applications for dry ice blast cleaning

• Cleaning of any moulds, e.g. foundries, tyre manufacturers and plastic injection moulding companies
• Printing presses
• Cleaning of ventilation ducts and fans
• Cleaning of electrical motors and heavy duty switchgear
• Graffiti removal on certain surfaces
• Spray booths
• Bakeries
• Cleaning of heavy grease residue from machines
• Cleaning of stonework on old historic buildings