Laser surface treatment of metals and composites
Laser pre-treatment leaves the surface free of contamination and well prepared for welding and bonding. The substrate is not damaged by the laser light. The laser removes paint, oxides, oil and other contaminates quickly and without damage to the metal. The laser is also being used to clean Invar tooling for the fabrication of composite parts.
Laser cleaning of aluminum and titanium alloys for bonding
The powerful laser pulses remove paint and oxide layers, including superficial contamination from metallic surfaces. The resulting surface is free of oxides and contaminants and provides a perfect bond for coating or bonding applications. The cleaned surface is also ideal for electrical bonding.
The process does not damage the metal and is currently approved for various applications on military and commercial airplanes.
Laser pre-treatment of composites for bonding
Cleaning of new composite parts prior to painting or bonding is a major challenge in the industry. The current technique of sanding can’t be applied fast enough and can’t produce consistent results.
Current laser technology is not fully absorbed by the upper resin layer and potentially causes delamination in the fiber structure. A new laser with a new wavelength and high flexibility, due to the fiber beam delivery, shows great potential and can likely revolutionize the cleaning of composites.
The presentation will provide an overview about:
- Laser cleaning, a general introduction and overview
- Latest status of laser cleaning technology and applications
- Industrial application examples for laser cleaning in aerospace
- New laser technology for composite cleaning