Blueacre Technology
leaning is a large part of
many industrial processes.
Whether it is to remove
rust from steel components
or carbonised polymer
material from molds, cleaning is a
consumable and manpower intensive
operation that has not evolved much over
the previous decades.
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A new method for cleaning has been
developed that utilises laser light to
vaporize surface contaniments, providing a
cost efficient, non-consumable alternative
to chemicals or abrasive material.
Laser cleaning is the process by which
coatings, debris or impurities (e.g. rust,
carbon, silicon and rubber) are removed
from the surface of a material by using
laser irradiation. At the core of laser
cleaning is a non-contact process, which
is fast becoming the go to solution is
industries ranging from automotive to
aerospace and pharmaceutical to agri-
food. Blueacre Technology’s laser cleaning
process is based on very powerful, short
laser pulses that interact with the surface
of the material to selectively remove the
contamination layer, be it rust, carbon,
organic material or paint.
As the laser interacts with the surface
in two ways. Firstly, it is absorbed by
the contaminant material, causing it to
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vaporise and sublimate from the surface.
Secondly, it sets up a localised shock wave
on the surface, which shakes contaminate
material free. This dual action process,
allows laser cleaning to be used on a range
of materials with high efficiency.
Conventional cleaning techniques are
either chemical based or utilise abrasive
media to blast the contamination away.
Both these methods require a high degree
of preparation, such as masking, and
require continuous replenishment of the
cleaning material.
In the case of chemical based cleaning,
post processing steps are required to
ensure no chemicals remain and with
bead blasting, significant workload is
required to clean away the abrasive media.
On the other hand, laser cleaning has
no consumable cost with the laser itself
requiring single phase operation. It is
highly accurate and easy to use and will
clean only where the laser is pointed. The
contamination is vaporised and can be
collected with simple extraction systems.
The laser cleaning system developed by
Blueacre Technology is an environmentally
friendly means to remove contaminations
and coatings. No solvents, detergents
or abrasives are used and so there is no
added waste.
Laser cleaning is an economically proven
technology, where investment costs can
be recouped in 1-2 years.
Laser cleaning can be integrated into 24/7
fully automated production environments
requiring on operator interaction.
This reduces stopped lines, improves
cleaning consistency and leads to
increased profitability.
www.blueacretechnology.com