Naval Application Of Laser Ablation Paint Removal Technology

Wide pulse beam that was guided by previously recorded geometric analysis data.

Naval application of laser ablation paint removal technology.

It is higher than the paint ablation threshold but lower than the substrate ablation threshold. During coating removal the surface temperature of the radome never exceeded 170 f. Both private sector repair yards and government naval shipyards desire a safer more efficient and environmentally friendly method of paint removal. The co 2 laser generated a 0 5 in.

Over the last few decades abrasive blasting was the most widely used paint stripping method used for large area marine structures though smaller repairs may be performed using various handheld tools. The laser beam is pulsed onto the part with a precise energy density. The radome was affixed to a device that rotated as the laser beam ablated the paint from the surface. This is often the case when the top weathered coatings on vehicles need to be thoroughly removed before the application of a new.

Jim russell lasertronics director of business development said the nd yag s flexible fiber optic beam. The lasertronics laser ablation system dramatically reduces and simplifies management of the waste products generated by stripping. As the paint is vaporized the. Laser demand when lasertronics launched its first paint stripping system in the mid 1990s it did so with a co 2 laser.

Laser removal of protective coatings from naval vessels is a promising alternative to traditional paint stripping methods such as grit blasting chemical paint stripping needle grinding etc. Laser ablation offers tremendous potential as a game changing technology to improve the efficiency of naval maintenance related to preservation. Selective paint removal represents one of the many applications of laser cleaning. It does this in two ways.

It s also known as laser coating removal and de coating. The company used this technology until about 2000 when it was replaced with an nd yag laser from northrop grumman s cutting edge optronics in st. In the automobile and aerospace industry it is sometimes necessary to remove the top layer of paint while maintaining the primer. Laser paint removal laser paint removal is a process through which a paint layer is removed from a surface without damaging the substrate.

Laser ablation produces significantly less waste than do other stripping processes. Proposed solution the objective of the proposed work is to develop a laser ablation paint removal technology and process with a comparable removal rate and reduced overall cost to current methods that is also environmentally friendly and operator safe and friendly.