Ice Blasting – An Innovative Concept for the Problem-Oriented Deburring of Workpieces

The paper describes the development of an operational alternative for particle blasting with deep frozen ice, an in this form solid and hard blast medium. Primarily the practical realization of this processing step for the above described case is presented, especially in less accessible locations on complex components. The procedure investigated in this article is essentially a blasting procedure using a solid blast medium. The innovative idea lies in the use of ordinary ice as a blast medium. The advantage of ice is its property not to leave any solid residue behind. Consequently it is applicable to the blasting treatment of complex component geometries. The use of conventional blast media for purposes of blast deburring entails the subsequent removal of blast medium residue. In the case of complex component geometries, complete removal of said residue is not feasible. The objective is to create the potential to implement the above-described procedure of blasting by use of deep-frozen ice. This requires a new form of equipment which allows for specialized fabrication of suitable ice. The ice blasting procedure examined here must not be confused with dry ice blasting, which uses frozen carbon dioxide CO₂ as a blast medium.