Removing old paint with a laser gun

Text and photo: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

The 20-tonne colossus is used in production at the aluminium plant. Liquid metal is poured inside and finished cylinders come out.

The moulds at the plant need regular maintenance. But it's not always easy to remove layers of paint of different thicknesses.

- SOME OF THIS The paint is 20 years old. With the laser gun, removing it is a breeze. Another advantage is that we can get everywhere," says the operator.

He works as a logistics manager at Farmar and has had a couple of men working in the workshop for the past two weeks to make the mould nice and shiny.

- When we're done, it will be painted," says the operator, who hopes for more similar assignments from Alcoa Lista.

- THIS IS a test project. "If we manage to do the job with greater efficiency and quality, we may well get more noise moulds to work with. Alcoa Lista has many such moulds in various sizes," says Byberg.

The laser burns away rust and paint at a very high temperature. There is no sand and waste products, as with sandblasting.

Farmar offers laser rust and paint removal to anyone who needs it. The laser gun is easy to transport and requires little rigging.

- "We come with personnel who are trained to handle the machine," says the operator.

THE GUN CAN is set in the same way as a pressure washer - with a maximum width of 30 centimetres. The pressure can also be adjusted based on how coarse or fine you want the surface to be. The optimum distance between the gun and the object is 80 centimetres.

The gun is not only used on iron and steel. It is also very effective on surfaces such as concrete and wood.