Everyone who has already encountered rust knows how difficult it is to deal with it. Without special mechanical means, for example, hard wire brushes or grinders, as well as some chemicals, rust cannot be removed from metal surfaces.
Having prepared everything you need for work, you can begin the process. Cleaning the metal surface from rust is usually carried out manually, while the whole process is accompanied by abundant emission of chemical dust harmful to humans. Avoid the harmful effects of substances contained in dust on the body, using a special technology - laser rust removal. Such technologies used to be perceived as something related to the field of science fiction, but today they are firmly entrenched in our lives. Now the laser is widely used to clean various surfaces.
What does laser ablation mean?
Laser ablation (rust removal) is a special technology that allows using a laser pulse to remove unwanted substances from surfaces. Laser ablation can also determine the concentration in the chemical composition of elements and isotopes. This technique is applied 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 purification 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 low power, then the eliminated substances evaporate or sublimate: they turn 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.
Laser spark
If the laser tool for removing rust is capable of generating a pulse sufficiently powerful to exceed the threshold for the ablation regime, the cleaning process is accompanied by plasma glow, microexplosions with the formation of craters on the surface of the product. Work in the powerful pulse mode is called a laser spark.
Technology benefits
The advantages of laser ablation include:
- The worker does not touch the work surface.
- The master has the opportunity to localize his actions: he simply sets the desired pulse density and directs the laser beam to the point that he wants to process.
- It is possible to adjust the radiation power.
- There is mobility of the installation. If necessary, it is easy to move it to the right place.
- A person has the opportunity to work with various materials without fear of damaging them.
Product from the German company Clean Laser
Today it is the only manufacturer producing a tool that can clean the most sensitive surface in a few minutes from paint, oil, grease, rust or any other pollution. This equipment provides high-quality laser rust removal. The device is capable of producing powerful, short and very fast laser beams, creating microbursts of plasma. This entails the formation of shock and heat waves. Reviews of the owners of such devices are mostly positive. Consumers estimated that pollution simply evaporates when exposed to a beam collected in a beam. Laser rust removal is done gently without damaging the surface.
What models are produced?
The devices of the German company Clean Laser represent a wide range of equipment with which laser rust removal is carried out. According to consumer reviews, the most popular are “backpack” devices. Despite their small size and power from 12 W to 1 kW, such equipment is also able to provide high-quality laser rust removal. The unit can be used to remove deposits from small surfaces. These devices are very popular among archaeologists as reliable means for cleaning antiquities. Small-sized laser equipment is also used by mechanics during the repair of the fuselage.
Those who wish to purchase such a device, it is better to opt for medium-sized devices. Experienced users recommend installations with a capacity not exceeding 400 kW. In terms of dimensions, such devices are similar to compressors. Today, German engineers are developing large-sized models of laser systems for their use in space and aircraft. Despite their considerable size, devices manufactured by the German company Clean Laser are distinguished by the fact that they use very short and fast pulsations of laser beams, which contribute to the appearance of plasma microflares and sublimation. During the operation of laser equipment, no secondary waste is generated. When using such a tool, the master does not breathe dust, and the work itself is performed quickly and efficiently.
Chinese model
In the market of tools and equipment, a wide range of laser rust cleaning machines has been provided to the attention of consumers. Today, Chinese-made products are in great demand. One of them was the apparatus for cleaning metal products LY CL 100.
Specifications
- The installation has a capacity of not more than 100 watts.
- Operational period - 50 thousand hours.
- The repetition rate is 1.2-25 kHz.
- The unit is designed to clean an area of 20x20 cm.
- The speed of operation 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.
- Product dimensions are 25 x 45 x 50 cm.
- The unit weighs up to 70 kg.
- Warranty period is 12 months.
Such a mobile tool will become indispensable if you need to clean the metal surface from rust or remove paint from the car body. In this case, removal is carried out in layers up to the primer itself. The depth of penetration of a laser beam is affected by its wavelength and refractive index. Laser cleaning of metal surfaces is considered the most effective and safe method.