COMPLETE REMOVAL OF PAINT FROM METAL-SURFACE BY ABLATION WITH A TEA CO2-LASER

For high-speed metal surface cleaning, we applied TEA CO2 laser pulses to ablate painted materials on metal surfaces and examined the effici ency of removal under different surface and irradiation conditions. Su rfaces treated with a line-focused laser beam were analyzed with an en ergy dispersive X-ray analyzer and inspected with optical microscopic observation. Although paints were selectively ablated from the metal s urface, the cleaning efficiency was found to depend on surface conditi ons of substrates. An application of a small amount of dimethyl formam ide was effective for completely removing of resin without scorching t he surface.