Gentle mould cleaning with dry ice blasting – Furniture manufacturer Hukla relies on Ascojet

Hukla combines a long-standing tradition with innovative business structures. In the year 1936 the mattress factory was established in Haslach. In 1951 the present upholstered furniture production was set up in Gengenbach on the edge of the Black Forest – the nucleus of an international group of companies. In 1994 the production site in Torgelow in the east of Germany was put into operation. In 2004 the company was integrated into the Steinhoff Group.

In Gengenbach, Hukla manufactures diverse components for upholstered furniture used in residential living areas, such as seat cushions, armrests, etc. According to the company, quality is the benchmark for all activities at Hukla, even for its mould cleaning requirements. For this reason, the company looked for a residue-free cleaning method for its polyurethane foaming tools, one which could easily be integrated into the process.

After careful consideration, Hukla decided on the Swiss company Asco Carbon Dioxide Ltd. and its Ascojet dry ice blasting technology. The dry ice blasting unit Ascojet 908 now gently and effectively cleans the moulds at Hukla. In addition, the company also uses the Ascojet dry ice blasting process for maintaining, that is, cleaning its machines. The company also purchases its dry ice requirements from Asco.

Prior to the introduction of the dry ice blasting process, cleaning meant time-consuming scrubbing by hand using brushes and scrapers. Thus, the amount of time saved by using Ascojet dry ice cleaning is tremendous.

“Depending on the size of the moulds, we now only need 30 minutes to an hour for cleaning, whereas we used to need approximately four hours”, states Markus Groß, Foam Production Manager. In addition to the considerable time savings, Markus Groß views various other advantages of the dry ice blasting as paramount: This because the dry ice directly sublimates upon impact with the surface meaning no secondary waste. There is also a significant reduction in tool wear since dry ice cleaning does not damage moulds or tools in any way, extending their service life and reducing costs considerably.

The decision of the furniture manufacturer for the Swiss dry ice specialists was based ultimately on several aspects: “Asco had on the one hand, the best value for our money and on the other, presented us cleaning solutions specifically tailored to our needs”, states Markus Gross as reasons for the cooperation.

About Asco
Asco is a single-source supplier of complete CO₂ and dry ice solutions. The product portfolio includes dry ice blasting machines, dry ice production machines, CO₂ production and recovery plants, various CO₂ and dry ice equipment as well as special projects. Further solutions include CO₂ delivery, noise control, automation and customised products.

Since 2007, Asco is part of the international industrial gas enterprise Messer Group and is its competence center for CO₂.