Dry Ice Blasters Prove Sustainable, Non-Abrasive Mold Cleaning Action

According to Cold Jet, it’s not uncommon for over half of all mold maintenance or corrective actions to be centered on mold cleaning. Traditional cleaning methods are also one of the four primary causes of mold wear. Choosing to clean molds with dry ice, however, Cold Jet says, is a proven, non-abrasive, quick and effective way to cleaning molds in-situ and at operating temperature. In turn, this leads to more parts, more part-to-part quality, lowers costs and ensures a safer, more sustainable environmental cleaning solution. The company demonstrates its MicroClean 2 system as an example

Cold Jet demonstrates its MicroClean 2 dry ice blaster. Photo Credit: Cold Jet LLC

Todays, dry ice blasters are smart machines incorporating a 7" LCD screen, Industry 4.0/IoT Cold Jet CONNECT capability for remote monitoring and service capabilities, programmable cleaning recipes and are capable of full automation. The PCS60, for example, gives molders the ability to adjust the process to accommodate any mold metallurgy or surface finish by selecting one of 28 different dry ice particle sizes.

Dry ice is made from reclaimed CO₂, and thus essentially rid of solvents produced from man-made fluorinated gases and/or VOCs. Moreover, Cold Jet says it does not contribute to a company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reporting; under EPA guidelines, CO₂ was accounted for at the producer level and is not counted a second time at the point of use. Also, under current Greenhouse Gas Reporting Programs (GHGRP), dry ice blasting users are not required to report.