Laser Cleaning Technology: Ushering in A New Era of Advanced Industrial Surface Treatment​

01 Introduction
Laser cleaning is an advanced surface treatment technology that uses a high-energy laser beam to instantly evaporate and strip away surface attachments (such as contaminants, rust, coatings, etc.). Compared with traditional mechanical, chemical, and ultrasonic cleaning methods, laser cleaning offers significant advantages in precision, efficiency, and controllability. It can effectively improve surface quality and extend component lifespan. As industrial demands for surface quality continue to rise, traditional cleaning technologies are becoming insufficient. In contrast, laser cleaning, with its non-contact, non-damaging, and environmentally friendly characteristics, has become a key technology for enhancing component performance in modern manufacturing.

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of laser cleaning

02 Industrial Applications of Laser Cleaning
With the growing adoption of smart and green manufacturing, laser cleaning technology is experiencing rapid development and shows broad prospects across industrial applications. Thanks to its eco-friendliness, high efficiency, and precision, laser cleaning is gradually replacing traditional methods and has found wide use in high-end equipment manufacturing, precision electronics, aerospace, and other critical industries. Furthermore, the emergence of new materials and processes continues to expand its application boundaries.

In the field of metallic materials, laser cleaning is mainly used to remove oil films, coatings, paint, and oxide layers. For example, on carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy surfaces, laser cleaning effectively removes grease and lubricants without damaging the substrate. For aircraft skins and automotive parts, lasers can selectively strip old coatings or paint layers and improve adhesion for new coatings. Additionally, laser cleaning can efficiently remove oxide layers (e.g., from carbon steel or titanium alloys), enhancing welding and painting quality—sometimes outperforming traditional mechanical polishing.

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of laser cleaning of metal materials

For non-metallic materials, laser cleaning is suitable for insulators (glass, ceramics, silicone rubber), stone, and composites. For instance, lasers can non-destructively clean insulation materials in electrical equipment or remove graffiti and biofilms from granite surfaces. For carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), lasers can precisely strip epoxy resin layers, improve bonding strength, and avoid fiber damage caused by mechanical grinding. Figure 3 shows a macroscopic comparison of CFRP before and after laser cleaning.

Figure 3 Comparison of CFRP before and after laser cleaning

Semiconductor manufacturing requires extremely high cleanliness standards. Laser cleaning efficiently removes nanoscale particles (such as alumina or copper) from silicon wafer surfaces to ensure high-precision integrated circuit fabrication. Lasers are also used in photomask cleaning, using a plasma shockwave mechanism to avoid substrate damage—suitable for advanced technologies like extreme ultraviolet lithography.

Figure 4 Comparison of the surface of silicon wafers cleaned by laser

03 Conclusion
With its high precision, environmental friendliness, and wide applicability, laser cleaning shows great potential in metals, non-metals, semiconductors, and specialized industrial sectors. In the future, this technology will achieve breakthroughs in three key directions: high-end manufacturing, environmental protection, and intelligent applications. In high-end manufacturing, laser cleaning will be deeply applied in the maintenance of aerospace precision components, pre-treatment for new energy vehicle battery welding, and semiconductor wafer cleaning—driving improvements in manufacturing accuracy and efficiency. In terms of environmental protection, its pollution-free nature will accelerate the replacement of chemical cleaning, especially in environmentally sensitive fields such as nuclear waste processing and petrochemical equipment maintenance. For intelligent development, integration with AI visual recognition and industrial robotics will enable adaptive parameter adjustment and autonomous operation under complex conditions, greatly expanding application scenarios.

**--Cite the article published by 高能束加工技术 on June 23, 2025, in the WeChat public account "High-Energy Beam Processing Technology and Applications."