QUOTE(Jamie @ Jul 29 2020, 11:49 AM)
QUOTE(VaccaRabite @ Jul 29 2020, 08:36 AM)
Its really REALLY cool tech. Its easier on the base metal then dipping or blasting. Will take about 20 more years before its readily available for "the rest of us" but I bet you start seeing them in higher end shops over the next decade.
For a lot of our applications though, cutting and welding is still the better option, since the metal is thin and after 40+ years of rusting there just is not anything left in that spot.
Zach
Interesting that one of the examples is a hand held unit. Wonder if it has any recoil?
There is no recoil...relativisticly photons [light] don't weigh much.
I wouldn't say easier on the base metal necessarily...laser ablation takes off everything including base metal. Rust is more weakly adhered so it should ablate first. Technically, there is probably some laser-induced breakdown here (fancy term for burning) which would get off the rust too. This kind of stuff is actually used for cleaning contaminates off of the thermal barrier coatings in jet engine turbine blades by one well known company.