Cold Jet

Successful Partnership with Danish Machine Manufacturer, Cold Jet

Drive Technology from NORD for Dry Ice Production

NORD DRIVESYSTEMS collaborates closely with its customers worldwide to develop tailored solutions for specific applications. This includes a partnership with a Danish company that manufactures machines for dry ice cleaning and production. Cold Jet needed drive solutions that could be flexibly adapted to their unique requirements, as well as comprehensive customer service with on-site consultation and support. NORD proved to be the ideal partner for this global company.

Dry ice blasting is an innovative industrial cleaning process that utilizes the unique properties of dry ice to prepare surfaces. It is used for a range of applications, such as removing adhesives, coatings, or corrosion; cleaning composite tools or molds; and restoring vehicles or renovating buildings. As a sustainable technology, dry ice blasting is employed across various industries. Dry ice pellets or micro-particles are accelerated at supersonic speeds, loosening dirt and contamination from the underlying surface. Upon contact with the surface, the dry ice sublimates from solid CO2 to gas. This environmentally friendly process does not produce hazardous secondary waste, making it both cleaner and more efficient for production processes.

Cold Jet: A Pioneer in Dry Ice Technology

Cold Jet was founded in Ohio (USA) in 1988. Today, the company is represented with 13 subsidiaries worldwide, including Denmark. From the very beginning, Cold Jet was focused on developing environmentally friendly solutions. Initially, the manufacturer pursued the goal of replacing the use of chemical cleaning agents in the removal of airplane coatings.

“Cold Jet pioneered modern dry ice cleaning technology and has since focused exclusively on developing advanced dry ice solutions – from dry ice production to application”, says Andreas Laursen from Cold Jet. “Today we produce devices that ensure that our customers can rely on the functionality of our dry ice solutions. In this regard, NORD is an important supplier.”

Dry ice blasting is used across a wide range of industries, including aerospace, aviation, automotive, food & beverage, and packaging.

Cold Jet is committed to making recycled carbon dioxide (CO2) usable for commercial and industrial customers worldwide. In addition to its dry ice blasting devices and dry ice production machines, the company also offers CO2 recovery systems that capture excess gas from the dry ice production process and repurpose it to create more dry ice pellets.

When developing and producing new machines and systems, Cold Jet places a high priority on the quality, reliability, and flexibility of its suppliers and partners. In 2021, the company switched from one of its previous drive suppliers to NORD. The globally recognized system provider, known for its solution expertise across more than 100 industries, impressed Cold Jet with its extensive experience and knowledge.

“NORD customizes its devices to meet our specific requirements,” says Leif, CO2 Development Engineer at Cold Jet.

Decentralized Drive Technology From NORD

Today, Cold Jet uses asynchronous motors from NORD, both with and without drive electronics, in hydraulic pumps. In addition, the decentralized NORDAC FLEX frequency inverters with up to 22 kW are used in cooling compressors. The NORDAC <i>FLEX</i> SK 200E frequency inverter stands out for its flexibility. It can be precisely configured to individual specifications thanks to its scalable features. With a wide range of digital and analog inputs and outputs, including an integrated Ethernet module, it offers excellent compatibility with all major PLCs.

Cold Jet uses the NORDAC ON frequency inverters in conveyor technology. The decentralized NORDAC <i>ON/ON+</i> frequency inverters are known for their compact design, full plug-in capability, and reliability. NORDAC ON inverter is designed for operation with asynchronous motors, while the NORDAC ON+ inverter is optimized for use with IE5+ synchronous motors. These inverters are available in a power range from 0.37 kW to 3.7 kW.

Thanks to their plug-and-play functionality, they significantly reduce wiring effort and provide a maintenance-friendly, cost-effective solution for modern production environments. The range of features also includes onboard PLC functionality and drive-related functions, along with an integrated Ethernet interface. PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, and EtherCAT can be configured via parameters.

Customer Benefits at a Glance

“Decentralized drive technology helps eliminate unnecessary noise in the control cabinet by placing the drive electronics closer to the motor,” says Nicolai, Product Development Engineer at Cold Jet. This setup minimizes electromagnetic interference due to the short distance between the frequency inverter and the motor. Additionally, the need for shielded cables is eliminated, further reducing system costs. The decentralized design also allows for smaller control cabinets, and eliminates the need for additional cooling.

“Another reason we rely on decentralized drive technology from NORD is that all of our machines are modular. We centrally store the components and can then combine them into larger systems or machines,” Nicolai continues. Furthermore, Cold Jet's engineers benefit from the plug-and-play technology of the decentralized drive systems, which significantly shortens installation times. The use of pre-configured drive solutions also positively impacts the total cost of ownership.

“In addition to the space and cost savings offered by decentralized drive units, they provide a high level of planning security for the future. Our customers can expand their systems at any time without the need for extensive modifications,” Nicolai concludes.

Customized Drive Solutions

Cold Jet uses EtherCAT as its communication protocol, making it crucial for the machine manufacturer to find a partner capable of providing the appropriate drive solutions and PLC integration. This was another key factor in Cold Jet's decision to choose NORD. Additionally, the North German drive expert is able to precisely tailor its drive systems to meet customers’ specific requirements. Many of the customized plug solutions are based on the needs of Cold Jet’s PLC system.

“NORD is very flexible, and we appreciated that a lot,” says Nicolai. “In addition, NORD also offers great on-site support and helps us with our challenges – NORD is an important partner for us.”

NORDAC ON / ON+ SK 300P

Decentralized Variable Frequency Drive

Power: 0.5 - 5.0 hp (0.37–3.7 kW)
Protection Class: IP55, IP66
Wall or motor mounting
Simple integration via multi-protocol ethernet interface
Fast plug-and-play commissioning

NORDAC® FLEX – SK 200E – Variable Frequency Drive

Greater flexibility, lower costs

Power: 0.33 – 30.0 hp (0.25 – 22 kW)
Protection class: IP55, IP66
Wall or motor mounting
Highly configurable modular design
High functionality for a wide range of applications

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Documentation Details

E3000 - Catalog – NORDAC Electronic Drive Technology

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Documentation Details

Further Information Can Be Found Here:

Drive Electronics

NORD's innovative Drive Technology range can be configured to match almost all applications. As a drives applications expert NORD cooperates with customers all over the world to provide solutions that are perfectly matched to their requirements.

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NORDCON

With the NORDCON Windows app and the NORDCON mobile app, NORD provides the right tool for commissioning and drive optimisation. Both enable easy access to electronic drive systems, simple parameter management and comprehensive diagnosis.

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Device Description Files

The implementation of NORDAC options in automation environments is particularly easy with the corresponding device description files (EDS, ESI, XML and GSD). All relevant files are ready for direct download – matched to the drive systems from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS. Efficient configuration, reduced installation times and increased productivity with one click.

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