Rust is a chemical reaction that occurs on metal surfaces as a result of prolonged exposure to moisture or contact with water and oxygen, resulting in reddish-brown corrosion products on metal surfaces. This type of corrosion is most commonly found on iron and steel, but can also affect other metals such as copper and aluminum. Rust formation is an electrochemical process called oxidation, in which the metal loses electrons and forms metal oxides.
So why cleaning rust is necessary? Below are several reasons:
First, it compromises the structural integrity of the metal.
Second, rust buildup can interfere with the proper functioning of a system (which may be mechanical or electrical).
Third, rust reduces the visual appeal of an object, structure or piece of equipment.
Fourth, rust can reduce the durability of metal components.
Typically, traditional cleaning rust techniques include manual sanding, sandblasting and chemical cleaning. However, these methods are not only labor-intensive, but they also cause some damage to the underlying material and risk polluting the environment.
When you are still worried about how damn to clean rust, laser cleaning rust technology can help you solve this problem.
Laser cleaning rust is the newest and most fashionable technology. It uses a high-intensity laser beam to remove rust and contaminants. It doesn’t even damage the underlying material. That’s the beauty of using laser technology.
Today we are gonna talk about how the laser cleaning rust process works:
What is a rust cleaning laser?
The theoretical basis of laser technology is the famous physicist Albert Einstein’s theory of the photoelectric effect. Electrical energy is converted into high-energy photons and energy, and lasers can be used in a variety of fields through development, including laser cutting, laser welding, laser cleaning and so on.
One of the most prominent areas of laser cleaning is for rust cleaning, a cutting-edge technology designed to make the rust cleaning process fast and easy.
Unlike other methods, laser rust removal is accurate and does not require contact with the metal. In addition, it does not damage the underlying material.
In recent years, according to statistics from the International Society for Laser Applications. The growing demand for metal surface cleaning solutions is sure to drive the laser rust removal market. Experts expect the laser rust removal market size to reach USD 202.4 billion by 2025 and is projected to increase to USD 231.9 billion by 2026, at an estimated CAGR of 14.61%.
Rust cleaning lasers are used in a wide range of different industrial applications. These include, but are not limited to, shipbuilding and automotive industries, where laser rust cleaners are used in the automotive industry to clean engine parts, chassis, and body panels. Similarly, laser rust removal tools are used in a wide range of other areas as well.
How does cleaning rust with a laser work?
Laser cleaning rust is a convenient and fast method. Many people use this method to remove rust, oxides, dirt, paint and coatings from different surfaces. This method is superior to traditional rust removal in several ways.
Next, we will explain exactly how to use a laser machine for rust removal work:
Before you begin the process, however, there are a number of safety precautions you must take, as recommended by the FDA and the International Laser Association:
- Make sure you have proper eye protection by wearing protective eyewear or a laser mask that is compatible with the wavelength protection of the laser.
- you must protect yourself from any laser light that may be reflected, we recommend using a separate laser protected space or laser protected fence, and wearing protective welding gloves.
- Ensure that there is sufficient airflow to remove any fumes or waste, we recommend using a dedicated extraction or blowing unit to remove dust and plasma contaminants from the rust removal process.
When you got a rust cleaning laser from MOZLASER or other suppliers and then use a cleaning rust laser equipment, its cleaning steps and principles are as follows:
1,Laser emission
The laser beam usually comes from a laser source, which can be of various types. CO2, fiber, MOPA and YAG lasers are notable in the modern world. Fiber lasers are mostly used for cleaning rust.
Fiber optic cables act as the laser medium in pulsed or continuous laser cleaning machines. Initially, high power pump lasers excited rare earth elements. These are usually ytterbium or erbium doped in the fiber core. This excitation typically emits photons within the fiber. The photons are then further amplified until they are in the form of a coherent and intense laser beam.
2, Beam Irradiation
After the laser beam is emitted, it is carefully moved towards the target surface. This precise targeting is crucial. It ensures that the energy of the beam is focused on the specific area to be treated.
A high quality laser rust cleaning gun can usually do this. To make it easier to use, it is small and well designed. It utilizes a high-powered laser with precise beam control. Typically, its main job is to focus the laser energy accurately and efficiently to the target location.
3, Energy Absorption
When the concentrated laser beam irradiates the target area, it causes the material to absorb energy rapidly. It produces localized heating.
This localized heating causes various physical and chemical changes within the rust layer. It facilitates its removal.
4, Plasma formation
As the energy consumed increases, the temperature of the rust layer rises a lot. When the temperature is high enough, the material will thermally decompose. At this time, the formation of plasma.
Plasma is a mass state with a large amount of energy. It consists of charged particles. The generation of plasma is essential to break the chemical bonds in the rust layer.
5, Generation of shock waves
When plasma expands rapidly, powerful shock waves are generated. These waves propagate through the rust layer and its surrounding material, indicating that mechanical forces are at work. In turn, this breaks up the rust fragments into smaller pieces.
The shock waves also help to separate the rust from the base. Finally, it makes cleaning the surface easier.
6,Removing smoke,dust and plasma stuff.
After generating the shockwave, the broken rust particles and debris are expelled from the surface.
You can use a variety of extraction or blowing devices to effectively remove the dislodged material. Removing the debris ensures that the treated surface remains clean and free of debris, and that the dust and plasma generated by the cleaning rust laser do not contaminate the air.
How can we choose a right cleaning rust laser?
Generally speaking the cleaning rust laser include two types, the pulsed laser cleaning and the continuous laser cleaning machine. So how do we distinguish between these two types of lasers and how do we choose between them?
MOZLASER recommends the following dimensions to decide which type of cleaning rust laser to buy.
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Laser source and cleaning principle
Because they have different laser sources, they clean rust and dirt in different ways. Continuous laser cleaners use very high temperatures to remove dirt. On the other hand, pulsed laser cleaners use oscillation to clean rust particles. This means that pulsed laser cleaners do less damage to the material underneath.
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Price
The price of purchasing and using a pulsed laser is very different from that of a continuous laser. Pulsed lasers tend to have a higher upfront cost due to their complex design and the fact that they can generate a lot of single pulse energy laser power at the same time. On the other hand, continuous lasers are cheaper.
For example, prices for MOZLASER rust cleaning lasers ,the continuous laser rust cleaners pricing range from $3,900 to $9,900 but pulsed laser cleaning machines pricingrange from $9,000 to $98,000. Big difference.
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Cleaning results
The choice between pulsed and continuous lasers depends on the desired cleaning results. Pulsed lasers are very effective in cleaning rust from a variety of surfaces. You can work on metals, ceramics and composites with minimal damage to the substrate. They achieve precise cleaning results even on complex geometries. But pulsed lasers also clean very quickly, thanks to their high pulse energies of up to 100 kW.
Continuous lasers generate extremely high heat to clean surfaces. The advantage of this is the high average laser energy. Continuous lasers for laser cleaning are available on the market with a maximum power of up to 6,000 W (click on the video below to see rust removing performance), which allows for a wider cleaning range to be adjusted and thus a higher cleaning efficiency, but which has been tested to cause some thermal damage to the metal surfaces, approximately 5 μm.