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Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-03-05T19:00:49Z

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-03-05T19:00:49Z

I saw a product yesterday from DuBois Chemical especially for cleaning the results of laser cutting. Secure SR 5000 waas the name of it.

http://www.duboischemicals.com/pcp/files/MetalCleaningandCoatingPretreatmentProductGuide.pdf

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-24T21:15:53Z

Scale and residue can be very problematic. Currently, my plant is experiencing a similar issue introduced during our cold forming operation.We have successfully cleaned the parts using a standard pretreatment cycle (alkaline soak/electrocleaner and acid) and then going into a chemical polish. We've tried all manner of cleaners, descalers, acids, and multi-step cycles with limited success. But the chem polish has worked wonders, plus the immersion time is minimal. We are currently in the process of adding this process to our production lines.

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-23T13:18:57Z

Dustin, Its both a rsidue with heat heat stain. What we have been doing is letting the parts soak in our acid rinse which seems to loosen but it takes awhile of soaking, then back to electroclean. Sometimes the scale even seems to harden while in the cleaner. Eventually it comes off. Sometimes we use a scotchbrite pad to remove any left after 2nd time around.

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-22T19:08:43Z

Cleaning the black iron [stainless steal] work chemically will usually be enhanced with the addition of heat and abrasion. Manual scrub, a wire brush by a mechanical moving arm or a moving table under a stationary brush. A sheet flipper can be used to clean the other side if the parts are too large to easily handle.

Palmer Johnson Yachts at one time laser cut it's aluminum parts but cleaning both small and large [nearly full sheets] is found to be impossible in a timely fashion using man power.

Aluminum needs to be absolutely clean before welding. Any dirt or smut detected in the welded hull plates that shows up on the X-Ray will have to be cut out and redone. Otherwise Lloyd's of London will not insure the hull.

The laser was replaced by a CNC high speed bit cutter, air cooled, and that blows the chips all over the sheet despite having a 'air hockey' type replaceable plywood bed 30' x 15' with a vacuum system to hold the sheets down and collect what chips fall into the 'cut'.

The operator usually is required to air blow gun [non-OSHA approved] the chips over the side of the table or plate being cut.

On aluminium sheets of 8mm up 12mm need to be cut twice to reach to the bottom of the aluminium sheet. This cuts into the plywood bed by 1/16 of an inch or less. Once in a while the plywood catches fire and that is vacuumed into the baghouse. Opps! Cutting too fast, slow down. Always a sore spot with management. They want 'cut faster'.

Sorry that's not the answer to the question as here.

skip.

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-22T16:33:57Z

Experienced the same problem in the past used a potassium permanganate and cautic soda mixture that ran @ 190 to 200 degrees F. Commercial product available called Diverscale 299 available thru Brenntag.

Re: Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-18T19:57:43Z

I'm not familiar with laser cutting. Does it leave a physical residue, or is it more like a heat stain? Each has its own recommended cleaning process.

Scale left from lazer cutting

2010-02-17T14:58:41Z

Wondering if any one else is having problem removing the scale from parts being lazer cut. We double clean and still cannot remove all scale. We have tried plating and stripping it helps but not everytime.