Dry ice blasting applications

SECTORS WHERE TO USE DRY ICE BLASTING

Aeronautic	Delicate mechanical components cleaning for aeronautics
Automation	Mounting machines, transfer, belt conveyors ( different types), carrier carts,
Automotive	Moulds for car parabola headlights, cleaning of cars, motor, gears, combustion chambers. Cast iron and aluminium dies ( mono-block, heads, circles)
Chemistry	Silos, containers, stocking reservoirs, chemical reactors,
Electric	Electric transformers maintenance, inside electric board cleaning,
	Alternatore
	Trasformatore
Environment	Removing graffiti from walls, monuments conservative cleaning, removing “chewing-gum” from pavements, “dry-clean” of office chairs and armchairs, prefabricated industrial workshop inside cleaning,
Food Industry	Food containers, stocking reservoirs, food belt conveyors, food moulds ( wafer, chocolates, cakes, etc.), metal strips for ovens ( biscuits, crackers), food packaging machine ( coffee, sauce, etc.), PET bottle moulds cleaning
	Bottles
	Barriques
Foundry	Foundry “ shells” cleaning, foundry “core box” cleaning,
Hi - tech	Cabin for anti-wearing layer application, gold-plating removing of quartz bell for epitaxial machines
Household article	Moulds and lines for expanded insulator injection ( refrigerators)
Internal transport	“dry-clean” of elevator carts
Maintenance	Paint removing of signs and irremovable parts
Mechanic	Tool machines, working centres, big fans
Motorcycle	Moulds for fibreglass articles production ( safety helmet)
Naval	Ship kitchen ventilation pipes cleaning
Marine	Removing anti-vegetative paint from boats
Painting	Airplane transporters, conveyors, liquid painting cabin, inside oven of plaint polymerisation, phosphorous- degreasing tunnel, manufactures paint-removing,
Petrol chemistry	Decontamination of titanium coated reactors
Plastic	Plastic extruder screws and filters , moulds for plastic articles,
Printing	Printing press ( rotogravure and flexography), rollers for printing off set,
Railway	Inside railway carriage cleaning, maintenance of train electrical driving system,
Rubber	Tire moulds, moulds for rubber articles production ( gaskets, sleeves, belts, silent block)
Transportation	“dry-clean” of inside trucks and motor vehicles, containers cleaning
PNEUMATICI
LEGNO
ISOLE DI SALDATURA
INCENDI
FONDERIA ALLUMINIO
SETTORE EDILE
STAMPI CERCHI

DRY ICE BLASTING APPLICATIONS

Material	Surface	Equipment
Adhesives	Glass, metals, painted surfaces, plastics	Applicators, coating machines, labelling machines
Animal feed	Metals, plastics, rubbers	Bagging machines, extruders
Asbestos	Brick, concrete, metals, piping	Boilers, buildings, heaters
Biscuit	Conveyors, moulds	Baking ovens
Bitumen	Concrete, glass, metals, plastics	Construction equipment
Boiler scale	Boiler internal	Manifolds, valves
Bread	Baking tins, conveyors	Baking ovens
Carbon deposits	Commutators, electric and electronic components, metals	Electric motor windings, engine cylinder heads, generators, printed circuit boards (PCB’s)
Chewing gum	Street paving	Process and packaging equipment
Chocolate	Conveyors, moulds	Process and coating equipment
Combustion residues	Boiler membrane walls, fire tubes, flues	Burners, combustors, exhaust systems, reaction chambers
Crude oil	Holding vessel, piping	Drilling equipment, valves
Die coatings	Aluminium, steel, GRP	Casting and hot forming moulds
Fermentation residues	Vats	Distillery and brewing equipment, fermentation vessels
Fish residue	Working surfaces	Cutting and slicing equipment
Flavourings	Glass, plastics, rubber, stainless steel	Mixing and applicator equipment
Flour	Millstones, plastics, rubber, stainless steel	Milling and process equipment
Fluxes	Printed circuit board	PCB contact probes, PCB test equipment, welded surfaces
Foam residues	Cables, ducting, hydraulic hoses, mould vents	EPS and EPU processing equipment
Grease	Practically all	Acts as a degreasing process
Logos	Glass, metals, painted surfaces, plastics, rubber	Screen and tampon printed components
Mastics	Glass, metals, plastics, painted surfaces	Applicators, sealed components
Meat residues	Bones, hides, metals, plastics	Animal by-products, cutting and processing equipment
Milk scale	Glass, stainless steel, plastics	Processing equipment
Mineral oils	Practically all especially as degreasing process	Electrical and mechanical components, surfaces to be coated
Mould release agents	Low MP, alloys, aluminium, composite tooling, GRP, tool and stainless etc.	Moulding tools and adjacent press equipment
Oil, grease and dirt	Cables, ducting, drive shafts, gears, hoses, switchgear, machine	All machines and engines especially when refurbishing
Organic growth	Ceramics, metals, stoneware, plastics	Holding tanks, water storage and purification equipment
Over spray	Glass, metals, painted surfaces plastics, rubber	Spraying equipment, Jigs, tools, etc.
Paint	Glass, metals, plastics, rubber	Conveyors, strayed components, jigs, pre-painted panels
Paper residues	Metals, plastics, painted surfaces, rubber	Drying rollers and evacuation hoods, printing presses
Powder build up	Metals, plastics, painted surfaces, rubber	Food and power processing machinery
Printing inks	Metals, plastics, painted surfaces, rubber	Printing presses
Process spillage	Machinery surfaces	Process machinery
Protective coating	Metals, plastics, painted panels	Stored tools and equipment
Radioactive contamination	Practically all	Generally tools and equipment that need to be removed from active areas
Resin	Metals	PCB curing ovens, dies, tools and moulds used to extrude or form resin containing materials e.g. boards
Rubber	Composites, metals	Moulding press tools and press ancillaries
Sugar and syrups	Glass, metals, plastics, rubber	Processing and transport vessels and equipment
Tar	Glass, metals, plastics, rubber	Construction and processing equipment
Vegetable oils	Glass, metals, plastics, rubber	Food processing and frying equipment
Wood pulp	Glass, metals, plastics, rubber	Paper making machinery

ELECTRICAL APPLICATIONS

The M.E.C. Microblast machines are units for cleaning equipments, machineries, plants, surfaces and so on by using pellets of solid CO2 (dry ice), blasted with an appropriate gun made on this purpose. The user’s and maintenance guide supplied with the machine reports the technical data and all the using precaution; furthermore it gives to the users different examples about “what to clean”. Especially the guide explains that the machine can also be used on electrical boxes under tension, but it specifies the right limits for this use, that means that it's possible to work on electrical boxes under tension until 1000 Volt (light tension) but not over.

During the cleaning of boxes with electrical tension, the operator, with all the necessary protections and instructions, will not touch the electrical components and the CO2 isn’t absolutely an element of electrical transmission, and so for evident practical reasons the working’s distances place the operator in a very safe area.

The Italian CEI rules, according to the European rules for the safety of the electrical plants, permit to work on electrical box with light tension, as for CEI 11/37 and 11/47 procedures, but even if they don't specify the cleaning of electrical box and in particular the CO2 using, without requesting any particular certification on the machines employed, or on the operators, but only requesting the necessary good sense and the use of individual protections. The laws and the Italian rules forbid works on and near machines and parts with tension over 1000 Volt.

The European CE plate on the Microblast machine and the conformity declaration on the user’s and maintenance guide grant that the machines follow the requisitions of DPR 459/96, 89/392 CEE; 91/368 CEE, 93/68 CEE. These rules regulate the constructions of machines, the maintenance, the purpose for which they are on the market, so that the safety and the health of the operators are granted, respecting the limits and for the purposes he can work.

M.E.C. srl - Viale Italia 19 - Caltignaga (NO) - ITALY - Tel. +39(0321)653.800 Fax. +39(0321)653.007 - P.IVA 01382190039 - REA: NO 169309 - e-mail:

Credits