Limited by the humid climate in Taiwan, rust removal and cleaning tasks have vexed industries for a number of years. However, this year ITRI independently developed their own pinnacle energy-saving laser cleaning technology. With only a 50-watt low-powered pulse laser, the instantaneous peak of the laser can spike to 50,000 watts and achieve the goals of rust removal and surface cleaning. It not only reduces electricity costs and volume, but can also be used to clean a wider range of materials than overseas equipment and has been entered into this year’s global R&D 100 Awards.

ITRI Laser and Additive Manufacturing Technology Center (LAMC) General Director Fang-hei Tsau stated “in addition to not damaging the original materials and causing the accuracy to drop, laser rust cleaning is also less likely to cause injuries in the workplace.”

He pointed out that the laser cleaner has a domestically developed laser source and does not need to be installed or adjusted. Furthermore, the cleaning modes are easy to operate using a computer control interface, and the line width, energy and speed can be adjusted for different materials such as iron, copper, ceramic, or glass.

In addition, no consumables are required for the all-fiber architecture design, and the goal is for small households and large enterprises to be able to utilize the lasers to easily complete surface cleaning tasks.

(TR/ Phil Sweeney)