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.