When it comes to cleaning mold, rust, paint stains and everything that needs to get back its pristine look within the factory and industrial applications, you may have heard about dry ice blasting and pressure blasting as methods to make things new, shiny and spotless again. But between the two machines, which one is better than the other and how can you know? Let’s find out together the answer to your question “dry ice blasting vs pressure blasting” with Specco2’s team in the article below.
What is pressure blasting?
Pressure blasting or, in other words, abrasive blasting is a type of cleaning machine that applies to industrial applications. They are mostly used for removing debris, stains, molds, coating, corrosion, or contamination…. mainly from the surface of engines, machines and pieces of equipment utilized in factories. In addition, this is one strong machine as it uses a combination of air and abrasive medias, exert a continuous force (high pressure) using this mixture, passes them through the nozzle and aim directly at the machine’s surface to perform its job.
How pressure blasting can damage your equipment
As mentioned earlier, we now know that pressure blasting would normally use abrasive media (such as sand, glass beads, etc.) as its main source of material. When these materials are in contact with the surface, they deteriorate unwanted pollutants, debris, contaminants, corrosions, paint stains, molds, … and smoothen the surface, creating a gloss. However, due to the pressure when blasting and abrasive features, it will very likely to erode the surface of your engines, machines and equipment. This will result in metal, wood, and plastics steel will quickly start rusting or corroding quickly or eventually over time.
Unfortunately, this is bad news to many owners because your business can be affected greatly if all the equipment starts to wear off and cause rust to form quicker than it used to before. Now, not only do you have to go under maintenance more than usual, you might have to pay more for the cost of abrasives and cost of additional clean-up, which increases project costs in overall due to the dust and compounds remaining after the cleaning process. Thus, pressure blasting such as sandblasting is extremely noisy and can affect your surroundings, neighbors and even the workers’ health considerably as it may contain toxic materials.
What is dry ice blasting and how does it work?
So what is dry ice blasting? Dry ice blasting is an alternative option for pressure blasting 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.
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.
Dry ice can be applied in these two industries:
You might also need a dry ice making machine to produce dry ice to be more aggressive in your job. The insulated container of Specco2 is highly recommended to store dry ice in the best condition
If you compare dry ice blasting and laser cleaning, dry ice blasting has proven with more advantage
Commonly used dry ice blasting machines
The Aero 2 Series
Following the birth of the Aero series is the Aero2 series dry ice blaster – this is the most efficient dry ice blaster available on the market; giving you full control, even when you’re not on site.
Aero2 PLT 60
Built on ground-breaking Aero2 technology, the Aero2 PLT 60 is designed for applications that require more robustness, making it the most efficient dry ice machine available. This machine is enabled through Cold Jet’s 4.0 technology solution, Cold Jet CONNECT which provides remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.
With the SureFlow feeding system, it not only helps users to minimize air pressure loss but also maximizes air supply capacity and limits dry ice waste. In addition, the Aero2 PLT 60 features a 7” LCD display with digital controls, providing an intuitive display that allows the user to easily view, program or adjust the firing parameters. dry as well as install the machine. Such as setting and saving burst pressure and feed speed parameters.
Aero2 PCS 60
The Aero2 PCS 60 is designed to give users full control using Cold Jet’s patented Particle Control System (PCS), which allows users to customize dry ice firing parameters. Besides, the dry ice will also be cut into diamond-shaped particles to the exact size selected by the operator (from 0.3mm to 3mm).
Some advantages of the PCS 60 series:
- Performance changes industry: The blast stream is consistent and pulse-free.
- Intuitive screen: Easily view and control blasting parameters and machine settings on the 7” color LCD display.
- Full control provides a level of precision and flexibility even at a distance..
- Programmable applications: The user can set and save application formulations (burst pressure, particle size, feed rate), thereby ensuring the most efficient use of materials and preventing errors during operation.
- Ergonomics: The machine is designed to optimize and combine materials, reducing weight and size with redesigned bellows for greater flexibility and durability.
- Lower noise level and effective cleaning at lower blowing air pressure.
- IoT capabilities for remote monitoring and diagnostics with the industry’s first Cold Jet CONNECT.
PCS 60 is IoT enabled through Cold Jet’s 4.0 technology solution, Cold Jet CONNECT. The system provides remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.
You can have a look of our Icetech series dry ice blaster
Conclusion
All in all, it can be seen on the market that there are many types of cleaning equipment for industrial applications with different prices depending on the needs of the user. However, choosing a dry ice blasting machine will be a suitable investment in the long run because this equipment is not only environmentally friendly, does not cause erosion but also does not require a lot of workforce; thereby shortening the cleaning time and minimizing labor costs while ensuring the surfaces are thoroughly cleaned and shiny like new.
Specco2 is the official distributor of Cold Jet in Vietnam, specializing in distributing dry ice machines and producing dry ice. If your business needs consulting, please contact Specco2 for 24/7 support.
