Industrial cleaning is always a big matter as factories and plants operate continuously and they need to get things pristine clean to ensure a safe, hygienic working environment and for machines to work well for a long time. But what is a more sustainable and effective cleaning method, an alternative to the old conventional cleaning and abrasive sandblasting that can still be gentle enough in order not to damage any parts of your equipment? In this article below, let’s find out more about dry ice blasting and laser cleaning and make a small analysis and comparison to find out which cleaning method is the best choice for your industrial cleaning demand!
What is laser cleaning and how does it work?
Laser cleaning is a technology used for industrial cleaning by shooting out a laser beam, yes you heard us right, laser beam, to remove a layer of rust or dust that’s been adhering to the substrate’s surface. This work is done by blasting out nanosecond-length pulses of laser light, or in other words, powerful high-pulsed laser beam towards the surface that needs to be cleaned. When this happens, the oxide and dirt layer (contaminants in overall) will absorb the laser light and either turn into a gaseous state or the pressure of the interaction will dislodge the particles from the surface.
Unlike dry ice blasting which uses a nozzle and fires out dry ice at supersonic speed, laser cleaning uses power as it main source, utilizes optics and shoots out a laser beam transmitted by a scanner onto the targeted surface. Although theoretically, it is quite long to explain but the process happens really fast and the machine operates with 2 main steps: pulsing and scanning.
With pulsing as the first step, the machine gathered power to create a targeted high-energy force in the form of short, controlled pulses and strike out the contaminants without damaging the substrate. Following shortly after that is scanning. This second step not only spreads the pulsing laser beam across an area of the part (be it a single-dimensional line or a two-dimensional shape) but also controls the speed at which the pulses are transferred onto the surface.
What is dry ice blasting and how does it work?
Dry ice blasting is an alternative option for conventional cleaning methods but a much better one. This superior cleaning device uses material such as dry ice made primarily from recycled carbon dioxide. Unlike sandblasting or glass bead blasting, dry ice blasting is an ecologically friendly cleaning method applied in many industries. It leaves no chemical residue, as dry ice sublimates at room temperature and the important part? It does not cause erosion, at all.
Dry ice blasting machines have various types of nozzles that come in different sizes to serve the cleaning purpose of the users. The machine is operated by blasting dry ice at supersonic speed and colliding with the surface that needs cleaning. The combination of kinetic and thermodynamics will break the bond between the debris and the surface of the device, removing stains in just one use. At this time, the dry ice will sublimate immediately, turn from solid to gas then evaporate. There will be no secondary waste left behind. You will need a dry ice making machine to produce this material
This cleaning device is designed with cutting-edge technology that allows it to operate at optimum efficiency and deliver the best quality. Some of the advantages of the machine can be mentioned as:
- Reduce significantly cleaning time and labor costs
- Restoring wooden structures to their original condition
- Improve the appearance of wooden materials, even if there are scorch marks
- No harmful chemicals are used, increasing the safety of employees and workers
- Dry cleaning and moisture-free; eliminates the appearance of termites and molds
- Non-abrasive which helps big time in maintaining the quality of the material; minimizes the possibility of scratches
- Excellent cleaning as no secondary waste is left behind; super friendly to the environment.
Some of the dry ice blasting application included
Laser cleaning vs Dry ice blasting?
Now that we’ve got to know firsthand how these two cleaning methods work but let us dive deeper a little bit to figure out what are the differences and you’ll get to know what choice fits your business best.
The common points of these two methods are:
- superior clean, damage-free and perfectly non-abrasive
- environmentally friendly, no secondary waste left behind
- chemical-free and moisture-free, enhance equipment’s longevity
- reduce (manual) labor cost and additional cost immensely
- cleaning time reduced significantly with impressive results thanks to advanced technology
The differences between these two are:
Material used. A dry ice blasting machine uses dry ice particles that are cut into diamond-shaped particles (these are soft media according to The Mohs Hardness Scale) whist laser cleaning utilizes a laser beam by gathering a power source.
Blasting. Dry ice blasting has a consistent blast stream and is pulse-free while laser cleaning has short, controlled pulses.
Cleaning range and ability. Although the two methods can give you a superior clean on a lot of industrial applications, laser cleaning only works well on surfaces that are made from metal and areas that are small. They cannot be used to wipe out a thick layer of contaminants and are unavailable on small and hard-to-approach angles and crevices. Dry ice blasting, on the other hand, can be used on large geometry and every nook and cranny easily. There’s no need to disassemble and reassemble parts and you can use it directly on the equipment while it’s still operating and online.
Model of dry ice blastings that suits your need
Specco2- PROsi
The Specco2-PROsi is the perfect solution for cleaning and blasting applications in small spaces. This dry ice blaster is compact in size, yet powerful enough to remove even the most stubborn contaminants. With its lightweight design and easy-to-use controls, this machine is perfect for both industrial and commercial applications.
With uses dry ice cubes or ice cubes at pellet consumption 0 – 75 kg/hour (variable), air flow range 0.8 – 9 m3/min with blast pressure range 2-14 bar and select from a wide range of round, flat, and bended nozzles (sold separately) to customize your cleaning approach for different surfaces and contaminants.
Specco2- Mini
Specco2- Mini is utilizes dry ice, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals or abrasive materials. With ditch the expensive chemicals and blasting media. The Specco2-Mini offers a cost-efficient cleaning method, saving you money in the long run.
Some of the machine specifications:
- Dimension W x D x H:410 x 470 x 480 mm
- Weight: 26 kg
- Air flow range: 0.3 -3 m3/min
- Blast pressure range: 2-10 bar
- Tank capacity: 8 kg
- Pellet consumption: 25 kg/hour (variable)
- Power supply: 110V-230V / AC 50-60 Hz
- Air quality: Dry and free of oil and particles
- Noise: 60-120 dB (A) depending on nozzle and pressure
Conclusion
We can clearly see that when it comes to the cleaning ability and advantages, the two cleaning methods are neck-to-neck. However, if your business needs cleaning on small and hard-to-reach crevices (such as medical molds, etc) or on big geometry surfaces, dry ice blasting is the ultimate solution for you!
For more details and consulting on dry ice blasting machines, you can contact us, the Specco2 team for support. Specco2 is proud to be the official distributor of SPECCo2 in Vietnam, specializing in distributing dry ice machines and producing dry ice.
