Five Benefits of Laser Cleaning

As a new type of cleaning technology developed in recent years, laser cleaning has many advantages compared with traditional cleaning methods. Laser cleaning has the characteristics of non-grinding, non-contact, non-thermal effect and suitable for objects of various materials. It can effectively clean the surface of objects, such as rust, oil, oxide layer, paint and other dirt, which will not damage the substrate. The main mechanism is that after the dirt on the surface of the object absorbs the laser energy, it either vaporizes or volatilizes, or instantaneously expands by heat to overcome the surface's adsorption of particles and make it detach from the surface of the object, thereby achieving the purpose of cleaning.

It is even the only effective cleaning technology in some special fields. For example, when there are sub-micron pollution particles on the surface of the workpiece, these particles tend to stick very tightly. Conventional cleaning methods cannot remove them. However, it is very effective to clean the surface of the workpiece with laser radiation. Laser cleaning is also very safe for cleaning precision workpieces or their delicate parts, and can ensure the accuracy. Therefore, laser cleaning has unique advantages in the cleaning industry.

1. No contact with the surface

The traditional cleaning method is often contact cleaning, which has mechanical force on the surface of the cleaning object, damages the surface of the object. Or the cleaning medium adheres to the surface of the object, which cannot be removed, resulting in secondary pollution. Laser cleaning is non-abrasive and non-contact, which makes these problems easy to solve.

2. No damage to the surface

Laser cleaning can remove various types of contaminants on the surface of various materials to achieve a cleanliness that cannot be achieved by conventional cleaning, and it can also selectively clean the contaminants on the surface of the material without damaging the surface of the material.

3. Laser cleaning can be accurately positioned

Use optical fiber to transmit and guide the laser, cooperate with robots to facilitate remote operation to realize non-contact laser cleaning of special-shaped parts, holes, grooves and other parts that are difficult to reach by traditional cleaning methods. This can effectively ensure the safety of personnel when used in some dangerous places.

4. No pollution

Laser cleaning does not require chemical cleaning reagents and does not produce cleaning waste liquid. The pollutant particles and gases generated during laser cleaning can be collected and purified simply by portable exhaust fans to avoid environmental pollution.

5. Low operating cost

The laser cleaning machine can be used stably for a long time. The pulse laser used in the laser cleaning machine has a long service life, usually up to 100,000 hours. There is almost no of consumables during use, so the operating cost is low. Only regular cleaning or cleaning of the lens is required.

As laser cleaning technology is suitable for industrial production so it can be applied to automated production lines like traditional cleaning technology. It exists as an indispensable process in the industrial production process, such as welding seam treatment before and after welding, and local dirt removal before painting, cleaning of oxides in the production of highly active metals, etc.

Laser cleaning technology has now been widely used in many fields such as construction, cultural relics protection and medicine. However, the application potential of laser cleaning technology is far from being developed. With the continuous improvement of laser performance and the decrease of price, laser cleaning technology will be more widely used in human production and life.