Clean Production Equipment Without Prolonged Downtime
Dry ice cleaning provides a controlled way to remove grease, oils, carbon, adhesives and production residue from machinery, tooling and components.
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Machinery contamination can quickly become an operational problem
Grease, oils, adhesives, carbon deposits, release agents and production residue can accumulate on machinery, tooling and components.
If contamination is not managed effectively, it can affect maintenance, inspection, production efficiency and the quality of the finished product.
Traditional cleaning methods can also require extensive dismantling, manual labour, drying time and secondary clean-up.
Common machinery cleaning pressures
- Short maintenance and production windows
- Machinery that is difficult to dismantle
- Persistent contamination in confined areas
- Sensitive surfaces and detailed components
- Restrictions around water and chemicals
- Pressure to reduce manual cleaning time
Cleaning methods should not create more work
An effective industrial cleaning process must work around production schedules, equipment requirements and site restrictions.
Extended downtime
Dismantling, soaking, drying and reassembly can turn routine cleaning into a lengthy interruption.
Manual labour
Scraping and brushing can consume skilled time while producing inconsistent results.
Secondary waste
Water, chemicals and spent blasting media create additional waste that must be managed.
Surface risk
Aggressive abrasion or unsuitable chemicals may affect finishes and sensitive components.
Difficult access
Profiles, moulds and complex machinery can be difficult to clean thoroughly by hand.
Variable results
Processes dependent on individual technique are more difficult to standardise across a team.
Controlled cleaning for demanding production environments
Dry ice pellets are accelerated using compressed air. On contact, they help release contamination before sublimating from solid material into gas.
Dry process
No water is introduced, reducing saturation and lengthy drying requirements.
Reduced disassembly
Many applications can potentially be cleaned in situ following a suitable assessment.
Non-abrasive media
Dry ice does not introduce conventional abrasive blasting media to the surface.
Minimal secondary waste
The pellets sublimate, leaving the removed contamination as the principal material to collect.
Detailed cleaning
The process can reach profiles and detailed areas that are difficult to clean manually.
Configurable process
Air pressure, pellet feed, nozzle and working distance can be adjusted for the application.
Machinery and production cleaning applications
Every application must be assessed around the surface, contamination, machinery and surrounding environment.
Production machinery
Removal of accumulated production contamination.
Moulds and dies
Detailed cleaning of profiles and working surfaces.
Tooling
Cleaning without introducing water or blasting residue.
Conveyors
Controlled cleaning of handling and conveyor equipment.
Mechanical assemblies
Cleaning of suitable detailed machinery components.
Printing equipment
Removal of inks, adhesives and production deposits.
Fabrication equipment
Cleaning weld cells and associated equipment.
Maintenance cleaning
Support for planned preventive maintenance programmes.
Reduce reliance on slow and disruptive methods
Dry ice cleaning is often considered when existing methods create excessive labour, downtime, moisture or waste.
Traditional methods
- Pressure washing
- Chemical cleaning
- Manual scraping and brushing
- Abrasive blasting
- Soaking and lengthy drying
- Extensive machinery dismantling
A controlled alternative
- No water saturation introduced by the process
- No harsh cleaning chemicals required
- No spent dry ice blasting media to recover
- Potential for faster in-situ cleaning
- Suitable parameters established for the surface
- Reduced secondary clean-up requirements
The correct solution starts with the cleaning challenge
We assess your equipment and operational requirements before recommending a system or configuration.
Enquiry
Tell us about the machinery, contamination and current cleaning method.
Assessment
We review the surface, access, utilities and production requirements.
Demonstration
Where appropriate, we test the process and establish suitable cleaning parameters.
Recommendation
We recommend the system and configuration suited to your application.
Dry ice cleaning may be suitable when:
- ✓ Cleaning time is affecting maintenance or production.
- ✓ Water or chemical cleaning is not appropriate.
- ✓ Machinery is difficult or time-consuming to dismantle.
- ✓ Secondary blasting waste must be minimised.
- ✓ Detailed components are difficult to clean manually.
- ✓ A more repeatable professional process is required.
Machinery and production cleaning questions
Can machinery be cleaned without dismantling it?
Many applications can potentially be completed in situ. Suitability depends on access, guarding, contamination, sensitive components and site safety procedures.
Will dry ice cleaning damage machinery surfaces?
Dry ice is a non-abrasive cleaning medium. However, the complete process also involves compressed air, impact and thermal change. Suitable parameters should be established through assessment and testing.
Does the process leave blasting media behind?
The dry ice pellets sublimate into gas, so no spent dry ice media remains. Removed contamination must still be collected and managed appropriately.
Can it be used around electrical equipment?
The process is dry and is often considered for suitable electrical and mechanical assemblies. Equipment must be isolated and assessed in accordance with site procedures and manufacturer guidance.
What contamination can be removed?
Potential applications include grease, oils, carbon, adhesives, release agents, inks, resins and general production build-up. Results depend on the deposit and underlying surface.
Is dry ice cleaning suitable for every factory?
No single cleaning process suits every environment. Ventilation, noise, compressed-air capacity, dry-ice supply, containment and operator safety controls form part of the assessment.
Could your machinery be cleaned faster and with less disruption?
Tell us what you are cleaning, the contamination involved and what is slowing your current process down. We will help assess suitability and recommend the correct system configuration.
Request an Application AssessmentEvery enquiry is assessed around the equipment, contamination and operating environment.