Dry ice blasting is a safe and effective way to clean surfaces, remove paint or rust on metal. The process commonly uses dry ice as the cleaning media with temps ranging from (−78 °C; 109 º F). The solid form of carbon dioxide at these lower temperatures has amazing properties that make it an ideal medium for removing unwanted coating such as those found in paints & rusted metals.
The blast cleaning process involves “blasting” a surface with compressed air, and dry ice particles. The addition of this unusual ingredient creates an explosive sublimation that can remove dirt from any object in its path.
This process of cleaning surfaces with dry ice is a great way to get all the grime off without damaging your surface. It’s more effective than other medium blasting methods, like sand or plastic beads because it doesn’t leave behind any residue which can be adsorbed onto future coats of paint and glue years later; plus you don’t need expensive equipment set-up at home.
How Does Dry Ice Blasting Work?
The easiest way to understand dry ice blasting is by first considering a consumer pressure washer. An electric one simply accelerates water with compressed air, then forces it through the nozzle of your choice and creates more intense pressures on surfaces being cleaned – in this case outside or inside.
The “media” used for cleaning surfaces is simply water (in some cases a detergent may be added to the stream). However, this process uses up lots of valuable resources and can take hours or days before completion depending on how dirty your object needs attention! It also has no effect in removing hard-to-remove stains/coatings etc., which makes it inefficient at best.
Pressurized water can be damaging to fragile and sensitive cleaning surfaces such as electrical equipment, cables or precision machined parts.
Dry ice blasting machines are a far superior option to standard methods. Dry blasters use compressed air and dry ice particles/pellets that result in better cleaning power when compared with wet water-based solutions, which can damage the surface of your car even more than it already is.
The Science of Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is a fascinating process that involves some science, but let’s start with the basics. The current and known sciences of Kinetics (physics) and Thermodynamics are in play when it comes to this method for removing stubborn dirt from surfaces such as brick or concrete walls without using harsh chemicals like cleansers which can damage your skin over time.
Dry ice blasting is a process where CO2 (dry ice) particles are blasted onto the surface with no contaminants. When it hits that layer of unwanted coating, like grease or rust for example – an explosion will take place which can result in their removal.
If you want to learn more about our Dry Ice Cleaning services, get in touch with a representative today or fill out a form online here!