Dry ice blasting

Dry ice blasting is the cleaning process for everything that must not be dismantled, wetted or treated abrasively. In maintenance it shortens plant downtime considerably, because removal, transport and reinstallation are not required – cleaning takes place where the machine stands, and frequently while it remains installed.

The process in detail

In dry ice blasting, frozen CO₂ pellets are accelerated onto the surface with compressed air. They release contamination through the combination of thermal shock and impact, and subsequently evaporate without residue. Unlike conventional blasting, no additional blasting media waste is produced – all that remains is the dirt that has been released, which is extracted or collected.

The process works dry, is non-abrasive and electrically safe. That is precisely where its advantage over furnace and wet processes lies: the surface is not removed, dimensions and coatings are preserved, and electrical components do not have to be removed. When furnace treatment makes more sense instead is explained in the technical article on the distinction between thermal cleaning and blasting processes.

Suitable components and materials

Sensitive plant, machinery, moulds and control systems can frequently be cleaned while still installed – which saves dismantling and downtime. We work either on site at your premises or at our works.

A practical side effect concerns disposal: because the blasting medium evaporates, there is no blasting media waste mixed with dirt that would have to be collected and disposed of. All that remains is the deposit that has been removed. This simplifies cleaning work in operating production environments where blasting media residues could enter guides, bearings or electrical systems – a risk that requires elaborate masking with abrasive processes.

• Machinery, plant and production moulds
• Tools and operating equipment
• Cleaning of sensitive or electrical components
• Maintenance without elaborate dismantling

Because the process does not attack the surface, it is also suitable wherever already coated or machined surfaces must be preserved – for example on moulds and tools whose contour is decisive for the product. If, by contrast, tools are completely clogged with polymer or paint residues, thermal cleaning in the furnace delivers a residue-free result more quickly.

Quality assurance and documentation

Because the process is non-abrasive, the decisive check is the visual inspection of the cleaned object together with your maintenance staff: is the functional surface clear, are seals, cables and coatings undamaged? Before cleaning sensitive assemblies, we agree which areas need to be masked. On request, we record the condition before and after cleaning photographically.