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. It can work on vertical, horizontal, and inverted surfaces. It works on masonry as well as metal surfaces. All operations are contained in a closed loop. The system concurrently separates the removed surface from the removal media.