Sandblasting (also known as grit blasting) owes its name to the sand that was originally used to shoot against a workpiece at high speed, thereby removing an unwanted surface layer. Today, other grains are also used, such as ceramic, glass, soda granules, etc., to achieve optimal results. It is important that these grains are very fine and have a sharp outer surface to remove sufficient material upon impact. This is also the reason why not every type of sand is suitable. Quartz sand, for example, is a type of sand that is very sharp and is often used in sandblasting. Other cleaning techniques also utilize the principle of abrasion through impact.
The principle is simple: A compressor provides compressed air that is directed past a container of granules, carrying a portion of the granules along in its flow. These are then transported via a hose to the workpiece and collide at high speed with the layer of contamination, causing it to wear away. The ejected sand and the abraded material swirl down as very fine dust into the surroundings. This is the reason why the necessary protective equipment and shielding must be provided when sandblasting.
The blasted particles must certainly not be shot directly at the skin, as this causes instant damage. However, it is primarily the dust generated during blasting that can be dangerous. This is a mixture of pulverized sand and the removed layer, which is often paint, rust, or some kind of coating that must certainly not end up in the eyes, mouth, or lungs. Because the dust is so fine and the compressed air causes significant air displacement, the dust clouds can settle far from the workpiece. Om dit te vermijden moet er in een cabine worden gewerkt of dient de omgeving nauwgezet te worden afgeschermd om te vermijden dat het stof overal tussen kruipt.
With laser cleaning, there are no consumables. The medium that does all the work is light. Therefore, you no longer need to keep a stock of sand grains or other abrasives. Even more importantly: you have no waste. The laser beam of a laser cleaning machine heats the contamination layer (paint, rust, coating, etc.) very intensely in a short time, causing it to vaporize. This vapor is extracted and filtered. A small amount of dust is created from the larger pieces that are removed. This coarse dust is also immediately sucked up along with the material. An important difference compared to sandblasting is that there is no wear on your workpiece. After all, the light from the laser beam has no effect whatsoever on your workpiece, but only on the layer lying on top of it. This is a result of the difference in ablation temperature, to use a technical term. With sandblasting, this is different: the flying particles do not distinguish between the workpiece and the contamination layer and will therefore always wear down your workpiece as well.
You no longer need to worry about flying dust. All the dust settles on the workpiece and is immediately vacuumed up. You no longer need to completely shield your surroundings. This saves a lot of time! Regarding personal protective equipment, you only need to wear safety glasses. Otherwise, you do not need any specific protection. The machine is not loud, the workpiece does not get hot, and nothing flies around. And operation is as simple as a hairdryer: You hold a gun with a single control button in your hand. Press it and you’re ready to go. The gun is connected via a hose to the wheeled laser cleaning machine, which can remain stationary and which you can easily roll manually.
The applications of laser cleaning are the same as those of sandblasting. Think of cleaning facades, stripping wood of all paint, cleaning molds, removing rust, replacing old coatings, etc. Laser beams can be applied to most surfaces where sandblasting is also suitable, such as metal, wood, stone, and some plastics. But without all the dirt and wear on your workpieces!
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