Cleaning is a key step in pre-plating treatment, and the cleaning effect directly determines the quality and performance of the finished product. The most widely used cleaning methods in the electroplating process include: water cleaning, gas cleaning, chemical cleaning, solvent cleaning, etc. With the continuous improvement of environmental protection and processing precision, the traditional industrial cleaning technology has been unable to meet the processing needs. After the introduction of laser cleaning technology, this technology is used before electroplating, and the workpiece not only achieves better results, but also is more energy-saving and environmentally friendly.
The basic principle of laser cleaning technology is to use high-frequency high-energy laser pulses to irradiate the surface of the workpiece to instantly gasify, evaporate, and vibrate the oil stains, rust spots or coatings on the surface, so as to achieve high-speed and effective removal of surface attachments and surface coatings. Because of its excellent cleaning effect, it was once known as the "leader" of cleaning technology.
1. Green and environmental protection: Laser cleaning does not use chemicals, produces less residue and has little environmental pollution;
2. Cleaning power: light cleaning without picking materials, can remove various types of pollutants on the surface of various materials, and has a high degree of cleanliness;
3. High efficiency: after cleaning, the surface has strong oxidation resistance, and there is no need to repeat multiple cleanings, saving time;
4. High degree of automation: cooperate with robots to realize remote operation, and can clean workpiece parts with complex structures;
5. No damage: The laser cleaning method is a non-contact method, which does not generate mechanical force, no friction, and very low heat conduction.
1. Laser dry cleaning: use pulsed laser radiation to decontaminate directly;
2. Laser + liquid film: first deposit a layer of liquid film on the surface of the substrate, and then use laser radiation to decontaminate;
3. Laser + inert gas: that is, while the laser is irradiating, the inert gas is blown to the surface of the substrate. When the dirt is peeled off from the surface, it will be blown off the surface by the gas immediately to avoid re-contamination and oxidation of the surface.
In addition, there are some laser cleaning methods such as "laser + chemical reagents", which are not used in the field of automatic processing due to environmental protection requirements. In addition to being used for pre-plating treatment, laser cleaning is also widely used in fields such as electric power, aerospace, paint and rust removal, and industrial decontamination.
On the whole, laser cleaning is superior to almost all traditional industrial cleaning methods in terms of technology and process. Of course, it is not without disadvantages. Disadvantage 1: The development time is too short, and it has not yet covered the full range of industrial cleaning. Disadvantage 2: Since laser cleaning machines are generally customized, the initial investment cost is relatively high.
