A vacuum chamber houses the spray tips and is encircled with a seal which holds the robot to the surface and prevents the egress of water and waste into the environment. A chemical softener is sprayed on the painted surface to be removed and left on for several hours. After the chemical has dissolved the paint, the softener and the reacted paint are removed by scraping with hand tools. The remaining paint will then be removed by ice blast. Ice blast utilizes compressed air to accelerate ice particles made from tap water to decoat and clean surfaces without damaging substrates.
Ice is produced essentially instantly and continuously for blasting.
The ice is transported via compressed air through a hose to a specially designed, ergonomic blast nozzle to be propelled against the surface to be cleaned. By varying the blast pressure, the ice blast system can remove a variety of coatings from hard and soft surfaces. The mobile robot unit moves along the work surface and adheres to it with the aid of a high vacuum suction. Mobility is provided with individually motor controlled wheels. The system uses abrasive steel grit or steel shot as the surface removal media.