Uses For Dry Ice Blasting in the Printing Industry

Chrome Rollers on Printing Presses

ink bar before dry ice-blast cleaning

after cleaning

Chrome, rubber or any other type of printing press roller is easier to clean in place with dry ice blasting. Dry ice blasting safely removes deposits and buildups that may cause registration problems and misalignment of rollers in printing processes. There are no solvents used with dry ice cleaning, so secondary disposal and waste management are minimized. Dry ice cleaning can be performed with the rollers in place, no time-wasting disassembly, less chance of damage to the rollers.

Dry ice blast-cleaning is perfect for removing caked inks and coating on printing press rollers. Many new coating types are not soluble after drying and cannot be removed by solvents, dry ice blasting solves that problem. Dry ice blasting is solvent-free, and does not require special secondary cleanup.

Ink Trays

Ink tray before dry ice cleaning.

Ink tray after cleaning with buildup removed.

Dry ice blast cleaning is perfect for ink trays.   The CO2 blast effect removes hardened ink, and coatings that may be impervious to any solvent. The shape and fit of the trays are not changed by the dry ice cleaning. Dry ice blasting leaves smooth surfaces without wear to the metal. A smooth surface allows better ink flow.

Cleaning Printing Presses

Dry ice blast-cleaning works for all presses: Flexography, Gravure, Offset and Web-fed. Even the finest of plates in the Gravure process may be cleaned by using dry ice cleaning. Residue ink, grease, lint from paper, and other built-up coatings can affect registration of the printed material. These can be easily removed with dry ice blast cleaning. The dry ice cleaning may be accomplished in place, minimal changes to the equipment are needed. No additional chemical or secondary waste are produced using dry ice cleaning. Dry ice cleaning makes the toughest locations cleanable. Dry ice blast cleaning saves time and money, from days to hours per press. After a dry ice blast cleaning, a simple wipe down of non-painted parts, and the presses are ready to earn more profit.

Press before dry ice cleaning.

After dry ice blasting.

Dry ice blasting of a Flexograph roller in place.