Dry ice blasting is the best way to clean without toxic chemicals. The chemicals used such as Trichloroethlene, or TCA, are closely regulated by the EPA and are man-made chemical. Dry ice blast is a much safer, highly recommended process.

Machinery can be cleaned without being dis-assembled ,using dry ice blasting which results in decreased labor time and less down time. Thomas Monacelli from Advanced IAQ Care stated that the plant managers think it is a major cost cutter in the long run.

As a recommended alternate to using TCA for cleaning the presses, solid rice-sized pellets of dry ice can be used as a blasting medium for cleaning the ink and other residue accumulated from commercial printing presses.

Advanced Indoor Air Quality Care specializes in this process, and It is being requested by many companies all through the country. Continental Carbonics is a professional company that is the supplier of the dry ice.

The dry ice pellets are “blasted” by compressed air through a nozzle which is where the term “dry ice blasting” originated.

When the dry ice pellets impact the surface, the drop in surface temperature helps to pierce the contaminant or residue, loosening it from its substrate.

Upon impact the dry ice pellets disintegrate and dissipate to the atmosphere, leaving no hazardous solvents. The harsh alternative , TCA, needs to be disposed of.

The dry ice blasting apparatus controls the speed and flow of the dry ice pellets

Commercial printers save hours of cleaning time with dry ice blasting. The disassembling and re-assembly of precision components can be tedious and put unnecessary wear and tear on the expensive machines.

The presses are “ready to roll” with the next printing job as soon as the dry ice blasting is completed, without waiting for solvent or water drying time. The residue removal from the machines is the only clean-up necessary. And very importantly, there’s no requirements from OSHA for worker protection from solvents when using dry ice blasting and no costly and hazardous expensive solvent disposal.