Based in Cornwall
Dry Ice Blasting for Aerospace and Aviation
Precision cleaning for aircraft components, manufacturing equipment and aerospace facilities without damaging sensitive surfaces.
Aerospace & aviation
Non-abrasive, non-conductive, and controlled to the substrate
Composite and thin-gauge alloy structures, hydraulic residue, carbon deposit, corrosion inhibitor, sealant and paint all have to be dealt with without altering the material underneath. The tolerance for embedded media, dimensional change and trapped moisture in this sector is zero.
That rules most methods out before the conversation starts. Abrasive blasting is unacceptable on thin-gauge alloy and composite. Solvent cleaning brings hazard, residue and handling controls. Water is a corrosion risk in lap joints, fastener holes and honeycomb.
Dry ice blasting is defined by what it does not leave. Solid CO₂ pellets are accelerated at the surface; on impact each pellet sublimes, lifting contamination clear and returning to atmosphere. No media to recover in a FOD check. No moisture. No residue.
Our equipment
Controlled, repeatable, documented
Repeatability is the requirement. Equipment that drifts in pressure or carries moisture in the air stream cannot deliver a consistent, controlled result, and a controlled result is the only kind that belongs near an airframe.
Kaeser and Boge compressors hold constant airflow at constant pressure. Tundra air dryers keep the supply dry. M-class extraction and containment screening capture dislodged particulate at source, which is what makes work in a hangar or clean area viable.
We work to your approvals, your maintenance documentation and your procedures rather than around them. Substrate and contamination are assessed, parameters are set and agreed, and the process is applied to the specification we have been given.
Services
Every service, one method
Every service on this page uses the same dry ice CO₂ process. Non-abrasive, non-conductive, entirely dry, no media residue. Scope is agreed against your documentation before work begins.
Airframe & components
Composite & alloy panels
Surface contamination, hydraulic residue and soiling removed from composite and thin-gauge alloy without abrading the substrate or the finish.
Fastener & lap joint areas
Corrosion product, inhibitor residue and contamination removed from joints and fastener areas without driving moisture into them.
Landing gear & bays
Gear legs, bays, actuators, hoses and structure cleaned of hydraulic residue and grease build-up, so condition and leak paths are visible.
Control surfaces & hinges
Hinge lines, bearings, actuators and surrounding structure cleaned in place, without fluid, media or disassembly.
Selective paint & sealant removal
Coatings and sealant removed from defined areas under controlled parameters, without abrading the substrate underneath.
Powerplant & systems
Engine externals & nacelles
Cowlings, nacelle interiors, pylons and external casings cleaned of oil, carbon and hydraulic deposit without media entering the installation.
APU compartments
Compartment structure, insulation faces and surrounding surfaces cleaned dry, in a space where wash-down is impractical.
Hydraulic & fluid contamination
Residue and staining removed from structure and components so leak sources can be identified rather than inferred.
Wiring looms & connectors
Looms, brackets, trays and connector areas cleaned non-conductively, with no masking and no moisture introduced.
Bays, voids & structure
Equipment bays, wheel wells and internal structure cleaned of accumulated contamination, with extraction capturing everything dislodged.
Ground & facility
GSE & tooling
Ground support equipment, stands, jacks and tooling cleaned of oil, grease and corrosion product without abrasive damage or moisture.
Jigs & fixtures
Assembly jigs, locating faces and fixtures cleaned without dimensional change to reference surfaces.
Paint booths & extraction
Booth surfaces, grilles, ducting and filter frames cleaned of overspray and deposit, restoring designed airflow.
Hangar plant & structure
Plant, steelwork, services and high-level structure cleaned dry, with no run-off onto aircraft or equipment below.
Pre-inspection & NDT prep
Surfaces prepared ahead of visual inspection, NDT or coating, so the inspection reads the structure rather than the contamination on it.
What it delivers
Four reasons this method fits aviation work
In this sector a cleaning method is judged on its worst-case behaviour, not its best result.
No media to find
The pellets sublimate on impact. There is no grit, bead or residue to recover from a bay, a void or an installation afterwards.
Nothing abraded
Composite, thin-gauge alloy, plating and finishes are cleaned rather than eroded, with no dimensional or profile change.
Surfaces you can read
Clean structure makes visual inspection, NDT and leak tracing meaningful rather than approximate.
Dry, in place, no strip-down
Cleaning in position with no drying time keeps the work off the critical path of a turnaround or check.
We work to your approvals and your maintenance documentation. Process parameters are agreed against the substrate and the task before any work begins.
Coverage
Nationwide, fully mobile
Compressor, dry ice blasters, M-class extraction and containment screening all travel with us. Hangar, workshop or facility, there is no fixed geography.
In the hangar
During check or turnaround
Work sequenced into a scheduled check or turnaround, with containment and extraction managing the working area alongside other trades.
Component & workshop
Off-aircraft work
Components, GSE, tooling and jigs cleaned to an agreed standard in the workshop, ahead of inspection, coating or return to service.
FOD control
Nothing left behind to find later
The reason abrasive methods are so restricted around aircraft is not the abrasion. It is the media. Grit and bead migrate, and they migrate into exactly the places that are hardest to inspect: bays, voids, honeycomb, fastener holes, hinge lines and installations.
Dry ice does not survive its own impact. Each pellet sublimates and returns to atmosphere, leaving only the contamination it displaced, which extraction captures at source. There is no media inventory in the working area and nothing to recover afterwards.
That property, more than the cleaning performance, is why the method is used on high-value and safety-critical assets.
All work is scoped against your approvals and documentation, and agreed in writing before mobilisation.
Assets we clean
What we clean in aerospace and aviation
MRO, component overhaul, manufacturing, general aviation and ground operations. Where media contamination and moisture are unacceptable, this is the method that remains.
Get in touch
Request a process assessment
Tell us the substrate, the task and the approvals the work sits under. We will assess it and come back with a scope and a price.
- Assessment from a site visit or your photographs
- A written scope and quotation
- No obligation
Prefer to speak to a specialist? Call 01736 804118