Laser Rust Removal: Technology Description

Everyone who has already experienced rust knows how difficult it is to fight it. Without special mechanical means, such as hard wire brushes or grinders, as well as certain chemicals, rust can not be removed from the metal surfaces.

Having prepared everything you need to work, you can begin the process. Clearing the metal surface of rust is usually done manually, and the whole process is accompanied by abundant release of harmful chemical dust. Avoid the harmful effects on the body of substances contained in dust, using a special technology - laser removal of rust. Such technologies used to be perceived as something belonging to the realm of fantasy, but today they have firmly entered our life. Now the laser is widely used for cleaning various surfaces.

What does laser ablation mean?

Laser ablation (rust removal) is a special technology that allows using a laser pulse to remove unnecessary substances from surfaces. With the help of laser ablation, it is also possible to determine the concentration in the chemical composition of elements and isotopes. This technique is used by analytical chemistry and geochemistry.

Features specific to the laser ablation process:

• The energy generated by the laser pulse is absorbed by the surface of the workpiece.
• In the process of cleansing from rust, a plasma cloud is formed.
• Laser ablation occurs at the boundary between two phases: condensed and gaseous (vacuum).

What is desorption?

If the laser is characterized by a low power, then the substances that are removed evaporate, or sublimate: they transform into free molecules, ions and atoms, forming a weak non-luminous plasma above the surface. Laser rust removal in low-power laser mode is called desorption.

Formation of a laser spark

In the event that a laser tool for removing rust is able to produce a pulse that is powerful enough to exceed the threshold of ablation, the purification process is accompanied by a glow of plasma, microexplosions, with the formation of craters on the surface of the product. Work in the regime of a powerful pulse is called a laser spark.

Technology advantages

The advantages of laser ablation include:

• The worker does not come into contact with the surface to be treated.
• The wizard is able to localize his actions: he simply sets the desired pulse density and directs the laser beam to the point he wants to process.
• It is possible to adjust the power of the radiation.
• The mobility of the installation takes place. If necessary, it is not difficult to transfer it to the desired place.
• A person has the opportunity to work with different materials, without fear of damaging them.

The product from the German company Clean Laser

To date, it is the only manufacturer that produces a tool that is able to remove the most sensitive surface from paint, oil, grease, rust or any other contamination within minutes. This equipment provides high-quality laser removal of rust. The device is capable of producing powerful, short and very fast laser beams, creating micro-plasma spikes. This entails the formation of shock and heat waves. The feedback of the owners of such devices is mostly of a positive nature. Consumers estimated that the contamination under the influence of the beam collected in the beam simply evaporates. Laser rust removal is carried out gently, without damaging the surface.

What models are produced?

The machines of the German company Clean Laser represent a wide range of equipment, through which laser rust removal is carried out. According to consumers, the most popular are "backpack" devices. Despite their small size and power from 12 W to 1 kW, such equipment is also capable of providing high-quality laser removal of rust. The installation can be used to remove stratification from small surfaces. These devices are very popular among archeologists as reliable means for cleaning objects of antiquity. Also small-sized laser equipment is used by mechanics during the repair of the fuselage.

Those who wish to purchase such a device, it is better to choose the medium-sized devices. Experienced users recommend installations with a capacity not exceeding 400 kW. In terms of their dimensions, such devices are similar to compressors. Today, German engineers are developing large-scale models of laser installations for their use on space and aircraft. Despite the considerable size, the devices produced by the German firm Clean Laser are distinguished by the fact that they use very short and rapid pulsations of laser beams, which contribute to the appearance of plasma microblasts and sublimation. During the operation of laser equipment, no secondary waste is generated. The master does not breathe dust when using such a tool, and the work itself is performed quickly and qualitatively.

Chinese model

In the market of tools and equipment, a wide range of laser rust cleaning equipment is provided to the attention of the consumer. Today, Chinese products are in great demand. One of them was the apparatus for cleaning metal products LY CL 100.

Specifications

• The installation has a power of not more than 100 watts.
• The operating period is 50 thousand hours.
• The repetition frequency is 1.2-25 KHz.
• Installation is designed to clean the area of 20x20 cm.
• The speed of work exceeds 7 thousand mm / sec.
• The device has a linear speed of 70 m / min.
• The unit uses air cooling.
• The wavelength is 1064 nm.
• Inside the device there is computer software.
• The dimensions of the product are 25 x 45 x 50 cm.
• The machine weighs up to 70 kg.
• The warranty period is 12 months.

Such a mobile tool will be indispensable if you need to clean the metal surface from rust or remove paint from the body of the car. In this case, the removal is done layer by layer right down to the primer itself. The depth of penetration of the laser beam is affected by its wavelength and the refractive index. Clearing metal surfaces with a laser is considered the most effective and safe method.