Laser Rust Removal
Removing rust from industrial steel parts is often a lengthy and tedious process. Traditional methods can involve a combination of emery paper, sanders and chemical solvents which can end up not just removing the rust but damaging the metal beneath.
How it works
The process of ablation is used to remove rust by laser. Laser ablation is the removal of a layer of material or material deposited on a surface. Molecular bonds in the rust layer are broken and ejected from the substrate. In effect, the rust layer is simply vaporised by the laser beam.
Highly selective
Because every material has an ablation threshold, it is possible to discriminate between two or more materials. A material that has a low ablation threshold than another can be removed, leaving the other material untouched.
The rust ablation threshold is much lower than the threshold of metals such as steel and aluminium. In fact, the gap is so large that the rust can be completely vaporised without any risk of damage to the steel underneath. There is not enough energy in the laser beam for any damage to occur.
A pulse increases efficiency
Laser ablation is very like carving a stone with a hammer and chisel. The bigger the hammer the more power, so less hits are required and the task is completed faster.
Compared to a continuous beam laser, a pulsed laser is like using the bigger hammer. On a given surface area, harnessing the energy of a continuous laser beam into a short pulse increases the power.
The result is a faster removal speed as well as ensuring that the underlying metal does not overheat.
Save with safety
Removing rust with a laser requires nothing more than the laser itself, a power plug and some laser safety eyewear. With no solvents or chemical product used, there are no chemical hazards and no waste chemicals to dispose of. So operators don’t need to wear the cumbersome protective gear that goes with working with such dangerous products.
Handheld solution
JETLASER is a portable, handheld laser made by our product partners 4JET.
It is specially designed for industrial cleaning applications including the removal of rust from tools, parts and moulds. Extremely lightweight and ergonomically designed, this pulsed laser can remove a rust layer in minutes compared to the days it can take with traditional methods.
JETLASER is available in four power levels ranging from 100W to 2KW and, in its JETLASER R configuration, can also be integrated for robot use.
For further details on how JETLASER can answer your specific rust removal requirements, please contact sales@tlm-laser.com