Application of Laser Paint Removal Technology in the Marine Industry: Leading the New Revolution of Green and Intelligent Cleaning

I. Industry Pain Points of Marine Paint Removal and the Introduction of Laser Technology

Ships operate in highly corrosive marine environments for long periods, and their surface coatings serve as a critical barrier against corrosion. However, these coatings inevitably age and peel off over time. Regular paint removal and repainting are essential processes to ensure ship safety and extend service life. Currently, traditional methods widely adopted in the marine industry—such as mechanical grinding, sandblasting, and chemical cleaning—can barely meet basic requirements but suffer from significant drawbacks: high labor intensity, severe environmental pollution, excessive resource consumption, and difficulty in automation.

As research indicates, traditional methods are no longer compatible with the demands of modern green shipbuilding. In contrast, laser paint removal technology, with its unique advantages of non-contact operation, pollution-free process, high precision, and easy automation, has emerged as an ideal solution to address marine paint removal challenges. It utilizes the interaction between high-energy laser beams and surface coatings to achieve precise paint stripping without damaging the substrate.

II. Core of Laser Paint Removal Technology: Mechanism and Process Research Progress

1. Complex Paint Removal Mechanism

The successful application of laser paint removal technology relies on a profound understanding of its underlying mechanism. Studies have shown that laser paint removal is a complex process involving multiple physical effects, including thermal ablation, plasma shock waves, and thermal stress vibration. For instance, research by scholars such as Lei Zhenglong has revealed that millisecond-pulse lasers and nanosecond-pulse lasers employ different dominant mechanisms: the former primarily relies on combustion and vaporization, while the latter depends on thermoelastic vibration. This provides a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate laser paint removal equipment and parameters for different coatings and substrates.

2. Key Process Parameters

Process research serves as a bridge between laser cleaning technology and practical application. Literature confirms that parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, pulse frequency, and defocus distance directly impact paint removal effectiveness and efficiency. For example, a study by Madhukar et al. demonstrated that at a laser power of 300W, optimizing the scanning speed enables non-destructive paint removal from stainless steel surfaces.

Importantly, research has verified that the surface roughness and hardness of marine steel treated with laser paint removal technology meet international standards (e.g., ISO 8501-1 Sa 2.5). Moreover, the adhesion of repainted coatings is superior to or equivalent to that of traditional sandblasted surfaces, laying a solid foundation for high-quality subsequent painting.

III. Practical Applications and Great Value of Laser Paint Removal in the Marine Industry

Laser paint removal technology holds significant practical value, particularly for precision processing of flat hull areas and complex internal cabin spaces .

Enhanced Welding Quality: Research by a team from Jiangsu University shows that laser surface pretreatment of 6061 aluminum alloy effectively reduces welding porosity and improves weld quality.

Composite Material Processing: The technology is also applicable to carbon fiber composites, which are increasingly used in lightweight ship manufacturing. Laser cleaning optimizes the surface properties of these composites and enhances bonding effectiveness.

Green Ship Repair and Building: Unlike sandblasting, which generates substantial waste and pollution, laser cleaning requires no chemical agents or abrasive consumption, truly realizing green manufacturing.

IV. Challenges and Prospects: Toward Mature Industrial Application

Despite its broad prospects, the large-scale application of laser paint removal technology in the marine industry still faces challenges:

Improvement of Mechanism Models: The universality of existing theoretical models for complex material systems requires further in-depth research.

Low Process Intelligence: Adapting process parameters intelligently to variable on-site working conditions remains a key challenge.

Efficiency and Standardization Issues: Current cleaning efficiency lags behind traditional methods, and there is a lack of unified industry quality evaluation standards.

In the future, the development of laser paint removal technology will focus closely on automation and intelligence. Integrating laser paint removal equipment with robots, high-precision positioning, and online monitoring technology to develop integrated intelligent cleaning systems is an inevitable trend. With advancements in high-power, high-beam-quality lasers, cleaning efficiency will be significantly improved.

V. Conclusion

In summary, laser paint removal technology, characterized by its green, precise, and controllable nature, demonstrates tremendous application potential and value in the marine industry. It is not only an ideal alternative to traditional high-pollution cleaning processes but also a key technology driving the transformation and upgrading of the marine industry toward intelligent and green manufacturing. With in-depth mechanism research, process optimization, and the development of intelligent equipment, laser cleaning technology is poised to bring a profound technological revolution to the marine industry in the near future.