Laser Paint Removal

Laser paint removal is an environmentally friendly process used to remove paint layers from metal surfaces without damaging the substrate. One of its benefits is the ability to remove coatings from precise areas.

The process is also known as laser paint stripping and laser coating removal. It can be applied to any metal, although steel, aluminum, and copper are the most typical. Different types of coatings can be removed, including paint, powder coating, e-coating, phosphate coating, and insulating coating.

Ask An Expert

Trusted by...

How Does Laser Paint Removal Work?

Laser paint removal uses a process called laser ablation to strip paints. As paint absorbs the laser beam’s energy, its temperature rises in a few milliseconds until it reaches its ablation threshold. At this temperature, the bonds that hold paint molecules together break, and paint is ejected from the surface.

Let’s break down how it works:

A pulsed laser beam is directed at the surface.
To achieve ablation, the laser energy is released in short pulses and at a set repetition rate. Pulsed laser beams are ideal to reach the high energy needed for ablation. You can learn more about pulsed laser ablation here.
The paint absorbs the laser beam’s energy.
All materials absorb and reflect laser light at different rates. The type of paint strongly influences how much laser light is absorbed and, thus, the speed at which paint is removed.
The paint undergoes sublimation as its temperature rises.
Sublimation is when a material directly goes from solid to gas without going through its liquid phase. This happens because the rise in temperature is too fast. Factors that affect the rate at which paint is sublimated include the paint thickness and the paint’s specific ablation temperature.
Dusts and gases ejected from the surface are extracted.
When the bonds that hold paint molecules break, dusts and gases are ejected into the air. Efficient fume extraction is essential to guarantee the safety and consistency of the process

Selectively Remove Paint

With its micron precision, laser cleaning can strip paint and other contaminants from specific areas without touching or damaging the rest, making it ideal to prepare parts for welding or assembly. It offers an alternative to processes like sandblasting for paint stripping applications that demand high precision.

Replace Part Masking

Manufacturers spend a lot of time and labor masking parts. This slows down the coating process and often leads to quality issues.

Laser paint removal is much more effective, and it can be integrated in high-volume production lines without slowing them down. All you need to do is coat the entire part, then use the laser to remove paint from specific areas.

Avoid Damage To The Metal

Damaging metal surfaces while removing paint is costly. It can increase scrap rate or diminish the quality of parts. Unlike most paint removal methods, laser surface cleaning is a non-contact process fine-tuned to remove paint without affecting the metal.

Maximize Uptime

Laser paint stripping is a great solution for high-volume production lines. As opposed to abrasive blasting and manual masking, it can be completely automated and doesn’t need maintenance between parts. As a result, it does not become a bottleneck.

Create A Safe Workplace

Some paint stripping methods have more security risks than others. Laser cleaning is simpler to implement than mechanical and chemical alternatives and has fewer risks. Only fumes need to be managed.

Laserax provides complete integration services, including fume extraction systems and laser safety.

E-coating Removal

E-coating is removed from specific areas on seat rails to ensure that it does not contaminate the welds. It provides better control over the process than alternatives like grinding and masking.

View Customer Story

Powder Coating Removal

Powder coatings can be selectively removed from parts like hairpins, EV stator bridges and connector tabs, and more to prepare them for welding.

View Example

Phosphate Coating Removal

Phosphate coating is removed from parts like pinions and ring gears to prepare them for assembly.

Learn More

Robot Laser Machine - Complete Solution for Surface Preparation

Robot Laser Cleaning Machine

Laser systems can be mounted on robots to perfectly control the process, move the laser head on multiple axes, and control its angle. The combination of robots and lasers makes it possible to remove paint from complex shapes, multiple surfaces, large parts, and multiple types of parts.

View Laser Machine

Rotary Table Laser Cleaning Workstation

Processing parts on a rotary table is the best way to maximize the efficiency of a manually loaded machine. Rotary tables can also be equipped with a rotary indexer to easily clean multiple areas on a part.

View Laser Machine

High-power Laser Cleaning Systems

Laserax manufactures high-power fiber laser systems specifically designed to remove coatings from metal surfaces.

Up to 3000W of laser power for demanding industrial applications.

The laser power you need will depend on your available cycle time and on the thickness of your coatings. To learn more, you can read our technical paper for laser paint removal speeds.

Single-mode or multi-mode technology available.

When using a single-mode fiber laser, the laser can texture the base metal at the same time if needed to improve adhesive properties. When using a multimode fiber laser, the process cannot texture the metal surface, but it can reach faster cleaning speeds.

Automotive Aerospace Agriculture Other

Automotive Industry

While masking is traditionally used in the automotive industry, laser cleaning is a more efficient and cost-effective solution that is gaining in popularity.

Many parts are coated, painted, phosphated, or laminated to improve material properties. These coatings need to be absent from certain areas before assembly, welding or bonding.

Automotive sectors that benefit from laser paint removal include Foundry, Casting, Drivetrain, Powertrain, E-Drive, Seating, Stamping, Battery, and E-Motor.

Aerospace Industry

During maintenance of aircraft parts, coatings need to be removed before being refurbished. Compared to blasting methods, laser technology is an environmentally friendly alternative that is safer for operators.

The cost of aerospace parts and high-quality requirements make laser technology a worthwhile investment.

Agriculture Industry

Agriculture and heavy equipment manufacturers are increasingly replacing masking with laser cleaning. While part masking is slow and expensive, laser cleaning offers a high return on investment and can keep up with a high production pace.

Parts that benefit from laser cleaning include castings, drivetrains, powertrains, seat rails, stampings, and more.