Application

Paint and Coating Removal

Strip paint and coatings with pulsed or continuous laser, no abrasive media or chemical runoff. 200W to 3kW. Supplied and supported Canada-wide.

How the process works

  1. Identify the coating system. Determine coating type, number of layers and total film thickness, plus the substrate beneath.
  2. Define the end state. Decide whether the job is a full strip to bare metal or selective removal of specific layers.
  3. Select power and pattern. Set the power level and choose the scan pattern that suits the geometry and coverage required.
  4. Preview the scan area. Use the dual red-light preview to confirm placement before firing.
  5. Run a test panel. Strip a small area and verify both the result and that the substrate is undamaged.
  6. Strip the surface. Work across the area with extraction running throughout.
  7. Inspect and hand off. Confirm the surface meets the standard required for the next step, whether that is inspection, recoating or reassembly.

Before and after

Recommended machines for this job

Frequently asked questions

Can laser cleaning be automated or robot-mounted?

Yes. Both series are automation-ready over EtherCAT and Profinet, so the head can be mounted on a robot or gantry and driven from a cell controller rather than held by an operator.

Operator-facing controls include eight selectable scan patterns, a maximum scan width of 300 mm, and a touchscreen HMI with dynamic alarm display. Dual red-light preview shows the scan area before the laser fires, which matters as much in a fixed cell as in the hand: it is how you confirm the part is positioned correctly without a test pass.

What is laser cleaning used for?

The most common uses are weld preparation, paint and rust stripping, mold cleaning, heritage restoration, and mining and MRO equipment refurbishment.

Supported substrates include steel, stainless, aluminum, bronze and titanium. Pulsed systems extend to cast iron, stone, concrete and wood, which is what makes restoration and masonry work practical rather than only metal cleaning.

If you have a surface that is currently blasted, stripped with chemicals, or cleaned by hand, it is worth testing on a sample before assuming which category it falls into.

Does laser cleaning meet the SP-10 surface preparation standard?

Yes. Vantix laser cleaning systems reach up to SP-10 near-white metal blast standard.

That is the surface preparation level most industrial coating specifications call for, which means laser cleaning can satisfy the specification itself rather than serving only as a touch-up method between blast operations.

The difference in practice is containment. Reaching the same standard without grit means no blast enclosure, no media recovery and no contaminated abrasive to dispose of, which is often what decides whether prep can be done in-house at all.

How does laser cleaning work?

Laser cleaning works by selective absorption. Contaminants such as rust, paint, coatings and oxide absorb the laser energy and vaporize, while the underlying metal reflects far more of it and is left intact.

Because nothing touches the surface, there is no abrasive media, no chemical stripper, and no contaminated grit or chemical runoff to dispose of afterward. What comes off is captured as particulate rather than mixed into spent blast media, which is usually the larger disposal problem.

The practical consequence is that cleaning can happen in places blasting cannot: indoors, near assembled equipment, and on parts that cannot be moved to a booth.

What laser cleaning systems does Vantix offer?

Two series. Continuous-wave systems come in 2 and 3 kW for high-throughput industrial refurbishment. Pulsed systems come in 200 W, 300 W, 500 W, 1000 W and 2000 W for precision work, mold cleaning and heritage restoration.

Continuous is chosen for area covered per hour. Pulsed is chosen for control over how much energy reaches a delicate substrate, which is what makes it usable on surfaces a continuous beam would mark.

Pulsed units at 200 to 300 W are air-cooled; 500 W and above are water-cooled.

Ready to See the Vantix Difference?

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