Black Technology Guide | Industry experts tell you how to clean medical equipment with the right posture

Let the medical device look new, let the product accuracy not be compromised at all, and let the manufacturer praise it, what is the basis of this new environmental protection technology?

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When it comes to medical devices, cleanliness is paramount. All medical devices, whether disposable, implantable, or reusable, must be effectively cleaned during the manufacturing process to remove grease, fingerprints, and other dirt from the manufacturing process. To ensure that standard cleanliness requirements are met, manufacturers must plan and develop a thorough cleaning program.

Cleaning in the pharmaceutical industry has always been a difficult and time-consuming process. In the past, manual mode was usually done manually bit by bit using a scraper. In addition to the long downtime, this process is also quite dangerous for the equipment (parts are often damaged by scratches). The headache is that it is not easy to use hard media blasting techniques such as sandblasting, water blasting, soda blasting or vapor blasting, as this can lead to secondary waste contamination.

So, how do maintenance experts in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries clean equipment without causing damage?

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TooIce Dry Ice Blast Cleaning Solution

Savvy medical device manufacturers are replacing their manual manual/abrasive cleaning and traditional methods with an alternative cleaning method called dry ice blast cleaning. This precision cleaning method removes residues from parts and equipment by striking the surface of the workpiece to be cleaned with a fine jet of dry ice particles (CO₂ solid) accelerated at supersonic speed. The TooIce dry ice non-destructive cleaning process helps medical device manufacturers improve quality and throughput while extending equipment life, reducing costs, and ensuring environmental protection.

Large surface finishes are an important step in the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical equipment components. Meets the surface finish requirements for smooth surfaces, reduces the potential for dirt adhesion and bacterial contamination, and meets hygienic standards. With TooIce dry ice cleaning technology, parts can be washed to remove contaminants and minimize bioburden before they reach the cleanroom for assembly and packaging.

A powerful guarantee for increased productivity

Maintenance experts in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries have found that cleaning with dry ice can reduce cleaning time by up to 75%. For example, a manufacturing plant with TooIce’s dedicated manifold precision dry ice blasting system can clean molds in less than 15 minutes with just one employee, instead of an hour. The reduction in time can save a lot of time and labor costs for manufacturers.

Cleaning of molds and equipment can be simplified with dry ice blasting. Operators have the option to clean the equipment in place in place, eliminating the multi-step process of cooling, dismantling, reassembling and reheating during the cleaning process and reducing the risk of damage to the equipment. Unlike traditional grinding cleaning methods, the “combination of kinetic and thermal gradient effects” breaks down the bond between the residue and the surface. When the dry ice hits the surface of the workpiece, it immediately sublimates and reverts to gaseous CO₂ without any secondary waste. After sublimation, tiny contaminants fall onto the floor or are quickly captured by the filter. The whole process is completed in one go, the cleaning efficiency is greatly improved, and the downtime is reduced to 0.

X-factors that improve product quality

Medical device manufacturers face many challenges in cleaning and maintaining equipment, as well as deburring or deburring products. Many of the innovative parts and products produced by manufacturers are small, and the equipment is very elaborate and expensive. During the production of high-tolerance medical device parts, residues left over in extremely small mold cavities and on expensive molds can affect the quality of the final product. This build-up results in parts that are out of tolerance, increasing scrap rates and ultimately clogging the mold cavity and hindering the mold’s performance. The residue also prevents marks on small but critical details (e.g. measuring scales on syringes).

For the vast majority of medical device parts, excess material accumulates in very small molds during the production process. In order to ensure the quality of the product, it is necessary to take measures to remove it. Burrs can form when needles are sharpened or laser-etched holes and grooves, and deburring is also required in this case. If you are not careful, the clogged place will reduce airflow and damage the parts, and if not treated in time, it will eventually lead to the scrapping of the parts.

Compared with the old way of using manual scraping to remove burrs or using hard media blasting, the principle of solid gas sublimation is used in the operation process, and the high-speed low-temperature dry ice particles are sandblasted at supersonic speed, sublimating when impacting contaminants, so as to clean the surface of the workpiece, completely remove dirt and contaminants from the underlying substrate, saving time and effort, and precise jetting treatment. The compliance rate of deburring is guaranteed, and for the boss, the artificial resources can naturally be used on the cutting edge.

TooIce Dry Ice Blast Cleaning is a more energy-efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly way to remove materials used in the manufacturing of medical devices. It doesn’t wear down metal surfaces, change the shape of molds, or damage equipment in any way, providing manufacturers with a more effective cleaning option to replace messy sandblasting and tedious manual scraping or drilling tasks. All in all, manufacturers who integrate dry ice blasting technology into their cleaning processes will see not only improved efficiency, but also improved environmental compliance, reduced human resource costs, and a safer and healthier working environment for their employees.

So, as an expert in the medical device/pharmaceutical industry, why would you miss TooIce’s new technology for dry ice cleaning and environmental protection?