Application of Laser Cleaning in Green Shipbuilding and Repair
A vessel is a general term for various types of ships, referring to watercraft capable of navigating or mooring in water bodies for transportation or operational purposes. They possess distinct technical specifications, equipment, and structural configurations based on different operational requirements.
During maritime operations, ship hulls endure prolonged exposure to high temperatures, humidity, salinity, and seawater corrosion. This necessitates periodic factory maintenance involving comprehensive paint removal and repainting of the hull surface. Traditional paint removal relies on sandblasting or high-pressure water jets, where fine sand or water propelled at high velocity impacts the hull surface to strip away paint layers. Sandblasting consumes vast quantities of fine sand as an abrasive medium and generates significant dust during operation, causing severe air pollution. High-pressure water jetting requires water as its cleaning medium. However, the wastewater contains substantial epoxy paint and silicone debris, making direct discharge impossible. It necessitates the installation of water treatment systems for post-processing to prevent severe water pollution.
China has formally implemented the Green Ship Code. Moving forward, all shipbuilding and repair operations must obtain green certification based on three key indicators: energy efficiency, environmental protection, and working conditions. This mandates the cessation of traditional, high-energy-consumption, and high-pollution production processes. Major enterprises in the shipbuilding industry are actively seeking new, efficient, and clean cleaning processes and methods to address industry pain points under the new environmental assessment standards.
Laser cleaning technology represents a non-contact, highly efficient, and non-destructive cleaning method. Utilizing laser energy as the cleaning medium, it consumes only electrical power during operation. Leveraging the laser's high-energy characteristics, it instantly vaporizes and evaporates target materials. accompanied by mechanisms such as high pressure, ultrasonic effects, and resonance. The process generates no new substances, and high-flow dust collection systems effectively capture any resulting fumes. It produces no toxic gases or noise, posing no harm to humans or the environment. Laser cleaning is recognized as a safe, efficient, and eco-friendly new process and method, gaining increasing industry acceptance.
The advantages of laser cleaning technology undoubtedly offer a highly effective solution for the shipbuilding and repair industry, which currently faces stringent environmental pressures. Internationally, there are already mature applications of laser cleaning in the shipbuilding and repair sector. Domestically, the technology remains in the R&D and experimental stages, with limited practical production applications. Mature domestic equipment is particularly scarce. However, stricter environmental regulations, impending bans on air and water pollution, along with robust policy support and funding for industrial technology upgrades and industry-academia-research collaborations, have accelerated progress. In recent years, cooperation between shipbuilding/repair enterprises and laser R&D firms has intensified, driving steady advancement in related research and testing.
Wuxi Top Optics Laser has been conducting process experiments and supporting equipment R&D for laser paint removal since 2014. We focus on addressing technical challenges such as low paint removal efficiency, laser-induced thermal ignition, high-throughput dust removal, pollution-free paint removal processes, dual-beam cleaning, and automated supporting systems. We welcome inquiries.