Laser cleaning surface cleaning consists in the fact that a powerful, short and fast laser beam produces micro-bursts of plasma, which in turn creates shock and heat waves. Under the influence of a laser beam, materials from the surface to be cleaned evaporate, while not damaging the surface itself. The process of removing materials occurs due to thermal expansion (laser ablation effect).
Laser cleaning of metal from rust and other contaminants:
Laser cleaning of the surface of metal and other materials consists in the fact that a powerful, short and fast laser beam produces micro-bursts of plasma, which in turn creates shock and heat waves. Under the influence of a laser beam, materials from the surface to be cleaned evaporate, while not damaging or affecting the surface itself. The process of removing materials occurs due to thermal expansion (laser ablation effect).
There are no consumables in the laser cleaning system, it is compact, durable and environmentally friendly.
Laser cleaning is well suited for selective cleaning, namely, it minimizes the risk of damaging the surface and avoids the presence of residual chemical processes and substances after cleaning. In other words, the uniqueness of laser surface cleaning lies in the fact that when removing (removing) the contaminated layer, the main part of the product material is not damaged.
Laser cleaning technology is based on pulsed laser radiation. The main parameters of laser radiation affecting the efficiency of the cleaning process are the radiation power, pulse duration and wavelength of radiation. The power of the laser radiation is selected in such a way that it does not have any effect on the surface of the material being cleaned, but is sufficient for the formation of micro-bursts of plasma. The pulse duration is nano- and microseconds. It determines the depth of the thermal effect of radiation. The wavelength of the laser radiation determines the depth of penetration of radiation into the contaminating material and is micrometers.
Laser cleaning machine is used to clean not only the surfaces of metals and their alloys, but also other non-metallic materials: marble, granite, gypsum, concrete, etc. Laser cleaning allows you to remove from the contaminated surface: rust, oxides, oil, scale, paint, carbon deposits, refined petroleum products, adhesive and electroplating coatings, organic contaminants, rubber, wire insulation, film coatings, radioactive contamination, etc.
The use of a laser in modern automated processing complexes (centers) allows you to automate the process as a whole and increase processing productivity. The modern power level of fiber emitters is capable of providing industrial levels of high-performance cleaning up to tens of square meters per hour at a low cost of the process.
Application of laser cleaning of metal and non–metallic materials:
- for cleaning metal and non-metallic surfaces from contaminants such as: oxides, oil, scale, paint, rust, carbon deposits, petroleum products, adhesive and electroplating coatings, organic contaminants, rubber, radioactive contamination, wire insulation and other film coatings;
- surface preparation for electroplating, painting, welding, gluing, as well as surface cleaning during restoration.