How to choose the right laser cleaning machine?
What is laser cleaning machine？
A laser cleaning machine is a device that uses laser technology to remove contaminants, coatings, or other unwanted materials from the surface of a material. This process is known as laser cleaning or laser ablation.
Laser cleaners are well used in today’s industry. With higher reliability, stability, and flexibility, fiber lasers have become the best choice for laser cleaning light sources. As the two major components of fiber lasers, continuous fiber lasers(CW) and pulsed fiber lasers (MOPA)firmly occupy the market leading positions in macro material processing and precision material processing respectively. It is often seen that over time, rust, grease and other such substrates can form a layer on both metal and non-metal products.
For laser cleaning in practice many industrial end users are not sure how they should choose between continuous or pulsed lasers when making their selection. This article compares continuous and pulsed lasers for laser cleaning applications and analyzes the characteristics of each and the applicable application scenarios.
Laser cleaning machine principle
Laser cleaning machines work by using a focused laser beam to remove contaminants, rust, or coatings from surfaces. The process involves the use of short, high-energy pulses of laser light that vaporize or ablate the material being cleaned.
Advantages of using laser descaling machines in your industry
Laser descaling machines offer several advantages over traditional descaling methods, making them an attractive option for many industries. Some of the key advantages of using laser descaling machines in your industry include:
Precision: Laser descaling machines can precisely target and remove only the unwanted scale or rust from a surface, leaving the underlying material intact. This precision results in less material waste and reduced damage to the surface being cleaned.
Efficiency: Laser descaling machines are typically faster and more efficient than traditional descaling methods. They can clean larger areas in less time, resulting in increased productivity and reduced downtime.
Versatility: Laser descaling machines can be used to clean a wide range of surfaces, including metals, plastics, ceramics, and composites. They can also be used to clean intricate shapes and hard-to-reach areas, making them a versatile cleaning solution.
Environmental friendliness: Laser descaling machines use no chemicals or solvents, making them an environmentally friendly cleaning option. They also generate less waste and require less energy than traditional descaling methods.
Safety: Laser descaling machines are typically safer than traditional descaling methods because they do not generate sparks or heat, reducing the risk of fire or explosion. They also generate less noise and vibration, making them a safer option for workers.
Overall, the use of laser descaling machines can result in increased productivity, reduced downtime, and improved safety and environmental performance, making them a smart choice for many industrial cleaning applications.
Industrial applications of laser cleaners
Laser cleaning is now a g widely used industrial cleaning technology that uses a focused laser beam to remove contaminants from surfaces. Here are some examples of industrial applications for laser cleaners
Metal surface cleaning. Laser cleaners are widely used to clean metal surfaces, such as those found in the automotive, aerospace and electronics manufacturing industries. They can remove rust, paint, grease and other contaminants without damaging the underlying metal surface.
Semiconductor manufacturing. Laser cleaners are used in the production of semiconductor chips to remove residual photoresist and other contaminants from the surface of silicon wafers.
Medical device cleaning. Laser cleaners are used to clean medical devices, such as surgical instruments and implants, to ensure they are free of contaminants that could lead to infection.
Cultural heritage protection. Laser cleaners are used in the conservation of cultural heritage, such as statues and buildings, to remove contaminants and other contaminants that have accumulated on surfaces over time.
Aerospace industry. Laser cleaners are used to clean aircraft engine blades, turbine blades and other components that require precise cleaning to ensure optimal performance and longevity.
Electronic component cleaning. Laser cleaners can be used to clean electronic components, such as printed circuit boards, to remove solder residue, flux and other contaminants that can interfere with their performance.
Food and beverage processing. Laser cleaners can be used to clean food and beverage processing equipment, such as stainless steel tanks and pipes, to ensure they are free of bacteria and other contaminants.
Overall, laser cleaners provide precise, effective and non-contact cleaning solutions for a wide range of industrial applications.
How to choose the most suitable laser cleaning machine?
In the beginning of the article we introduced continuous fiber laser cleaning and pulsed fiber continuous cleaning.
Tests have shown that both continuous and pulsed lasers can remove the paint from the material surface to achieve the cleaning effect. However, each has its own advantages in terms of specific applications
Pulse Laser Cleaner(MOPA)：
Under the same power conditions, the efficiency of the pulsed laser cleaning is much higher than that of the continuous laser, while the pulsed laser can better control the heat input to prevent the substrate temperature is too high or produce micro-melt. Cleaning can be done without damaging the substrate.
Continuous Laser Cleaner(CW):
The advantages of continuous lasers are relatively inexpensive, and high power lasers can be used to compensate for the difference in efficiency with pulsed lasers, but the heat input of high power continuous light is larger, which will produce micro-melting on the surface, and the degree of damage to the substrate will increase.
Purchase Advice
In practice, the efficiency of paint removal on aluminum alloy surfaces is much higher with pulsed light than with continuous light, about 7.7 times higher than with continuous light. In the case of carbon steel, the efficiency of paint removal with pulsed light is also higher than that with continuous light, about 3.5 times higher than that with continuous light.
At the same time, the continuous laser in the use of the object is mainly on the metal cleaning, while the pulsed laser can be cleaned in addition to metal, but also on the glass, plastic, stone and wood materials attached to the oil, mold, scratches and other pollutants to clean.
Therefore, there is a fundamental difference between the two in application scenarios. Application scenarios with high precision, requiring strict control of substrate temperature rise and requiring no damage to the substrate, such as molds, should choose pulsed lasers. For some large steel structures, pipelines, etc., due to the large size and fast heat dissipation, the substrate damage requirements are not high, then you can choose continuous lasers.
