Its major advantages are its
Dry ice blasting is an industrial cleaning technique free of all chemical products, water, and abrasive materials such as those used in sandblasting or soda blasting.
Indeed, this process uses dry ice as the cleaning agent: it is carbon dioxide (CO2) in solid form, presenting certain characteristics that, in terms of advantages, make dry ice blasting the ultimate cleaning method.
Discover below the benefits of cryogenic cleaning.
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Innovative Cleaning Technology
Dry ice blasting uses dry ice pellets to eliminate contaminants without secondary residue.
Ecological Technology
Reduces carbon footprint by using non-toxic and recyclable materials.
Precise Cleaning
Allows access to hard-to-reach areas with surgical precision.
Versatile Applications
Suitable for various sectors, from the food industry to automotive.
First, a few explanations...
Dry ice blasting: how does it work?
The dry ice blasting technique is based on the projection of dry icepellets onto the surfaces to be cleaned.
The projection vector iscompressed air (pressurized industrial air or thermal compressor air). To do this, a blaster of the ATX type will be used, equipped with a blasting hose, a gun, and a supersonic spray nozzle.
Charged with kinetic energy, the dry ice pellets (or dry ice) strike the pollution or contaminant, causing the pollution to separate from the surface through:
- Un mechanical shock (the pellets charge with kinetic energy),
- Un thermal shock (or thermal differential) and...,
- La sublimation or the transition of dry ice from solid to gaseous state in a ratio of 1 to 700: the dirt is then instantly detached from the substrate.
For more explanation on the dry ice blasting process, click the link at the bottom of the page "Explanation of dry ice blasting".
More details on the dry ice blasting technique at the bottom of the page. Click on the link Dry ice blasting explained
Comparing cleaning techniques
Traditional industrial cleaning involves almost systematic disassembly of the machines to be treated. The cleaning of parts is then carried out in a dedicated area.
Traditional methods are also limited when machines cannot be moved or when other cleaning techniques would result in longer cleaning times and downtime.
As we mentioned above, the dry ice blasting presents many advantages compared to other traditional cleaning methods.
Let's see which ones...
Dry ice blasting: a dry cleaning process
Cleaning techniques using water as a cleaning agent, such as high-pressure washing, generate moisture in the treated area and require drying time for parts so they can be reinstalled.
Water cleaning can also cause rust, damaging metal parts, or promote the growth of bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Escherichia coli.
La Carbon dioxide ice Being carbon dioxide in solid form, the dry ice blasting process offers the advantage of being a dry cleaning technique and "bacteriostatic" against the bacteria mentioned above, due to its extreme temperature which inhibits their growth. The temperature of dry ice is -80°C.
This is why today many food and pharmaceutical companies equip themselves with dry ice blasting machines such as the ATX25 ou ATX Nano, thus eliminating cross-contamination.
Quick reminder:
The media used is dry ice or "dry ice" which transitions from solid to gaseous state without an intermediate liquid phase.
Dry ice blasting prevents the proliferation of the bacteria mentioned above, mold, or the appearance of rust on metal surfaces.
Dry ice blasting operation on an escalator.
High-pressure washing is impossible on this
type of configuration...
Cleaning without chemical products
Cleaning methods using chemical products can not only damage machine parts being treated, but can especially represent a serious danger for operators and the environment.
Furthermore, the use of large quantities of chemical products involves waste reprocessing.
Free of any chemical product, dry ice blasting:
- presents no danger for users,
- leaves no type of residue, thus allowing you to save the additional cost of eliminating waste, . It allows cleaning equipment directly on-site, without disassembly or drying, offering immediate productivity gains.but above all,
- is by far the most environmentally friendly technique: dry ice sublimates upon contact with the surface to be cleaned, returning to gaseous form or CO₂,
- does not require chemical products that impact the ozone layer during manufacturing,
- ne does not generate bad odors, unlike the use of solvents...
With dry ice blasting, even heavily soiled surfaces
do not require chemical products such as solvents...
Increased productivity and profitability!
Traditional cleaning methods in the vast majority of cases involve stopping machines or manufacturing processes, disassembling, possibly letting parts dry, then reassembling parts after cleaning them.
Needless to say, traditional cleaning techniques are time-consuming...
Ideally, the cleaning phase should be quick, generate little residue, and require little or no disassembly...
Well, the time and money savings with dry ice blasting are enormous!
Indeed, the advantage of dry ice blasting lies among other things in the fact that it is not necessary to "disassemble" and "reassemble". Parts can be cleaned in place without additional downtime.
Example: Food industry. Cleaning of 2 conveyor chains of 750 meters linear each.
The traditional technique involves disassembly over 2 days, sending the 2 chains to another site for cleaning and "re-greasing" over 3 days, then returning to the client's site and reassembly over 2 days. That is a total production stoppage of 7 days, at a cleaning cost of 30.000 €HT, not counting the costs related to production downtime.
Le dry ice blasting, with 2 Cryoblaster ATX80 and ATX25 cleaning units, allows degreasing of chains in place, without disassembly in just 2 days 1/2, or 4 days 1/2 less of production downtime.
Dry ice blasting is 2 to 8 times faster than traditional methods. The process is therefore very fast.
Dry ice blasting of conveyor chains in food industry:
2 days 1/2 compared to 7 days with traditional method...
Dry ice blasting is definitely lightning-fast cleaning!
Quick reminder :
Since dry ice blasting is a dry process, there is no need to wipe or dry treated surfaces: a significant time saving. Thanks to various nozzle types, cleaning is much more thorough and allows cleaning in the smallest corners. Consequently, the equipment operates more efficiently and potential leaks (hydraulic for example) are revealed.
A technique that ensures the longevity of production tools
Since dry ice is dry, it does not promote corrosion of metal surfaces.
This technique can therefore be used to clean electrical equipment under tension, provided they do not present a risk of causing electrocution by direct contact.
Important: cleaning electrical cabinets under tension requires certification of type HnBn. Ensure that the operator has completed this type of training. Otherwise, in case of accident, your liability could be engaged.
Cleaning electrical cabinets without power and with safety switches requires certification of H0B0.
Furthermore, the hardness of dry ice is comparable to that of chalk and therefore does not scratch the treated parts, unlike certain tools such as spatulas, scrapers, scratching sponges: industrial cleaning with dry ice increases the service life of the work tool by minimizing wear and maintaining machines in good working order. The process is non-abrasive.
Among the many advantages of dry ice blasting, the gentleness of the treatment is highly appreciated: dry ice is much less dense than sand and, most importantly, sublimates (transition from solid to gaseous state, in a ratio of 1 to 400) upon contact with the surface to be treated.
Important: to ensure the feasibility of a dry ice blasting project on a surface you are not used to treating (wood, plastic…), always start at low pressure and adjust the granulometry of the ice and the nozzle type according to the contaminant, the substrate, and… the desired result.
Certain tools or accessories may damage
the treated surfaces...
The hardness of dry ice is only 2 mohs,
the same hardness as chalk.
Treatment by dry ice blasting is not abrasive.
In summary, the advantages of dry ice blasting are:
- An industrial cleaning process that is safe for operators, machines, and the environment: no chemical products (no solvents, detergents, or abrasives).
- A technique that does not contribute to the increase of greenhouse gases (as long as the compressed air is of electrical origin). Dry ice is manufactured with recycled CO₂, which is ultimately given a second useful life.
- A dry, non-abrasive, non-conductive cleaning technique using a non-flammable medium, 2 to 8 times faster than traditional techniques, due among other things to the fact that it does not systematically require disassembly to clean surfaces.
Other articles on the same subject...
Advantage #1 - Dry ice blasting: a dry cleaning process!
Discover in the following article, dry ice blasting, a non-wet process, the 3 main reasons to stop using water as a cleaning agent in industrial cleaning operations.
Advantage #2 - Dry ice blasting: cleaning without chemical products
Among the many advantages offered by dry ice blasting, the absence of solvents, acids, ammonia... make this process a cleaning technique that respects the health of users and the environment. Discover in the article: dry ice blasting, cleaning without chemicals, all the numerous advantages that result from the absence of detergents.
Advantage #3 - Dry ice blasting: non-abrasive cleaning
The fact that the hardness of dry ice is very different from the media used in sandblasting and soda blasting techniques, make dry ice blasting a non-abrasive technique. Discover in this article everything that makes dry ice blasting a technique that respects surfaces
Advantage #4 - Dry ice blasting reduces production downtime
Discover in this article how dry ice blasting increases your productivity, how dry ice blasting allows you to optimize the cleaning of your processes in record time!
Frequently asked questions about dry ice blasting
No, dry ice blasting is a : itsnon-abrasive method sublimates instantly upon impact, eliminating pollution without creating mechanical wear or altering the substrate.
It allows you to reduce production downtime by 50% to 80%. The process being dry and residue-free, it allows cleaning directly on the machine, without prior disassembly or drying phase.
It is a sustainable cleaning solution: it uses no chemical solvents, generates no secondary waste (only dirt needs to be collected) and uses recycled industrial CO₂.
Absolutely. Dry ice is non-conductive and completely dry. It is the ideal solution for decontaminating electrical cabinets, programmable controllers, or motors without risk of short circuit.
The major difference is the absence of residual media. Where sandblasting leaves sand or beads everywhere, dry ice blasting disappears into the air, preventing abrasive infiltration in sensitive areas.
