Start Date: 01 March 2015
Duration: 24 months
Lead Organisation: Powerlase Photonics Ltd
Funding: Innovate UK
There is an increasing demand for high-performance materials, most of which are not compatible with conventional cleaning techniques. Cleaning of these materials is essential to exploit their enhanced properties as surface contaminants can lead to premature part failure.
The most widely employed cleaning method for engineering parts is acid etching, which will be restricted to a large extent under the REACH legislation. Under CLEANSE, a novel adaptive laser cleaning system will be developed which can achieve right-first-time cleaning on most engineering materials, without the use of chemicals.
The project combines commercially available state-of-the-art laser and sensing technology to provide a novel adaptive process to give a step change in cleaning performance which is more economical, efficient and environmentally friendly than current techniques.
Several high-value manufacturing sectors are well placed to exploit this technology, such as tooling, automotive, aerospace and power generation.
Target applications include:
The CLEANSE project is supported by funding from Innovate UK.
