Blasting is widely used in various industries to treat metal surfaces like deburring rusty ship hulls, cleaning car engine components, removing paint, and other applications. 

The process uses a motor-powered machine like an air compressor and a blast machine to propel fine materials at high velocity onto a surface. The idea is to use pressurized air to blast materials off the target surface.

Two commonly used blasting techniques are dry ice blasting and sandblasting. Both perform efficiently, are non-electrical conductors, and are easily available in the market. The right blasting method to use depends on a surface’s size, thickness, shape, gravity of damage, or texture goal. 

Sandblasting is the more commonly used technique but many people are now shifting to dry ice blasting because of its numerous advantages. 

If you’re looking to maximize your blasting, read on to learn more about the differences between dry ice blasting and sandblasting so you can decide which technique suits your needs.

Differences Between Dry Ice Blasting and Sandblasting

Material
Dry ice blasting uses dry ice pellets while sandblasting uses silica sand. The medium used in dry ice is recycled carbon dioxide in microparticles. Silica sand, on the other hand, is composed of granular material that contains quartz, coal, and clay in minuscule amounts.

Abrasion
Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive while sandblasting is abrasive. Using the dry ice blasting method prevents surface damage because it is gentler compared to sandblasting.

Clean-up Requirement
Dry ice blasting leaves no residue while sandblasting leaves secondary waste. Because dry ice sublimates or directly turns into a gaseous state when it hits the surface, it leaves no trail of deposits that require cleaning. Sandblasting, on the other hand, can leave sand clumps that require more time and effort to clean.

Toxic Waste
Dry ice blasting is more eco-friendly than sandblasting. That’s because dry ice blasting uses food-grade materials that leave no trace or harm, while sandblasting can leave toxic waste when used to remove noxious chemicals and materials.

Cost Efficiency
Dry ice blasting is also more economical in terms of saving on cleaning costs and time because you don’t have to reclaim the medium used.

Health Safety
The blasting operator may ingest harmful dust during and after sandblasting. However, dry ice blasting leaves no trail on contact due to sublimation, making it safer to use.

nexAir’s Reliable Dry Ice Blasting Solution
nexAir offers safe, effective, and premium-grade dry ice for your blasting needs. Remember that not all dry ice materials are created equal so choose the product that delivers value-adding features that benefit your business. The nexAir Dry Ice advantages include:

– Consistent rice-sized pellets
– Moisture-free
– Gentle to use and non-corrosive
– Non-conductive, safe to use for electronic appliances
– Non-flammable
– Powerfully removes adhesives, biofilms, grease, and clingy residues
– Leaves no caustic agents
– Can help remove fungi like molds and mildews, and other microbes

Our nexAir KnowHow and team of dry ice handling experts will help you optimize your cleaning process with the right materials, methods, and cost-efficient techniques so you can maximize your time, energy, and savings.

Get in touch with us today so we can help your business Forge Forward with smart blasting solutions.