Is Laser cleaning Good for me?
Laser Cleaning questions answered
What is laser cleaning and how does it work?
Laser cleaning system distributes thousands of focused laser pulses per second onto the target surface. These powerful beam pulses are linearly deflected & placed adjacent to each other. Most laser energy is absorbed by the target surface, creating micro-bursts of plasma that decompose the target layer/coating/contaminant through sublimation. Thermal energy is rapidly dissipated as laser-vaporized residues are removed from the substrate. Process speed relates to the laser energy absorption properties of the target material & laser power as measured in watts.
Does laser cleaning damage the underlying surface?
The substrate material, unlike the target contaminant or coating, normally reflects laser beam energy rather than absorbing it. Once a reflective substrate material has been reached, the laser ablation process automatically stops. Due to typically high reflection factors, metallic surfaces are especially suitable for laser cleaning. Precise laser beam adjustments enable treatment for many applications without undesirable mechanical or thermal effects to the substrate.
Where does the stuff removed by the laser cleaning go?
An integrated suction system provides continuous vacuum at the laser target interface. This immediately captures ablated contaminants, vaporized coating fumes & particles, which are pulled through a hose to a modular fume extractor with high efficiency particle & carbon filters. Laser cleaning … a dust-free process with nothing to clean up!
The Benefits of Cleaning Without Consumables
With the advance of laser technology in surface cleaning, manufacturers are becoming aware of the extent to which laser cleaning can help them. From the automotive and aerospace industries to more general industrial applications, many uses of this revolutionary cleaning technique are still unknown.
Best performed using a pulsed laser, laser cleaning can replace traditional cleaning methods to remove rust, oxide, paint and other contaminants from metal surfaces. Emerging applications include weld cleaning, mold cleaning, tool cleaning and surface preparation.
The Laser Cleaning Advantage
| Laser Cleaning | Chemical Products | Sand Blasting | Hand Cleaning | Laser Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precise/selective cleaning | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| No consumables needed | X | X | X | ✓ |
| No collateral waste | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| No infiltration | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Can clean sensitive parts | ✓ | X | X | ✓ |
| Low noise operation | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Possibility to clean in motion | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| No rinsing/drying | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Possibility to clean hot tools/parts | X | X | X | ✓ |
| No need to dismantle tools/moulds | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Minimal work area required | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Low power consumption | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ |