Laser cleaning. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 08:59:53 pm
content: Any idea how this thing works? Is it just a high power short pulse laser? Or a laser+plasma thing?

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 09:11:04 pm
content: http://www.cleanlaser.de/wEnglish/unternehmen/unternehmen.php?navanchor=2110029I think it's just a high power short pulsed laser. Vaporizes parts of the paint and the high-speed expanding gasses literally blow the debris away.

author: elgonzo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 09:30:05 pm
content: 1. Video: Pay attention when watching the video. It tells you right in the beginning what laser is being used. Hint: Did you see the mention ofQ-switching?2. Video: I don't know. Why don't you go to the manufacturers website (hint: YT description of video contains link to manufacturer website) and see what information you can find...

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 09:33:05 pm
content: I think it's pulsed, very high power short pulses. The Nd:YAG laser is probably multiplied by 2 and then by 2 or 3 to get it into the UV range. 1kW average power makes it quite some beast of a laser, would have to know the pulse width and pulse rate to figure out the energy delivered per pulse. Seen Nd:YAG used for wire marking, 177nm, and for stripping varnish of large copper wires, 532nm. I've heard high power Q switched lasers ionize air, I wasn't allowed to watch but it went off with a very loud bang.An impressive setup, especially considering that they deliver it down a fiber.

author: rx8pilot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 10:00:41 pm
content: I am officially scared of that thing. Not quite as much as the US army shoulder mounted nuke launcher, but close.Sent from my horrible mobile....

author: continuo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 10:05:08 pm
content: Looks kinda similar to a Star Trek Phaser gunWhat puzzles me most: He doesn't wear any skin protection, no gloves, no face shield, no respiratory mask

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 10:17:03 pm
content: This would smell delicious. RIP lungs.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 11:21:35 pm
content: I noticed in the first video, the guys' laser safety glasses don't fit correctly, you can see his eye balls at about 10 seconds in.A some points in the video you can see the colour of the beam, at 3.27 for example, so I'm guessing it's maybe trippled up to 350nm.Longwave UV isn't as harmful as shortwave UV and they must have measured the reflected power from the surface being cleaned. Anyway, I would opt for full face protection at those sort of power levels and maybe something with positive air pressure as well.The line generator in the hand held part probably uses scanning optics, that way you delivery full power at one point on the line, enough to ablate the paint at that point whereas a line generator optic would distribute the power over the whole line and that wouldn't be enough. It's scary but still a damn good piece of engineering

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 02:48:28 am
content: http://youtu.be/CKbuRAyKRsULaser Cleaning with High Power Short Pulse LaserLaser cleaning is a process that removes scale, oxides, dust and oil from materials. Using a short-pulse laser, the surface is cleaned to the bare metal quickly and with minimal heat affect. It can be an in-line or batch process performed directly prior to a process that requires a clean, bare metal surface. The fiber delivered TRUMPF TruMicro 7050 accomplishes this with a laser power of 750 watts and a pulse duration of 30 ns.There was a very thorough explanation on reddit somewhere but it's hard to find. The guy explained exactly how the laser in one of the first two videos worked...Anyway, don't worry about it, the 500w version of such laser cleaner costs about $300k so ....ps. There'shttps://www.reddit.com/r/LaserCleaningPorn/... lots of videos with lasers.

author: matseng
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 08:00:48 am
content: Seems like it removes lead pencil marks on paper. I wonder how good it is to remove rollerball pen writings from a cheque?

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 08:36:01 am
content: Maybe it's also good on removing an Arschgeweih from the Arsch. No, no further explanation. If you're interested what it is do an google image search. At your own risk

author: matseng
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 08:50:00 am
content: Hm... Yes. I studied Deutsch in school for 6 years like 35 years ago. Haven't used it since excel for ordering beer an few times in Munich. But I still remember enough for getting the gist of that....

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 08:59:16 am
content: German versions tend to be better looking though......

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 10:07:50 am
content: Watching these, I sometimes think -- "How does the laser 'know' that paint is unwanted, but metal is fine? That leaded pencil is unwanted, but paper is fine?"Then you remember that they pointed the laser at a whole bunch of things, and then contrived usecases (in quote marks in the case of erasing pencil). But hey, a contrived usecase is perfectly real for people that really have that usecase!

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 10:27:15 am
content: Blueskull, they tripple the laser frequency after the Q switch with a non linear crystal, 1064/3 = 350nm. If it were IR they might as well use a CO2a lot cheaper.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 11:36:41 am
content: On second thoughts, maybe they don't tripple the laser frequency and it is pulsed IR at 1064nm. Depends on where paint absorbs the most power.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 11:51:21 am
content: Quote from: rx8pilot on March 12, 2016, 10:00:41 pmWait, they made a working fat man?

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 12:00:59 pm
content: Not hand held, but on a tripod :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device%29

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 03:09:21 pm
content: Who else thought this thread would be about cleaning a laser before they clicked?

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 09:28:12 pm
content: Quote from: amyk on March 13, 2016, 03:09:21 pmNot sure if joking, but this got me thinking. The answer in my case is "no, I understood it to mean cleaning using a laser". There's plenty of other examples of this pattern:Sand blastingPowder coatingAir brushingOil paintingLaser printing / inkjet printingWater blasting

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 09:31:59 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on August 15, 1974, 09:20:38 amStill not quite, a cleaning laser is a laser that cleans. "Cleaning a laser", " Cleaning my laser", or "Cleaning lasers" (which is truly ambiguous) would be the ticket.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 11:46:48 pm
content: Quote from: chris_leyson on March 13, 2016, 10:27:15 amQ-switching is more difficult for CO2 lasers, that said reflectivity at UV of steel is much less.