Rust and coatings off metal, without the media
A continuous wave fibre laser removes contamination from the surface without abrasive media, chemicals or process water. It suits work where precision matters and where the mess of blasting is a bigger problem than the cleaning itself.
What comes off
- Rust and oxidation, from light surface bloom to heavy scale
- Paint and coatings, single coats through to multi layer systems
- Weld heat tint and pre weld surface preparation
- Carbon and soot deposits
- Oxide layers on aluminium and stainless steel
- Adhesive, glue and rubber residue
- Dry oil and grease contamination
- Mould release build up on tooling
- Surface preparation before coating or bonding
- Production contamination on machine components
Suitability depends on the substrate, the coating and the finish you need. Anything sensitive, polished, coated or unidentified gets a test area first.
Applications we quote on
These are the applications on our standard rate card, grouped by the kind of work. Send a photo of your surface and we will price it against this list.
| Application | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Rust and corrosion | |
| Light surface oxidation | Light oxidation on accessible steel |
| Light rust on steel | Surface rust, light corrosion |
| Medium rust on steel | Moderate corrosion and oxidation |
| Heavy rust on steel | Deep or heavy corrosion, slower passes |
| Rust scale and flaky corrosion | Heavy scale and layered corrosion |
| Paint and coatings | |
| Paint removal, single thin coat | Thin industrial or maintenance coating |
| Paint removal, multiple coats | Multi-layer paint systems |
| Thick or stubborn coating removal | Hard coatings requiring slower cleaning |
| Welding | |
| Weld cleaning and heat tint | Weld discoloration and oxidation |
| Weld preparation and surface prep | Pre-weld cleaning and preparation |
| Carbon, oil and residue | |
| Carbon and soot deposits | Metal components and equipment |
| Oil and grease residue | Dry surface contamination. Heavy grease may require a pre-wipe |
| Rubber residue | Selected metal tooling and components |
| Adhesive and glue residue | Metal surfaces and components |
| Oxide layers | |
| Oxide removal, aluminium | Controlled cleaning. Test area recommended |
| Oxide removal, stainless steel | Controlled oxide and contamination removal |
| Surface preparation | |
| Surface preparation before coating | Coating adhesion preparation |
| Precision and tooling | |
| Mould and die cleaning | Precision cleaning of tooling |
| Machine-tool components | Slides, housings, fixtures and components |
| Gears, shafts and sprockets | Rust, oxidation and deposits |
| Fine-detail and precision cleaning | Intricate geometry or high finish requirements |
| Automotive | |
| Brake components | Hubs, carriers and selected brake parts |
| Engine components | Selected external metal components |
| Engine bay metalwork | Metal surfaces. Sensitive areas assessed first |
| Chassis and underbody steel | Rust and coating removal |
| Rims and wheels | Steel and alloy wheel cleaning. Finish-dependent |
| Agriculture | |
| Agricultural implements | Frames, blades, brackets and components |
| Tractors and plant components | Metal restoration and corrosion removal |
| Transport | |
| Trailers | Steel frames, brackets and components |
| Property and facilities | |
| Gates, burglar bars and railings | Rust and coating removal |
| Electrical enclosure exteriors | Metal enclosure surface restoration |
| Signage and metal branding | Paint and coating removal subject to substrate |
| Structural steel | |
| Structural steel, accessible | Open steel sections with good access |
| Structural steel, complex geometry | Angles, joints, brackets and detailed areas |
| Food and beverage | |
| Food-processing equipment, external | Selected stainless and metal surfaces. Hygiene controls apply |
| Brewery and beverage equipment, external | Selected metal surfaces |
| Marine | |
| Marine hardware | Brackets, fittings, trailer components |
| Mining | |
| Mining equipment components | Heavy-duty metal components |
| Construction | |
| Construction equipment components | Plant, tools and metal assemblies |
| Heritage and decorative | |
| Decorative metal restoration | Furniture, decor and architectural metal |
| Heritage and restoration metalwork | Precision work. Test cleaning recommended |
Final pricing depends on the substrate, contamination, coating thickness, geometry, access and the finish you need. Quotations follow a site assessment, photographs or a test clean.
Is yours on the card?
Pick both and we will tell you whether the job is on our rate card, what the work involves, and what would change the price. There are 41 applications on the card.
Or try one of these
When we would tell you to use something else
Laser cleaning is not automatically the cheapest option for every large, open surface. On a big, flat, easily accessible area, abrasive blasting is often faster, and we will tell you that rather than talk you into the wrong method.
Large open surfaces
Where a surface is big, flat and easy to reach, blasting usually covers ground faster. Laser earns its place on detail, on edges and welds and threads, and where the mess of blasting is the real problem.
Unknown or sensitive substrates
Painted, coated, polished or unidentified materials need to be confirmed before we clean them. That is what the test area is for.
Heavy grease and wet contamination
The laser removes dry contamination. Heavy grease may need a wipe down first before we can do anything useful.
Anything we have not seen
We would rather look at a photo and tell you it is not worth doing than take a deposit and find out on the day.
We don't believe laser cleaning should replace every traditional cleaning method. We believe it should be used where it makes the most sense.
Send a photo of the surface
You do not need to work out whether laser is right for it. Send a photo, a short video or a description and we will tell you what we would do with it.