Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Not usually. Since a material like brick is a porous substrate, our laser cleaning solutions are not ideal for the complete removal of paint and other coatings that typically end up on these materials. Wood is a combustible material and will ignite with enough laser exposure.

Laser cleaning solutions work best for small targeted areas. Because the inside of pipes and tubes are more difficult to see, laser cleaning doesn’t work as effectively for these scenarios. While we have some unique solutions allowing some inside diameters to be cleaned, long lengths of pipe/tubes are not something we believe will work for our equipment — due to the many technical and equipment restrictions in the process.

Yes and no. Other forms of media cleaning work better for plastic substrates. It is most likely to melt with traditional plastics, however, we have tested several unique plastic combinations for specific cleaning applications and had limited success. Depending on your item, we can offer testing at our lab or onsite at your facility to determine if our laser solutions are the best solution for cleaning your plastic.

No, one of the most convenient benefits of laser cleaning is that your team is good to go as soon as the laser cleaning is complete. Our solutions require no secondary cleaning process.

This can range between a simple phone call to the very next day or a little longer — it all depends on the nature of the issue, the ability to connect to your laser system, your spare components available, and your level of service-contract in place. If you believe you will need immediate assistance, we’ll provide guaranteed, front-of-the-line service, within your desired timeframe, via our service contracts.

Low-powered lasers start at $100,000 while high-powered lasers start at around $500,000 — the necessary laser is largely based on the operation and application, not on the quality of laser cleaning. By utilizing extensive knowledge, technology, and integration, our lasers are built to order by our CleanLASER partner and tailored to our customers’ specific solution needs. All of our laser systems are assembled for the purposes of cleaning — with our laser sources being designed and built with the efficiency and quality needed to provide a lifetime of laser cleaning.

We don’t anticipate cleaning lasers to go down in price. Laser cleaning is a niche market, and it’s unlikely that the industry will become commercially expanded enough to create the supply and demand where economies of scale can be gained for a significant price reduction.

It depends on the laser. Low-powered systems are very robust, air-cooled, and easy to maintain. With low-powered lasers, it’s only the optic which needs to be cleaned typically — and this is a daily occurrence. Our team can also inspect, maintain, and measure the internal components of the laser yearly to ensure a lifetime of cleaning ability.

The mid- and high-powered lasers, meanwhile, are water-cooled systems. While these lasers also require the same daily optics maintenance, each has additional needs when it comes to upkeep. Both laser types require humidity control packets, water filters, protective lenses, and water services every six months — which our team can perform on your behalf as needed.

All of our laser systems operate at less than one dollar per hour. This price accounts for electricity and consumables.

A typical service contract includes two planned service trips per year with a discount on consumables. However, each contract is tailored to the specific customers’ needs. Want to include a 24-hour, 48-hour, or 96-hour response time? Call us to discuss what might be best for you and how we can provide the solution.

Yes, you can do some of the basic day-to-day maintenance yourself — optic cleaning, water chiller maintenance, desiccant packet swapping, and protective window swapping for example. Anything more advanced will require training or assistance from our Adapt Laser team.

To recommend the best laser cleaning solution, we’ll need to know exactly what the mission of the laser will be. Once we know, we’ll begin our testing process to ensure the laser is suitable for the substrate and contaminant.

While we may have seen similar examples, each application has its own intricacies and variables. We want to ensure that the technology we provide does the necessary job thoroughly and successfully. Testing allows us to recommend and custom-create the very best cleaning solution for you.

Typically, we’re able to test parts within approximately two weeks after we’ve received them. We’ll remain transparent throughout the process and keep you updated on the status of your items.

We’re happy to sign NDAs. Our preference is mutual NDAs. Call us today to discuss our agreements.

When used and set up appropriately, laser cleaning is safe for operators, employees, and the environment. To learn about proper laser safety, read our blog about laser safety basics.

We strongly encourage a laser safety officer to be designated at each facility our lasers are used. Our safety training is a part of our solutions package and includes the best procedures for your operations, safety maintenance, and general safety. Visit our safety training page to learn more.

Yes, but this all depends on the substrate material and contaminant/coating. Our laser cleaning solutions have been used for both historic conservation and restoration — this has included the US Capitol building, the Canadian Parliament building with environmental staining, and others. Our solutions have also cleaned the pyramids.

Whatever is on the surface poses the potential to be in the air. Fume particles with handheld and automated cleaning lasers have either filtration built into the optic or come with a separate channel so that the gas can safely be captured by our Teka laser ablation and filter units.

No, our lasers are extremely different. Laser cleaning offers pulses of light, whereas cutting lasers are a constant, focused light that cut or breakthrough products. There are many equipment, application, and safety differences due to the nature of this difference.

Primarily, there is a large cleaning rate difference in our laser systems. However, there are subtle differences between the laser systems, which have implications based on the application. Sometimes we need to scale the cleaning rate up or down, or adjust other properties to allow for the desired effects to occur. Contact us to learn what might be best for your applications from our dept of knowledge on laser cleaning.

Because each laser solution is custom and built-to-order, it can take up to four months to receive your solution. This is to allow us to deliver the exact equipment you need and not just to sell you what we have on the shelf.

No, Adapt Laser does not lease or finance laser systems. However, we have worked with several partners who do. We are more than happy to connect you with them.

We maintain an application lab. As part of the sales process, we invite you to visit and see how a laser works in person, if appropriate. If you want to visit another customer’s facility to see/try our laser technology, give us a call to see if this is possible. However, most companies do not wish to host visitors.

Yes, as part of the sales process, we are happy to come to your facility and give a demonstration, if appropriate. Contact us today to inquire what may be appropriate for you.

Before shipping equipment, we want to ensure that our laser technology is right for your needs. At the appropriate time in the sales process, we can discuss shipping the equipment to your facility for testing. However, almost all applications go through previous steps in our process prior to an on-site test.

While we have a freight dock and a fork lift, there are size restrictions to the lab and test area. Talk to our sales team to determine how best we can assist you.

Our laser solutions are built for your specific needs — this includes running 24/7. We have many lasers that run 24/7/365, non-stop.

The primary consumables will be either optic wipes or swabs, specialized cleaning wipes/swabs designed to not leave contaminants behinds, dehydrated alcohol — which won’t streak and is quick-drying — desiccant packs, and water filters. The consumables will depend on your specific needs, but in general, these are the most common.

The beam goes all the way from a spot to almost four inches. When you look and see a beam/line, it’s many pulses going back and forth, creating the line. If you want a wider beam, it’s technically possible, but to move the larger line that is desired forward and backwards to clean an area, you have to go much slower. In the end, you’re not gaining anything by making the beam wider.

Our manufacturer’s warranty lasts for one year. It starts after we install the equipment and covers everything except optics and umbilicals — this is because these items are susceptible to damage rather than manufacturing issues.

This depends on the laser system and settings, the contaminant, the part geometry, and thickness. The maximum cleaning rate would be approximately up to two square feet per minute per mil (.001”) of coating thickness is the general pace.

It depends on the type of laser system you’re using. Our low-powered lasers run on 120 volt power supplies, while mid- and high-powered lasers are 480 volts three-phase power supplies.

There are temperature envelopes and humidity working envelopes, but we can adjust any laser configuration to function in areas with environmental extremities. If you have any concerns about environmental factors, you should introduce them during our sales process to ensure you get the right laser for your needs.

All of our laser systems can be mounted to a robot if you’re looking to automate. This is a key part of our custom build. We’re happy to work with everybody — connect us with your provider.