In recent years, dry ice cleaning technology has been applied to many fields. Due to its safety, high efficiency, strong cleaning power, and no pollution, dry ice blasting machines are more and more prominent in the medical industry. Let us see how dry ice blasting machine is applied to the medical industry.
The technical principle of dry ice blasting
Dry ice cleaning machine sprays dry ice pellets(usually 3mm)to the work surface to be cleaned by high-pressure air and uses drastically changing temperature differences to cause different substances to detach at different shrinking speeds.
When the dry ice pellets at -78.5 degrees Celsius come into contact with the dirt surface, the phenomenon of embrittlement and explosion will occur, which will cause the dirt to shrink and loosen. Subsequently, the dry ice pellets will instantly vaporize and expand to 800 times, producing a strong peeling force, which will quickly remove the dirt from the surface of the object, thereby achieving a fast, efficient, safe and energy-saving cleaning effect.
Several aspects of using dry ice cleaning in the medical industry
- Catheter mold cleaning
When manufacturing medical catheters, the tip of the pipe and the Y part are usually injections molded using liquid silicone. The mold used is more independent than the conventional mold, the cavity is smaller and deeper, and burrs are easily left in production, which results in substandard tolerances and increased reject rates. And need frequent cleaning.
The advantages of using dry ice blasting: fast, simple, and efficient. It can be cleaned directly without disassembling the machine, and the corners and seams are easier to clean. The experiments confirmed that dry ice cleaning can greatly improve the yield.
- Manufacturing of surgical tools and instruments
Surgical tools and some surgical instruments usually have a non-slip rubber handle on the upper end of the stainless steel tool part. In production, it is necessary to eliminate the mold clamping line, otherwise, the handle will not be smooth. Therefore, the application advantages of dry ice blaster machine have been successfully demonstrated again.
- Manufacturing of medical stents
Medical implanted stents are usually made of metal or plastic and inserted into the hollow structure of the body to keep it open, so the tolerance requirements for production are extremely strict. These products are characterized by precision, small size, and good flexibility. The production difficulty lies in the high cleanliness requirements of the mold. The molds are precise and very expensive, and the fixtures handling the products are fragile. The dry ice cleaning machine can be used to clean the mold online. It is simple and efficient, will not damage the mold, will not damage the fixture and the product, no residue and harmless.