Laser Coating Removal
Traditional coating-removal techniques, such as sandblasting, can be cumbersome and harmful to the materials involved. Laser cleaning, however, is capable of safely removing the coatings without damage to the substrate. Furthermore, when the laser cleaning process is complete, there is no additional cleanup or bake-out process required — the cleaned surface is ready for next steps.
HOW LASER COATING REMOVAL WORKS
Our laser coating removal solution removes paint and other hazardous coatings from targeted areas of vehicles and parts. We use low-, mid-, or high-powered technology to clean equipment and vehicles that require small area localized cleaning for modification, corrosion control, or other subsequent tasks.
Whether the area is inches or a few feet, our precision laser cleaning solutions work well on unique geometries and three-dimensional shapes — and both the cleaning and cleanup are all done in one step with the handheld optic. Through the process of laser ablation, the coatings are removed to the bare metal without impacting or damaging the substrate.
From aerospace to automotive manufacturing industries, for years, we’ve provided businesses with the means and resources to properly clean their products without the worry of how it will affect their team, production, or the environment. By removing coatings properly, we prepare your products for the next step — whether you’re bonding, cleaning, treating, or painting.
BENEFITS OF LASER COATING REMOVAL
Using our laser technology for cleaning vehicles and parts has several benefits. The most common include:
- No impact on equipment lifecycle or fatigue life
- Unbeatable quality of cleaning
- Time savings compared to abrasives, chemicals, and media blasting
- Increased worker safety and comfort
- Decreased costs
- Environmentally friendly
HAZARDOUS COATING REMOVAL
For coatings that use hazardous materials such as lead or asbestos, cleanup can be a complicated task. Given the dangerous nature of these coatings, abatement requires an extraordinary amount of protection and the removal of equipment.
Laser cleaning provides a safe and efficient way to remove the hazardous coatings from targeted areas in your facility – without having to resort to the time-consuming process of environmental protections or personal protective equipment. Adapt Laser’s cleaning solutions use integrated fume extraction and are proven to eliminate:
- Complex containment/enclosures to contain hazardous dust
- Clean-up of blasting grit and debris
- Mixed hazardous waste disposal
DEPOSITED COATING REMOVAL
Laser cleaning is the most effective, safest, and environmentally-friendly method of removing PVD, CVD, and MOCVD coatings from both chambers and parts. With the coatings process becoming more and more prevalent across all industries, Adapt Laser has been able to prove solutions exist to these common and uncommon coatings that need cleaned. The cleaning process will capture all the coatings during the removal process to keep the air pure – meaning there are no added dangers to your operators.
Where blasting is typically both a cumbersome and dangerous process to parts and chambers, laser cleaning is capable of safely removing the coatings from both metallic and non-metallic substrates without damage. While both our handheld and automated laser cleaning solutions are capable of effective coating removal, our expert team will help you decide which laser is best for your application.
INDUSTRIAL COATINGS REMOVAL
Industrial coatings can be difficult and even dangerous to remove — both for the operator and the environment. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right cleaning technology for your operation. Our laser cleaning technology allows you to safely and effectively remove coatings for parts modifications, corrosion control, non-destructive testing, and more.
For manufacturing and other operations where efficiency is key, even small gaps in a process can snowball into huge shortfalls in your output. Cleaning technologies that require extensive setup and teardown, therefore, can present real problems. In addition to being safer and more environmentally friendly than sandblasting or chemical stripping, laser cleaning comes with minimal operational setbacks. For industrial coatings removal applications, our lasers can even be automated to perform regular cleanings in your current processes.
In addition to improving efficiency, coating removal with laser ablation also has the advantage of not harming any substrate layers. This means your product will last longer compared to other methods — saving you money and ensuring a lifetime of the best possible performance.
SAFETY TRAINING FOR LASER COATING REMOVAL
See How These Industries Are Using Laser Cleaning for Coating Removal
LASER COATING REMOVAL FOR AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS
Coatings give aircraft many advantages — from branding and visual concealment, to protection from environmental factors, to increased performance and sustainability. However, even the best coatings must undergo reapplication eventually. When that time comes, you can’t paint layer upon layer without adding weight to an aircraft, which threatens its performance. While the need for removing coating from aviation and aerospace parts is a given, what cleaning method you choose will have a significant impact on the performance and longevity of your product.
The ability of laser cleaning to remove coating layers without damaging the underlying materials makes it an ideal solution for aerospace cleaning applications. Traditional methods of cleaning — such as plastic media blasting or abrasives — not only threaten substrate materials, they also come with considerable environmental and safety concerns. Since aircraft coatings often contain hazardous materials such as hexavalent chromium, it is important to choose a cleaning method that doesn’t put your operators at risk.
Laser cleaning — in addition to having minimal setup and teardown times — is a safer cleaning method for both workers and the surrounding environment. Additional, cleaning lasers can not only be used for targeted areas, they can also be outfitted with state-of-the-art robotics and processing cells in order to automate routine processes in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance.
LASER COATING REMOVAL FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
One of the biggest challenges to automotive manufacturing is the need for repetitive cleanings. Fortunately, cleaning lasers can be integrated into your manufacturing process, creating higher efficiency levels across the board. Laser ablation can be used for a number of automotive applications, including:
- Laser wire stripping
- Treatments for gear welding
- Structural frame bonding
- Electronic control unit bonding
- Door frames welding treatments
- Fuel-cell conductivity in electric cars
Also — unlike blasting and stripping methods — there is no downtime needed between cleanings. Laser decoating can also improve welding and bonding treatments by removing the need for masking/demasking and can be used in tandem with rust removal applications.
LASER COATING REMOVAL FOR DEFENSE & MILITARY APPLICATIONS
Our cleaning lasers have a proven track record when it comes to improving the coating removal process for defense and military applications. From removing hazardous paint from warships to creating a more efficient decoating process for branches of the United States Armed Forces, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force are increasingly turning to our laser cleaning for their difficult cleaning needs.
Coatings on military equipment are difficult to remove and can be very dangerous to both the operators and to the environment, which is why it is important to select the right cleaning method. Laser ablation provides a low-maintenance, operator-safe, and environmentally-friendly cleaning solution that can remove hazardous coatings without compromising the warfighting ability of military vehicles/equipment. Additionally, our cleaning lasers can be automated to further increase the efficiency of routine cleaning tasks.
LASER COATING REMOVAL FOR POWER GENERATION APPLICATIONS
Laser cleaning can improve both the safety and the production efficiency of power plant operations. Before laser cleaning technology was available, methods like sandblasting and chemical stripping were seen as the primary cleaning options for industrial coating removal applications. These methods were not only slow, inefficient, and potentially harmful to the worker and environment, they also carried the burden of intensive cleanup and the risk of mixed waste. As such, these older methods of cleaning were suboptimal for many power generation needs, especially in the nuclear power space, where safety and reliability are top priorities. Radiological environments can be extremely hazardous, so precision cleaning and minimal waste must be a priority. With the expert knowledge of our laser specialists, we can craft a specialized laser cleaning solution that is perfectly calibrated for your cleaning needs.
Laser cleaning can also improve operational efficiency, safety, and the overall environmental footprint of the industry. It requires minimal setup and teardown, and is safer both for workers and the surrounding environment. Since laser cleaning can remove hazardous coatings with no damage to the substrate, it can also increase the longevity of your equipment and minimize the downtime in your facility — which equals money back in the pockets of energy generators.
LASER COATING REMOVAL FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS
If you have a coating removal project or have previously used sandblasting or chemical stripping for cleaning projects, laser cleaning can improve both the safety and efficiency of your operations. Cleaning lasers range from handheld lasers that can target specialized areas to processing cells that can automate routine cleanings entirely. At Adapt Laser, we craft customized laser cleaning solutions for even the most complex projects.