BOC says its CRYOCLEAN snow+ systemcombines dry ice blasting (using CO2 dry ice crystals) with sand blasting to provide a flexible industrial cleaning method for a wide range of industry sectors including automotive, plastic manufacturing and steel. The company claims it can also be used in the additive manufacturing sector, where it can be used to remove oxides from the surfaces of a number of materials, including steels and aluminium, and to clean polymers.
Developed by BOC and its parent, The Linde Group, CRYOCLEAN is a process in which liquid CO2 is pressurised to 60 bar, creating tiny dry ice crystals known as snow. When the snow is accelerated onto the component using compressed air, the contaminant becomes brittle. The gas jet then permeates cracks and lifts the contaminant off the surface - after which it is expelled through exhaust systems. The company claims faster process times than traditional cleaning processes.