Valspar – Wet Wash Down Environment – Dry Ice Cleaning
Industrial Cleaning – Machine Cleaning

Valspar produces general industrial coatings. Their Kansas City plant produces powder coatings. The majority of their maintenance is handled with a routine water wash down process. There is one particular product they manufacture that does not respond to this maintenance process. The inside walls of the mixing vat and the mixing paddles had become encased in product. This remaining product build-up posed a potential threat to future product quality.

A test cleaning was performed at the Blast-it-Clean shop on a section of the equipment. Several possible cleaning alternatives were identified. Given the plant configuration, it was determined that Dry Ice Cleaning was the most cost effective alternative. This project had a high degree of difficulty. Three factors had a direct affect on the difficulty level of the project. Limited access, the requirement of a lockout tag out protocol, and the use of a confined space entry protocol. Crews trained in each of the protocols were provided. The cleaning was successfully performed, returning the interior of the mixing vat to a like new condition.

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Dari Concepts, Inc. – Wet Wash Down Environment – Soda Blasting
Paint and Coating Removal – Sub Category of Industrial Cleaning

The Dari Concepts plant in El Dorado Springs, Missouri converts cheese into powdered cheese. They were faced with a serious quality control issue. When the plant was first built, it was constructed using dairy brick. This brick had a glazed surface and met the requirements of a water wash down plant. Over time the plant configuration had been modified as well as some walls being damaged by forklift traffic to the point that it no longer fit the scope of a water wash down surface. The walls were painted and over time the paint began to fail.

To meet FDA requirements these walls had to be repainted. The paint company specified that the existing paint must be removed for any future paint warranty to apply. Dari Concepts required an environmentally friendly method to remove the failing paint. The scope of the project was to remove the existing coating from the dairy brick and prepare the walls for the new paint coating to be applied. The FDA approved Baking Soda Blasting process was used as the method for removal.

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Con Agra – Wet Wash Down Environment – Soda Blasting
Industrial Cleaning

Remove failing paint from the ceiling of a chicken processing plant. The plant had painted the concrete ceiling above their production line. The hot water wash down process and thermal shock was causing paint failure. The decision was made to return the ceiling to its non-painted state. Baking soda was used as the blast media for paint removal.

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Con Agra - Wet Wash Down Environment – Dry Ice Cleaning 
Paint & Coating Removal sub category of Industrial Cleaning

Due to findings of the FDA plant inspections. A meat processor was ordered to repaint their coolers. The painting company specified that the surfaces needed to be cleaned to a level that exceeded the water wash down capabilities. Blast-It-Clean was brought in to perform Dry Ice Cleaning on the surfaces. The dry ice process removed any paint that was not well adhered, and provided a cleaned surface for the new paint to adhere to. This process was selected due to the equipment in the area and the need to utilize a dust free blast media.

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Best Harvest Bakery – Wet Wash Down – Soda Blasting 
Industrial Cleaning – Equipment Cleaning

The stainless steel conveyor that moved buns through the proofing oven had become contaminated with a buildup of oils and product. The traditional method of hot water washing was no longer an effective solution. Dry Ice was first used to clean the conveyor, the cleaning was effective, but the production rates did not make this a cost effective alternative. A sample of the conveyor was cleaned using the baking soda blasting process. This process proved to provide a cost effective cleaning solution. The proofing oven is 35’ Tall x 100’ wide by 75’ Long. The challenge was to clean the conveyor, while it was in operation, without contaminating the rest of the proofing oven. The solution was to construct a blast booth at the exit point of oven, to contain the baking soda and keep it from dusting up the plant. The booth was constructed. The air handling was driven by a 13,500 cfm exhaust fans blowing into a specially constructed .10-micron dust containment bag. 

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Nestle Purina St. Joseph – Wet Wash Down – Soda Blasting
Paint and Coatings Removal – Sub Category of Industrial Cleaning

Failing Paint on a galvanized metal ceiling directly above the production line was causing quality control product problems. The ceiling height was 30’. The challenge was to access the ceiling for cleaning and provide adequate dust control to allow the rest of the plant to continue to operate. Step one involved the construction of a custom scaffolding system, to allow access to the ceiling to be cleaned. Step two involved the installation of a vented containment system. The solution was to enclose the entire section of the production facility to be soda blasted. The remainder of the plant had to stay in operation while the work was being performed. The enclosure was constructed. The air handling was driven by multiple 13,500 cfm exhaust fans blowing into a specially constructed .10-micron dust containment bag. 

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MGP Ingredients – Wet Wash Down – Soda Blasting
Paint and Coatings Removal – Sub Category of Industrial Cleaning

Thermal Shock Coatings Failure. The painted surfaces on the support structures holding up the production equipment and tanks for the plant was failing. The coatings failure was accelerated by the thermal shock on the surfaces, caused by the hot water wash down procedure. This was causing potential product spoilage, as well as a potential loss of points and accreditation when the plant was inspected annually by the American Baking Institute. Blast-It-Clean was called upon to assist in resolving the problem.
The solution was to enclose the entire section of the production facility to be soda blasted. The remainder of the plant had to stay in operation while the work was being performed. The enclosure was constructed. Multiple 13,500 cfm exhaust fans blowing into a specially constructed-.10-micron dust containment bag drove the air handling, and the paint removal process was completed. 

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Nestle Purina Fort Dodge, IA – Dry Environment – Soda Blasting
Industrial Cleaning

Product was sticking to walls causing FDA cleanliness issues in the dry goods mixing room. The majority of the plant utilized water wash down, as the primary method of cleaning. No water could be introduced into the room to be cleaned. Blast-It-Clean was called in to provide the cleaning solution. The solution selected was low-pressure baking soda cleaning. Due to the floor configuration of the room, we were not able to utilize a lift to access the upper levels of the wall. Custom scaffolding was constructed around the machinery to allow access for cleaning.