High removal rate laser-based coating removal system
First Claim
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1. A coating removal system, comprising:
- a laser to provide a laser beam, wherein said laser comprises;
at least one optical amplifier;
means for producing a polarized low power laser beam with an exponentially rising leading edge having a time constant τ
determined from the formulaτ
=1/(dG(t)/dt)˜
Po n/Esat A), where G(t) is the time varying gain, Po is the output power, n is the number of amplifier pulses, Esat is the saturation fluence of the gain media and A is the cross sectional area of the amplifier;
at least one optical amplifier;
means for providing multiple amplification passes of said polarized low power laser beam, said multiple amplification passes propagating through said at least one optical amplifier to produce at least one amplified beam with nearly constant output power determined by said time constant of said exponentially rising leading edge of said polarized low power laser beam;
means for reversing the phase of said polarized low power laser beam and its propagation direction after half of said multiple amplification passes through said at least one optical amplifier, said reversing means including stimulated-Brillouin-scattering (SBS), wherein said amplified beam retraces its path and relative polarization through said at least one optical amplifier; and
means for converting said at least one amplified beam into at least one output beam by passively switching the polarization of said at least one amplified beam;
wherein said coating removal system further comprises;
a workhead comprising means for delivering said laser beam to a work surface;
means for delivering said laser beam from said laser to said workhead; and
means for collecting debris produced by the interaction of said laser beam with a coating located on said work surface.
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Abstract
A compact laser system that removes surface coatings (such as paint, dirt, etc.) at a removal rate as high as 1000 ft2 /hr or more without damaging the surface. A high repetition rate laser with multiple amplification passes propagating through at least one optical amplifier is used, along with a delivery system consisting of a telescoping and articulating tube which also contains an evacuation system for simultaneously sweeping up the debris produced in the process. The amplified beam can be converted to an output beam by passively switching the polarization of at least one amplified beam. The system also has a personal safety system which protects against accidental exposures.
165 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A coating removal system, comprising:
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a laser to provide a laser beam, wherein said laser comprises; at least one optical amplifier; means for producing a polarized low power laser beam with an exponentially rising leading edge having a time constant τ
determined from the formulaτ
=1/(dG(t)/dt)˜
Po n/Esat A), where G(t) is the time varying gain, Po is the output power, n is the number of amplifier pulses, Esat is the saturation fluence of the gain media and A is the cross sectional area of the amplifier;at least one optical amplifier; means for providing multiple amplification passes of said polarized low power laser beam, said multiple amplification passes propagating through said at least one optical amplifier to produce at least one amplified beam with nearly constant output power determined by said time constant of said exponentially rising leading edge of said polarized low power laser beam; means for reversing the phase of said polarized low power laser beam and its propagation direction after half of said multiple amplification passes through said at least one optical amplifier, said reversing means including stimulated-Brillouin-scattering (SBS), wherein said amplified beam retraces its path and relative polarization through said at least one optical amplifier; and means for converting said at least one amplified beam into at least one output beam by passively switching the polarization of said at least one amplified beam; wherein said coating removal system further comprises; a workhead comprising means for delivering said laser beam to a work surface; means for delivering said laser beam from said laser to said workhead; and means for collecting debris produced by the interaction of said laser beam with a coating located on said work surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification