Contaminants like oil, mill scale, and rust on metal surfaces before welding can cause porosity and weak welds, and post-weld cleanup of heat-affected zones needs to avoid damaging the surrounding base metal.

How Dry Ice Blasting Helps

• Removes oils, rust, and residue from metal surfaces before welding, helping reduce porosity and weld defects.
• Cleans heat-affected zones after welding without the abrasive wear that grinding and wire brushing cause to base metal.
• Non-conductive process that can be used near welding equipment without electrical safety concerns.
• No media residue left in weld grooves or joints that could get trapped in the finished weld.

Cleaner base metal before welding and cleaner heat-affected zones after are both factors in weld quality, which is why fabrication shops use dry ice blasting at both stages.