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Surface Reveal

How it works

Controlled light. Controlled removal.

Pulsed laser cleaning is not a single setting applied to every surface. It is a process of finding an operating window in which the unwanted material responds and the substrate does not.

How it works

Precision light.
Real results.

Pulsed laser cleaning uses short bursts of light, spread and scanned across the surface. The unwanted layer absorbs that energy, while the parent material beneath reflects much more of it back. That difference breaks the bond, so contaminants lift away as fine particles and vapour, which are captured by extraction.

Controlled / Non-abrasive / Targeted / Assessed

  1. Soot-blackened stone wall with heavy atmospheric soiling and biological growth.
    01

    Contaminated surface

    Paint, soot, biological growth and atmospheric pollution bond to the surface over time.

  2. Laser cleaning head sweeping a wide, fanned beam across a soiled stone wall.
    02

    The layer absorbs the light energy

    A scanned, spread beam passes across the surface. The unwanted layer absorbs the light energy, while the parent material beneath reflects far more of it back.

  3. Dark soiling breaking away from stone as fine particles and vapour.
    03

    Contamination lifts away

    The layer is vaporised or broken into fine particles and drawn away by extraction.

  4. Cleaned sandstone wall with its natural colour and texture visible.
    04

    Cleaned surface revealed

    The unwanted layer is removed, revealing the original material beneath.

Response varies by substrate, contamination and test results.

Discover Our Process

The basic principle

Laser pulses deliver energy to the surface. Different materials absorb that energy differently, depending on colour, composition, thickness and surface condition.

When the unwanted coating or contamination absorbs sufficient energy, it can be removed through mechanisms including ablation. The material leaves the surface as particulate and gaseous products, which is why extraction and plume control form part of the work.

The objective is to identify an operating window that removes unwanted material while limiting unwanted change to the substrate. That window is established by testing, not by assumption.

In four stages

  1. 01Contaminated surface
  2. 02The layer absorbs the light energy
  3. 03Contamination lifts away
  4. 04Cleaned surface revealed

Parameters

What is actually being adjusted

These are the variables an operator works with. The values used on a given project come from testing and are recorded for that project.

Pulse energy
How much energy each individual pulse delivers to the surface.
Pulse duration
How long each pulse lasts, which affects how energy is deposited.
Repetition frequency
How many pulses are delivered per second.
Fluence
Energy per unit area — in practice, the key working variable.
Scan speed
How quickly the beam is moved across the surface.
Scan width
The width of the cleaning path in a single pass.
Pass count
How many times an area is worked to reach the required result.

Internal parameter libraries and project settings are not published. We use precision 500W pulsed laser cleaning systems.

Why test cleaning matters

There is no universal laser setting.

Two components that look identical can behave differently. Coating age, previous treatment, surface roughness, alloy variation and contamination all change the response.

Representative test cleaning is carried out in an agreed location, and the result is recorded and reviewed before production work is proposed or priced.

Test. Measure. Record. Repeat.

Testing establishes

  • Cleaning response of the unwanted layer
  • Surface reaction of the substrate
  • Required number of passes
  • Expected productivity
  • Acceptable finish against the objective
  • Potential risk to the material

Next step

Ask whether it is the right method

Sometimes the honest answer is that another process is better suited. That assessment is part of the service.

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