Traditional cleaning methods include mechanical friction cleaning, chemical corrosion cleaning, sandblasting impact cleaning, and high-frequency ultrasonic cleaning. However, these methods are either inefficient or generate large amounts of wastewater and dust, failing to meet current national requirements for environmental protection and green production. Laser cleaning, on the other hand, is characterized by non-abrasive, non-contact, and heat-free operation. It is also easily integrated with dust absorption and purification equipment, making it suitable for cleaning objects of various materials and considered the most reliable and effective solution.
Laser cleaning has advantages
Laser cleaning utilizes high-frequency, high-energy laser pulses to irradiate the surface of a workpiece. The coating layer can instantly absorb the focused laser energy, generating a shock wave that causes surface oil, rust, or coatings to evaporate or peel off instantly. This high-speed and efficient cleaning method removes surface deposits or coatings. Furthermore, the very short laser pulse duration, under appropriate parameters, will not damage the metal substrate. The development of lasers is a crucial factor driving laser cleaning technology; currently, high-frequency pulsed fiber lasers and solid-state pulsed lasers are widely used. Secondly, the optical components of the laser cleaning head are also a very important factor.
When laser cleaning first emerged, the beam swept away rust and dirt as quickly as a broom sweeping the floor, boasting extremely high efficiency and thus being considered cutting-edge technology. Laser cleaning has a wide range of applications, including metal steel plates, railway locomotives/rails, ships/shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing, tire molds, aircraft skin, construction machinery, electronic manufacturing production line parts, petrochemical industry, mining, nuclear power, cultural relics, and even military weapons-all finding direct applications.
However, at that time, lasers were expensive, and most stably operating lasers were below 500 watts, limiting their power. A single laser cleaning machine cost over 600,000 yuan, hindering market application. We see that the disadvantages of laser cleaning are its relatively high price and its applicability to surface treatment. When encountering irregularly shaped workpieces, corners, dead angles, narrow spaces, or the inner walls of pipes, the beam cannot reach or evenly irradiate the surface, affecting the effectiveness of laser cleaning.
The electronic glass exhibition revealed that laser cleaning was first researched and used in Europe and America, where the technology is relatively mature, but only a few companies are engaged in it, and the market size is not large. In China, related papers introducing this technology only appeared around 2005, and small-scale applications of laser cleaning didn't occur until after 2011, mainly targeting cultural relics. In 2016, domestically produced industrial laser cleaning machines appeared in large quantities. In the following three years, the domestic laser industry experienced a surge of interest in laser cleaning, even hosting several professional conferences on the topic.
Rising again after a period of silence
Domestic companies specializing in laser cleaning equipment have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, with over 70 companies currently engaged in this field. In fact, while this sector has attracted significant attention, market sales haven't exploded; after the initial hype surrounding laser cleaning, it remained relatively quiet for two years.
In 2020, after the domestic COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control, demand for laser equipment increased rapidly, and laser prices dropped significantly again. Many people focused on high-power cutting and welding applications, but at the same time, inquiries about laser cleaning increased, and some manufacturers achieved considerable growth in equipment shipments. This was due to the decline in laser prices and breakthroughs in power technology, with supplies ranging from 200 watts to 2000 watts. Some domestically produced laser cleaning machines were priced as low as 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, less than half the price of a few years ago. Because the original market size was relatively small, even this significant growth didn't attract much attention.
Currently, laser cleaning has achieved market breakthroughs in fields such as new car manufacturing, high-speed rail wheelsets and bogies, and aircraft skin paint removal, and its application in ship cleaning will gradually expand in the future. It can be predicted that laser cleaning will enter a stage of full-scale application, and the national shipment volume of related equipment products will usher in a period of rapid growth.
