1- What
is dry ice?
2- What is Dry Ice Blasting?
3- How Does Dry Ice Blasting Work?
4- What are Pellets?
5- Why Should I Use Dry Ice Blasting Instead of Traditional Blasting
Methods?
6- What Happens to the "Blasted-off" Coating?
7- Which Materials Can Withstand Dry Ice Blasting?
8- Where Can I Obtain Dry Ice Pellets?
9- Does Dry Ice Blasting Have Economic Benefits?
10- What Equipment is Necessary for Dry Ice Blasting?
11- Is Dismantling Necessary Before Dry Ice Blasting?
12- Does Dry Ice Blasting have Thermal Effects on Treated Objects?
13- Can I use Dry Ice Blasting to Clean Hot Machinery While It
is Running?
14- Can I Minimize Downtime – or Avoid
It Entirely?
15- What are the Economic Benefits of Using Dry Ice Blasting
in Precisely My Area of Business?
16- Does Dry Ice Blasting Damage the Underlying Surface?
17- Is Dry Ice Blasting as Effective as Traditional Cleaning
Methods?
18- Which Cleaning Methods can be Replaced with Advantage by
Dry Ice Blasting?
19- Can I use Dry Ice Blasting in Places, or on Materials, where
Traditional Methods cannot be used?
20- How Quickly can Various Objects/Materials be Cleaned?
21- Is an External Compressed-air Source Necessary?
22- Is the Dry Ice Jet Capable of Conducting Electricity?
23- What does a Dry Ice Blasting System Cost?
24- Can I Purchase a System Customized
to Suit My Needs?
25- How Much Maintenance is Necessary?
26- How Big is an IceBlast Machine?
27- How do One-hose and Two-hose Systems Differ?
28- How Should Dry Ice be Stored?
29- Do Dry Ice Pellets Rebound?
30- Does Dry Ice Blasting Cause Condensation?
31- Are Dry Ice Pellets Better than Dry Ice Blocks?
32- Are Pellets more Effective than Granulate?
33- What cannot be achieved by Dry Ice Blasting?
34- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used in the
Food Industry?
35- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used on Electronics?
36- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used on Packaging
Machinery?
37- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used in Printing?
38- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used on Molds?
39- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used on Buildings?
40- Can Dry Ice Blasting be used in the
Pharmaceutical Industry?
41- Does Dry Ice Blasting have any Environmental
Consequences or Benefits?
42- What is IceBlast Robot?
43- What is IceBlast Auto-fill?
1- What
is dry ice?
Dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form. It can be
produced as pellets or blocks of various sizes.
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2- What is Dry Ice Blasting?
Dry ice blasting is a revolutionary blasting method
in which dry ice pellets replace traditional blasting materials
like
sand, water, glass and plastic. In contrast to sand blasting,
the process leaves no secondary waste material. The
only waste to be disposed of is the coating that has been
dislodged, and this can normally be swept or vacuumed from
the floor beneath the treated object. The process is dry
and non-conductive, and it is therefore suitable for use
on electric motors and electrical circuitry.
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3- How Does Dry Ice Blasting Work?
Dry ice pellets are accelerated in a jet of compressed
air and strike the coating to be removed at velocities up
to
the speed of sound. Cleaning results from three effects:
Kinetic
Effect:
When dry ice pellets strike a surface at the speed of sound,
any coating on the surface is cracked and loosened.
Thermal
Effect:
The low temperature of dry ice pellets makes the coating
brittle, cracks it and loosens it as a result of reduced
bonding between the coating and the underlying surface.
This allows dry ice to permeate the coating.
Explosive Effect – Sublimation:
Dry ice penetrates the coating and immediately sublimes (passes
directly from solid to vapor state). This results in a
700-fold increase in volume, an explosive effect that lifts
the coating off the surface.
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4- What are Pellets?
Pellets are carbon dioxide in solid form shaped into small
particles about the size of grains of rice.
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5- Why Should I Use Dry Ice Blasting Instead of Traditional
Blasting Methods?
Dry ice blasting is a completely dry process. Dry
ice blasting is non-toxic, non-conductive and non-abrasive.
Dry ice vaporizes
immediately on contact with treated surfaces. This gives several
advantages in comparison with traditional blasting methods.
With dry ice blasting there is no secondary waste material
(sand, glass, plastic, etc.). The only waste to be swept or
vacuumed up is the coating dislodged by the treatment. It is
therefore possible to clean objects in which other blasting
methods' residual blasting material would collect in every
inaccessible corner. Dry ice blasting allows cleaning to be
performed while machines are running, without the need for
dismantling. This is, of course, of great economic importance
as costly downtime can be eliminated or drastically reduced.
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6- What Happens to the "Blasted-off" Coating?
1) Dry coatings crack into small flakes that can
be swept or vacuumed. 2) Moist coatings (e.g. oil or grease)
are
carried away in the compressed-air jet in a fashion similar
to that seen with high-pressure hosing. The treated surface
is left dry and clean.
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7- Which Materials Can Withstand Dry Ice Blasting?
As the process is dry and non-abrasive, any material
can be cleaned by dry ice blasting without ill effects. For
example,
perspex and highly polished aluminum can be treated without
the surface becoming matt.
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8- Where Can I Obtain Dry Ice Pellets?
RSG Technologies, Inc.
Phone: (603)
834-6305
Toll free: 800-
441-3452
Fax: (603) 299-0364
info@rsg-technologies.com
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9- Does Dry Ice Blasting Have Economic Benefits?
Machinery can often be cleaned with dry ice blasting while
it is running, without the need for dismantling and subsequent
re-assembly. This is, of course, of great economic importance
as costly downtime can be eliminated or drastically reduced.
Costs connected with the disposal of blasting material and
solvents are eliminated. Cleaning and maintenance payroll
costs will often be reduced to a fraction of present levels
by substituting dry ice blasting for traditional cleaning
methods. Dry ice blasting treats material surfaces very gently.
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10- What Equipment is Necessary for Dry Ice Blasting?
A dry ice blasting machine is necessary – either
an IceBlast KG30 or an IceBlast KG50. In addition, access
to
a 110 V power supply and compressed-air source are necessary.
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11- Is Dismantling Necessary Before Dry Ice Blasting?
It is often unnecessary to dismantle machinery or
equipment to be cleaned by dry ice blasting because the process
is
completely dry and leaves no blasting material or chemical
residues.
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12- Does Dry Ice Blasting have Thermal Effects on
Treated Objects?
No. Temperature changes in machinery during dry ice blasting
are generally small in comparison with changes occurring during
normal operation.
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13- Can I use Dry Ice Blasting to Clean
Hot Machinery While It is Running?
Yes. Faster and more effective cleaning can often be achieved
when the object to be cleaned is hot.
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14- Can I Minimize Downtime – or
Avoid It Entirely?
Yes. In many cases it will be possible to clean
machinery without shutting it down. In other cases, it will
be possible
to reduce the duration of shutdowns for cleaning purposes,
as cleaned surfaces remain dry.
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15- What are the Economic Benefits
of Using Dry Ice Blasting in
Precisely My
Area of
Business?
Contact: RSG Technologies, Inc.
Phone: (603)
834-6305
Toll free: 800-
441-3452
Fax: (603) 299-0364
info@rsg-technologies.com
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16- Does Dry Ice Blasting Damage
the Underlying Surface?
No. Blasting pressure can be adjusted to suit the
material to be treated so that coatings can be removed without
damaging
the underlying material itself. This means that dry ice blasting
can also be used on easily-damaged materials like nickel, chromium
and soft aluminum.
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17- Is Dry Ice Blasting as
Effective as Traditional
Cleaning Methods?
Yes. In the vast majority of cases, dry ice blasting
will be as effective as traditional cleaning methods.
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18- Which Cleaning Methods
can be Replaced with Advantage
by
Dry Ice
Blasting?
Advantages can be gained from replacing methods such
as sand blasting, high pressure hosing and manual cleaning
(which requires
considerable resources and the use of hazardous, environmentally
hostile chemicals) with dry ice blasting, which is an extremely
environmentally friendly process.
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19- Can I use Dry Ice Blasting
in Places, or on Materials,
where Traditional
Methods Cannot
be
Used?
Yes. As dry ice blasting is a clean and dry process,
it can be used with advantage instead of traditional methods
that
leave detergent residues. The process has also been approved
for use in the food industry.
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20- How Quickly can Various
Objects/Materials
be Cleaned?
The speed at which cleaning can be performed is
highly dependent
on the type of coating, the nature of the underlying material,
the temperature of the object to be treated, the air volume
etc. To evaluate these factors, tests must be carried out in
the actual situation.
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21- Is an External
Compressed-air Source
Necessary?
Yes. The dry ice blast machine must be connected to
an external compressed-air source with the following data:
Operating pressure – minimum
72 psi / maximum 232 psi. Compressed-air consumption -106-388
cfm, depending on nozzle combination.
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22- Is the Dry Ice
Jet Capable of
Conducting Electricity?
No, the dry ice jet is non-conductive as long as the compressed
air used is dry.
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23- What does
a Dry Ice Blasting
System
Cost?
Contact: RSG Technologies, Inc.
Phone: (603)
834-6305
Toll free: 800-
441-3452
Fax: (603) 299-0364
info@rsg-technologies.com
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24- Can I Purchase
a System
Customized to
Suit My Needs?
Yes. Systems customized to specific tasks are a definite possibility.
Please Contact RSG Technologies, Inc..
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25- How Much
Maintenance
is Necessary?
IceTech dry ice blasting machines are engineered from
high-quality components that require a minimum of maintenance.
The machines
were designed to enable service and maintenance work to be
performed by end-users without the need for specialists.
All service and maintenance routines are illustrated in video
clips on a CD-ROM that accompanies the machine. The estimated
maintenance requirement for IceBlast machines under normal
industrial conditions is 1 hour per 100 hours' operation.
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26- How Big
is an IceBlast
Machine?
KG30S Dimensions:
Length: 22.8 inches
Width: 21.2 inches
Height: 31.4 inches
KG50S Dimensions:
Length: 27.5 inches
Width: 21.6 inches
Height: 35.4 inches
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27- How
do One-hose
and Two-hose
Systems
Differ?
In a one-hose system, dry ice is mixed with compressed
air in the machine itself. This allows the dry ice pellets
to attain
a higher velocity (kinetic energy) and thus provides greater
cleaning effectiveness. In a two-hose system, dry ice pellets
are sucked into the blasting gun through a venturi system.
As the pellets are first mixed with compressed-air in the blasting
gun, their velocity is lower than in a one-hose system, and
their cleaning effectiveness is thus lower.
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28- How
Should
Dry
Ice be
Stored?
Dry ice pellets are supplied in insulated containers
that typically hold 880 lbs. These containers can be moved
to various application
sites on fork-lift trucks or pallet lifters. Dry ice pellets
can be kept in these containers for about 4–8 days depending
on ambient temperature and container quality. Due to sublimation,
a loss of about 4% of container content should be expected
every 24 hours.
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29-
Do
Dry
Ice
Pellets
Rebound?
When they hit a surface, dry ice pellets change from
solid to vapor form. Therefore, in general, they do not rebound.
As a rule, removed material is carried away by the compressed-air
jet. Safety goggles should however always be worn when dry
ice blasting.
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30-
Does Dry
Ice Blasting
Cause Condensation?
Condensation will normally not occur when cleaning warm surfaces,
as the temperature of the surface will remain above the dew
point. To prevent condensation occurring in connection with
intensive cleaning or when cleaning is performed in cold locations,
the use of heat lamps, fan heaters or heated compressed air
is recommended.
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31-
Are Dry
Ice Pellets
Better than
Dry Ice
Blocks?
Yes. Dry ice pellets are more compact than flakes cut or grated
from a dry ice block. Dry ice pellets therefore clean more
effectively. Many of the cleaning jobs currently performed
with dry ice pellets would not be possible with a dry ice blasting
machine that uses flakes.
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32-
Are Pellets
more Effective
than Granulate?
Pellets consist of dry ice that has been formed into
small particles under high pressure. Their compactness makes
them
much more effective than "granulate", which consists
of porous flakes that have been cut or grated from a block
of dry ice.
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33-
What cannot
be achieved
by Dry
Ice Blasting?
Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive and treats surfaces
very gently. Therefore, it cannot be used to obtain a rough
surface.
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34-
Can Dry
Ice Blasting
be used
in the
Food Industry?
Yes. Dry ice blasting is ideal for the food industry, as
the cleaning process does not involve the use of water
or chemicals. The various applications of dry ice blasting
in the food industry clearly illustrate just how versatile
the system is. The process is used to remove baked-on food
deposits from ovens and to clean mixers and moulds. It
can remove paper and adhesives from packaging machinery.
Dry ice blasting can be used on plastic and metal surfaces
irrespective of whether the object to be cleaned is hot
or cold.
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35-
Can Dry
Ice Blasting
be used
on Electronics?
Yes. Dry ice blasting can be used to clean dirt and
soot from electronics without making them wet or using chemicals.
Dry
ice blasting can be used on units of up to 29 kW without disconnecting
the power supply. Unexpected power failure and resulting production
shutdown can be avoided by periodically cleaning electronic
components.
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36-
Can Dry
Ice Blasting
be used
on Packaging
Machinery?
Yes. Dry ice blasting effectively removes adhesive
residues and other dirt from packaging machinery. This improves
package
line flow considerably and can reduce the incidence of unexpected
shutdown. Clean adhesive nozzles and chain drives can result
in large savings in the purchase of spare parts.
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37-
Can Dry
Ice Blasting
be used
in Printing?
Yes. Dry ice blasting is an effective means of removing wet
and dry ink, powder, paper dust and adhesive residues. This
keeps the number of unexpected shutdowns to a minimum, improves
product quality and reduces maintenance time.
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38-
Can
Dry
Ice Blasting
be used
on Molds?
Yes. Dry ice blasting can beneficially be used to
clean molds during production. This reduces downtime. Mold
surfaces are
not damaged, as the process is very gentle.
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39-
Can
Dry
Ice
Blasting
be
used
on Buildings?
Yes. Dry ice blasting can be used to remove soot and
dirt from buildings and thus restore surfaces. The method is
often used
for factory buildings where it is crucial to recommence production
as quickly as possible. Because dry ice vaporizes on contact
with the building surface, dry ice blasting can be used to
clean the insides of buildings without the need to move equipment,
machinery or furnishings. Where traditional cleaning methods – involving
the use of water and chemicals – are used, it is often
necessary to dismantle and move equipment to protect it from
damage.
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40-
Can
Dry
Ice
Blasting
be
used
in
the
Pharmaceutical
Industry?
Yes,. the pharmaceutical industry sets high hygiene
standards. Dry ice blasting is therefore the ideal cleaning
method. It
is a clean and dry process that effectively and quickly removes
coatings and deposits from molds, conveyors, containers, mixers
and other production equipment. Steam and water-based cleaning
methods can produce health risks. Firstly, steam can provide
a breeding ground for bacteria and other micro-organisms. Dry
ice blasting is a dry process that eliminates this problem.
Secondly, cleaning with water and steam can increase the risk
of accidents with electronics. As dry ice vaporizes on contact
with the surface being cleaned, there is no secondary waste
material. Because dry ice blasting is a non-abrasive process,
molds used in production will not be damaged.
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41-
Does
Dry
Ice
Blasting
have
any
Environmental
Consequences
or
Benefits?
Dry ice is completely non-toxic. In contrast to cleaning methods
that use water or high-pressure hosing, there is no emission
of polluted water to the environment. The dislodged coating
can be swept or vacuumed up and disposed of as appropriate.
Dry ice blasting produces no toxic fumes from solvents and
other chemicals during cleaning.
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42-
What
is
IceBlast
Robot?
IceBlast Robot is a remote-controlled robot designed for cleaning
the inside surfaces of pipes and ventilation shafts by dry
ice blasting.
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43-
What
is
IceBlast
Auto-fill?
IceBlast Auto-fill is an automatic device for supplying the
IceBlast Robot with dry ice.
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