Naval Application of Laser Ablation Paint Removal Technology

Current paint removal methods include grit blasting, water jet blasting, power/hand grinding and chemical stripping. Although these are proven methods, they are labor intensive and/or generate copious amounts of secondary waste that must be recovered and disposed of. The total amount of waste generated is of particular concern in applications where the primary waste (i.e., paint particles) may contain hazardous components such as radioactive nuclear contaminants (note that there are very few and only selected operations of that specific type). Both private-sector repair yards and government Naval shipyards desire a safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly method of paint removal.

The objective of the proposed work is to develop a laser ablation paint removal technology and process with a comparable removal rate and reduced overall cost to current methods, that is also environmentally friendly and operator safe and friendly. The goal of Task 1 will be to select one or more Navy ship interior paint system/substrate applications for laser ablation evaluation. Task 2 will be to select the candidate laser systems. Task 3 will be to test and evaluate laser ablation paint removal on the paint systems/substrate material for the candidate applications, using a NAVSEA 05 Technical Warrant Holder-approved test plan

This ManTech project will end when the comprehensive testing and evaluation of the selected laser systems have been completed and the final results, conclusions and recommendations have been documented in the final project report. Transition will be achie

The potential benefits of this project are: Improved shipbuilding affordability; Reduced life-cycle maintenance cost; Reduced environmental impacts