Foundries around the world use dry ice blasting to clean:

• coreboxes;
• permanent molds;
• electrical equipment;
• other tooling and machinery.

Advantages include:

• reduced downtime;
• reduced equipment damage;
• highly effective spot cleaning of hot equipment;
• reduction or elimination of solvents;
• improved worker safety;
• improved maintenance.

In permanent mold and corebox facilities, water-based or silicone-based release agents are sprayed onto the surface of the molds, some of which can reach 900° F during the molding process. The mold surfaces must be cleaned periodically to prevent the parts from sticking inside the mold cavity.

The old-fashioned method is to Clean In Place (CIP) with abrasive pads and solvents which becomes gradually less effective unit, at some point, the equipment must be dismantled and transported to a dedicated cleaning area where it is grit blasted. This can be a time-consuming process, sometimes requiring as much as 2 to 3 full shifts (16 to 24 hours) for the larger molds. Because dry ice blasting can be used for CIP, the two most time-consuming steps in the blast cleaning process, cool down and dismantling, are no longer required. This can decrease downtime by 75% or more.

Users of CO2 blasting are also able to eliminate the replacement costs of expensive molds damaged as a direct result of the cleaning process. Using old-fashioned abrasive-blasting technology, equipment is damaged in two ways. First, because it has to be dismantled and moved, the equipment is often damaged in transport. Second, traditional blast media (sand, glass beads) abrade the substrate, thereby altering the close tolerance of machined surfaces. Dry ice is non-abrasive thus eliminating the problem. Dry ice blasting is also the most efficient method for spot cleaning hot equipment. It is safer and more effective than using brushes and solvents. Also, because it disappears on contact, dry ice does not create the massive amounts of airborne materials generated with grit media.

CO2 blast cleaning also reduces chemical usage (including chloroflourocarbon and chlorocarbon solvents) and the associated emission and waste disposal problems. Of course, this also improves worker safety by reducing exposure to these hazardous chemicals. In addition to cleaning coreboxes and permanent molds, dry ice blasting is also used to clean electrical equipment as well as other tooling and machinery. By keeping equipment clean, maintenance departments can more quickly observe leaks, frayed wiring, damaged belts, etc. Early detection can often prevent a minor problem from developing into a major one.