 The ice blaster cometh
August 29th 2008
Kärcher says its latest ice blaster tackles grafiti and grime, indoors and out, without chemicals, surface damage, water or mess.
Kärcher’s IB 15/240 Ice Blaster provides a portable, non-aggressive, but thorough method of cleaning surfaces, tools, moulds and machines without causing damage to the original surface or to the environment. The machine can be used in both indoor and outdoor areas and does not require chemicals. Ice blasting is particularly suitable for removal of graffiti and for other urban cleaning tasks, as it will not damage brickwork or paving.
The system uses dry ice pellets kept at -79ºC, injected into a jet of compressed air, accelerated to speeds in excess of 150 m/s and then fired at the surface to be cleaned. The abrupt cooling of the surface causes a thermal shock and produces fine cracks in the top layer (in this case spray paint). The dry ice pellets penetrate these cracks and sublimate instantly (turn into a gas without becoming a liquid) lifting the contaminant from the surface, and return to the atmosphere as CO2 gas leaving only the contaminant behind. As cleaning with dry ice is performed without chemicals or detergents, and leaves no wastewater, it is environmentally friendly and can be used in areas where cleaning with water is prohibited or inconvenient. Unlike sand blasting, ice blasting keeps surface abrasion to a minimum, and there is only the contaminant to collect after cleaning has been completed.
The IB 15/80 is constructed out of stainless steel, and has a removable side panel for easy maintenance. There are two large pneumatic tyres and two small casters which give the unit excellent mobility. The unit features a blasting pressure gauge, operating hour meter, variable pressure and ice consumption to suit a range of different applications and an emergency stop switch. There is an air/ice selector on the trigger gun to allow a choice of air and ice or air only, ideal for removing any debris from the area being blasted.
The unit comes standard with a hose, trigger gun and nozzle case providing the user with everything needed to start work. A range of additional nozzles are available to suit specialist applications.
For further information, just  click here.
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