Germany Fraunhofer developed laser sand free sand blasting process to accelerate

In the past, sand blasting was a necessary link in many industrial production and manufacturing processes. Now, this link may be replaced by a faster, cleaner and more environmentally friendly process.

Recently, a team from Fraunhofer IWS developed a laser technology called "LIGHTblast", which can use high-energy lasers to clean and structure metal surfaces, and has achieved cost efficiency, environmental compatibility, processing speed and other improvements compared with existing methods such as sand blasting. With these advantages, the technology is currently being transferred to semiconductor manufacturing, automotive supply and other industry applications, with huge market potential.

Patrick Herwig, head of Fraunhofer IWS laser cutting team, pointed out: "Considering the whole production chain, our laser process is cheaper than traditional sandblasting when used in series production."

Image source: Fraunhofer IWS

Breaking through the limitation of traditional sand blasting process
In the traditional sand blasting process, sand particles may be embedded in the treated surface, and even after strict cleaning, sand particles still become defects. In this process, the compressed air jet accelerates the sand particles to the target surface at a high speed, and the sharp sand particles tear part of the surface, causing the sharp edges to wear and mix with the generated dust. With each use, blasting medium pollution will be more and more. The result of this process continues to deteriorate until the final mixture must be disposed of, which pollutes the environment and creates additional costs.

The LIGHTblast technology uses a diameter of about 50 μ The processing speed of m laser beam is up to 10cm2/s, which is 100 times faster than the existing microstructure process. In addition to improving accuracy and speed, it can also achieve automation more easily, and better ensure quality, process control and operation safety.

In addition, it also saves many pre-processing and post-processing steps. According to the introduction of the research team, light based treatment does not require any chemical cleaning, only processes the required surfaces, and does not consume sand or masking materials, thus reducing hazardous waste and tape waste. This technology can use the laser beam to evaporate part of the surface, and the expanded steam takes away the solid components, and finally reaches the specified roughness.

Industrial application scenarios continue to expand

At present, this technology is gradually applied to a series of rich industrial manufacturing fields, such as the surface treatment of brake discs. For example, Fraunhofer IWS and a partner are further developing a process for constructing hard material coatings using laser technology and improving the cost and environmental compatibility associated with the polishing process.

C4 Laser Technology, located near Dresden, Germany, has become one of the cooperative customers of LIGHTblast technology project. The company is the technology developer and licensor of the brake disc surface coating used in the automobile industry and industrial factory projects. The company is committed to the development and production of new coating materials, including long-term anti-corrosion solutions for the entire fan duct structure, and wear-resistant coating systems on friction belts.

Ren é Bischoff, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company, said: "Together with Fraunhofer IWS, we have found a way to successfully standardize the surface conditions of the friction belt of the brake disc blank before painting. Therefore, we have succeeded in fully automating the standardization process, improving cost efficiency and processing capacity."

Because each automobile brake disc is different, its chemical material composition, cooling rate, processing tool conditions or graphite structure near the surface are just a few parameters that have a considerable impact on the coating process of gray cast iron surface. This application case helps customers reduce the production and processing costs of brake discs, significantly extend the service life of products, and ensure that fewer particles are generated in road traffic.

In general, this new method can be applied to any component where cleaning, pre construction or roughening of subsequent coatings is required. To this end, Fraunhofer IWS plans to further improve and perfect this technology.

Source: OFweek