How Does Dry Ice Blasting Work?
Dry ice cleaning is similar to sand, bead and soda blasting in that it prepares and cleans surfaces using a media accelerated in a pressurized air stream. It differs in that dry ice cleaning uses solid CO2 pellets or MicroParticles, which are blasted at supersonic speeds and sublimate on impact, lifting dirt and contaminants off the underlying substrate.
KINETIC ENERGY
Impact of pellets creates a kinetic energy effect. The soft dry ice is accelerated by compressed air through specially designed nozzles at supersonic speeds.
THERMODYNAMIC SHOCK
Cold temperature of dry ice pellets creates a thermal effect. The temperature of dry ice (-109F/- 78.5C) causes the contaminant to embrittle. This helps break the bond between the substrate and the contaminant.
CO2 EXPLOSION
Expansion of the dry ice pellets. Dry ice pellets sublimate upon impact, volumetrically expanding in size by 800%, removing the contaminant.
SUBLIMATION
Because dry ice is non-abrasive and turns to gas, you are left only with a clean surface that extends the asset life of your mold.
Dry ice pellets removing contaminant from substrate.
