Research on the Removal Mechanism of Resin-Based Coatings by Water Jet-Guided Quasi-Continuous Laser Cleaning

Abstract

Laser cleaning technology has the advantages of being green and efficient and is expected to become the most promising remanufacturing cleaning technology. However, the quasi-continuous laser can easily cause problems, such as a heat-affected zone and a recast layer on the substrate material, which limits the development of laser cleaning technology. The environmentally friendly water jet-guided quasi-continuous laser proposed in this paper is an innovative laser cleaning technology that can remove the resin-based coating on the metal substrate with high quality. The epoxy resin coating on the 304 stainless steel surface was cleaned by a water jet guided quasi continuous laser, and the surface morphology, surface element content, and surface roughness of the cleaning area were tested and analyzed. The removal mechanism of water jet-guided quasi-continuous laser cleaning technology was revealed, and the influence of process parameters on cleaning surface quality was found. The optimal process parameters were as follows: the energy density of the water jet-guided laser 17.5 J/cm2, the cleaning speed 135 mm/s, the cleaning line spacing 0.1 mm, and the laser pulse frequency 900 Hz. Therefore, this study is expected to be an important basis for water jet-guided quasi-continuous laser cleaning technology, and promote the development of water jet-guided laser cleaning technology.