OZPEN – a dry ice cleaning system for optical components

The OZPEN – from OZ Optics – is a versatile small surface area precision cleaning system for fibre optics and other components. It produces an adjustable spray of clean dry air or nitrogen containing small carbon dioxide ‘dry ice’ particles to efficiently remove foreign matter from a surface.

The composite spray cleaning technique is a patented process using the chemically active, dry CO₂ spray for efficient and effective removal of inorganic and organic surface contamination from substrate surfaces.

The cleaning unit delivers a precisely controlled accelerated stream of solid carbon dioxide particles at high velocity. This snow is created from the conversion of liquid CO₂ to solid CO₂ particles and CO₂ gas at the spray nozzle. The nozzle, propellant pressure, and temperature are adjusted for optimal cleaning process.

Thin film organic contamination can also be removed by snow cleaning  providing it is soluble in liquid CO₂. Typical light oils are good candidates for CO₂ cleaning.

As the solid CO₂ spray within the plume is at a temperature of around -78 °C, the cooling properties of  can be used to remove contaminants with high water content, first by freezing, then by fracturing it from the underlying substrate.

For more information on the OZPEN and its uses, please contact us or see the video here.