How does a laser cleaner work?

A laser cleaner works by ablating (vaporizing or burning away) coatings or contaminants using laser radiation, or intense (hot) light. This is a little like using a magnifying glass to focus the sun to start a fire. However the laser does it very quickly with high energy, with a fast travel speed. The laser is generally pulsed.

The laser is manipulated by one or more mirrors which move the beam in a pre-determined pattern and pulse frequency. This pattern and travel speed are matched or adjusted according to the power to give the best removal rate on the workpiece at hand.

What materials can a laser cleaner remove?

Heavy rust removal

Laser cleaners work best at removing materials that absorb the laser wavelength. In general, this means dark colours and carbon are easiest to remove, and reflective materials or base metals are not substantially removed or damaged. Rust and corrosion is also removed quickly.

Types of laser cleaners?

There are two main categories of laser cleaners: Pulsed or Continuous Wave. Modern cleaners are all fiber laser based, because this gives a flexible means of laser transmission (through the fibre optic cable). Fiber laser are also very efficient in laser terms, meaning they convert a high proportion of input energy to useful output.

Continuous Wave vs Pulsed laser cleaners?

Although we talk about continuous wave laser cleaners, they are actually pulsed by turning the laser transmission on and off. This is known as pulsewidth modulation. The laser is set to a high power, but only turned on briefly, and this happens at a high frequency. This frequency or repetition rate is measured in Hertz (Hz). Using the same process, our laser welders have a cleaning mode that is easily configured as explained in the user manual.

What does a laser cleaner cost??

Laser cleaners cost between $13,000 and $22,000. Surprisingly, the most powerful ones are the cheapest, being continuous wave types. The expensive part is the laser source (laser generator) and continous wave laser sources are much cheaper to make than pulsed types. A 100 Watt pulsed laser source costs more than a 1500W continous wave.

Image Coming Soon...

What is the best type of laser cleaner??

Pulsed laser cleaners are the best at cleaning, power for power. Pulsed lasers have high energy pulse spikes which can chip away coatings most effectively, somewhat like a woodpecker does. In contrast a continuous wave laser applies flat-topped pulses. These flat pulses are not as good at removing coatings and contaminants, and you need a higher level of power to do the same job as a pulsed laser.

What is the best value for money laser cleaner?

Image Coming Soon...

Continuous wave laser cleaners are the best value for money. The remove around 3 to 4 times as much per dollar as pulsed types. The only negative is that continuous wave laser cleaners can damage fragile substrates. Therefore cleaning jobs on fragile substrates such as delicate stone or thin sheetmetal should use pulsed types, which requires a relatively more expensive cleaner, and will work more slowly. If you substrate is heavy gauge sheet metal or steel plate you are in luck. This application can use the cheaper continuous wave type, and will work much faster.

Should I buy a 1500W or 2000W laser cleaner?

2000W laser cleaners are the best value, because they have 33% more power but only cost 15% more. This is why we recommend using our 2kW model. They cost the same as our great value 2kW laser welders, at $15,000. Of course, if you are on a budget our 1500W models are the most affordable on the market.

How wide does a laser cleaner clean?

Laser cleaners can clean up to 6 inches wide. However, if held closer to the work surface they can clean a narrower band, which also concentrates the power in a smaller area.

How far should the laser cleaning head be held from the surface?

Hand held laser cleaners should be held around 28″ (700mm) from the working surface, as this is the focal length of our latest cleaning head.

What does the laser cleaning head look like?

Image Coming Soon...

The laser cleaning head looks like a cut down version of a laser welding head. Without the need for a sharp focus at one point, the laser is sent out on a broad scanning pattern, allowing a shorter head.

What are the safety issues for laser cleaners?

The main safety issues for laser cleaners are eye safety and air pollution. Laser cleaners are less intense than laser welders, as the beam is spread out rather than focused on one place. This lower intensity makes them less of a concern in the real world, however laser cleaners are Class IV lasers. This means they can cause permanent eye damage, skin damage and could start a fire.

It is safe to say that eye damage is the big issue. Fibre laser cleaners output “near infrared” radition or “light”, usually in the range of 1064 to 1090nm. Infrared is invisible, but it’s close to the visible range of light, just above the colour red in the electromagnetic spectrum. Being close to visible means our eyes take it in and focus the laser light. However there is so much of it, that it can burn the retina. Refer to our lase safety section for further general information. However the general upshot is that you need a secure area where people cannot walk in without laser glasses, and the laser cannot reach people without safety eyewear.

The other main safety consideration is air pollution. Ablating or vaporizing solids creates gases. These gases go into the air, and breathing them in is not advisable. We recommend an extraction system rated to ensure people are not breathing the fumes. The extraction system must be located close to the workpiece.

What safety features does a laser cleaner have?

The main safety feature on a laser cleaner is a double trigger pull. This avoids the cleaner being activated by a bump or being dropped.

In addition, our laser cleaners have outputs at the rear of the cabinet for a door interlock circuit (two wires to be joined at a door switch). Opening the door to the laser area disables the laser from firing.

We also have a 15 to 24V DC output to drive a flashing LED sign which says “DANGER – LASER ON” when the laser control system is powered on, and therefore ready to fire the laser.

Image Coming Soon...
Image Coming Soon...