Our Rockspoon Laser Cleaning uses concentrated laser radiation to evaporate impurities from the layer. Ultra short laser pulses (μs-ms) are applied to the contaminants, generating heat and heat-induced pressure – the high temperature inside the material creates high pressure, which causes it to vaporise. Rockspoon RS Pulse and DC Heavy Duty Laser cleaning is a non-contact, non-abrasive method (RS models) and is therefore very gentle on the original material  with the Pulse RS series Lasers. Laser cleaning produces almost no waste material as most of the impurities are evaporated, and due to the high efficiency of the laser resonators used, the cleaning process has very low operating costs. Since the course of interaction of the laser radiation with the material is material-dependent, the operator can adjust the cleaning parameters so that the substrate remains undamaged after cleaning.

Advantages of laser cleaning:
1. No damage to the underlying material if using our Pulse RS series Lasers. Our DC Series are built for Heavy duty industrial non precision applications, that will produce profiles ready for clean primer paint according to SAA 2.5-3 Profiling standards

2. Lower operating costs of vs traditional industrial cleaning methods.
3. Easy operation and intuitive HMI user interface.
4. Eco-friendly – no use of any added material or chemicals.
5. Fast return on your investment.
6. Speed and efficiency.
7. Fast implementation can be set ready in minutes as well as shutdown, with less cleanup.
8. Produce minimal waste for EPA Regulation compliance.

Our Rockspoon Lasers clean and remove Rust, Paint, Corrosive Coatings, Fats, oxidation, inks, oil, dried polyurethane, lacquers, adhesives, natural and synthetic rubbers, grease, much more, …

Our Rockspoon Laser Cleaners have a very wide and versatile range of uses, lots we don’t even know of yet: However we found specifically larger Australian industrial applications to remove heavy rust and thicker lead based paints and contaminents require the custom made DC6000w more so than lighter precision machines used for thinner lighter substrates.

De-oxidisation/Rust removal
The most well-known attribute of laser cleaning. Rust and surface contaminants can be removed from almost anything from timber and metal nuts to large industrial machinery.

Coating removal
Rockspoon Laser cleaning is one of the best steel preparation processes before or after any welding, soldering, gluing, or restoration application processes.

Degreasing
A common method used in the process and production industry. Efficient for removing dirt, moisture, or any other contaminant.

Restoration
Laser cleaning is especially effective in Restoring worn-out stone or, heritage objects. For non damage removal of Soot and smoke stains but it is recommended to find out in advance whether the cleaning can cause side effects for the material.

Individual parts cleaning
It is not always necessary to clean the whole object if it only has a few worn out parts allowing less downtime.

Rockspoon Lasers start with power from Single Phase RS 300w Portable to Three phase DC 6000w Transportable machines that are capable of different cleaning results therefore differ greatly in the time it takes and finishes left on the substrate. It is strongly recommended to discuss the choice of the Laser Cleaner by the size and type of the surface being cleaned. Also, Rockspoon Industries provides Air and Water-Cooled machines for Australian and New Zealand  climates and applications.  

Applications below:

Rockspoon Lasers can be divided into three categories by their power:

Precision with Low to Medium power RS 300w Portable Air-Cooled machines for level 1-2 Rust and NDT Cleaning, hard to access spaces, indoor cleaning, stainless steel and timber, of course, mobility and heights.

Precision Mid to High Power RS 500w-RS 1000w Water-Cooled and Humidity Controlled for Paint, Rust and Coatings removals, quality finish low heat.

Non-Precision High Power is the DC series for Heavy Industry Paint and Rust removal, built specifically for heavy thick metals due to extra power and heat which may effect thinner and delicate materials. These DC series are used for Heavy industries such as Marine, Fabrication, Vessels, Mining, Rail and Track work.

Rockspoon Lasers are very efficient and therefore environmentally friendly machines (ISO 14020 and ISO 14024). You do not need any additional materials for the cleaning process (abrasive media or blasting, water, dry ice pellets…), the efficiency of Laser resonators is now up to 50% and so the electricity consumption is per W / hour. Therefore, we usually state that the cost per hour of cleaning should not exceed $1-2/hour (wear of optics, electricity, preventive service). Our Rockspoon Lasers depending on models may have consumables as Protective cover lens to protect the inner focus lens, these are approx $25 each, if cleaned correctly and often, subject to contaminents and usage, could last from 4 week to 2-3 months. 

With our programmable Pulse RS series of Rockspoon Lasers, combining both hardware and software configurations, enable absorption of the dirt (rust, oil, paint, grease, adhesives, separators) where the laser ablation occurs, i.e. removal of impurities, but controls enough precision energy to not damage the substrate (steel, stainless steel, aluminium, metals, copper, stone, sandstone, granite, marble…), therefore it is especially suitable for cleaning moulds, tools, car parts, machines and also restoration in general.

The Rockspoon Laser Cleaners are controlled by a clear touch screen HMI. The user can easily select, save and name individual job tasks and parameters for easy repeat cleaning. The system also allows various options of login and rights for increased security and process repeatability.

All Rockspoon series of cleaning lasers are Class 4, so it is necessary to follow certain rules for safe use. Our lasers usually have a wavelength of 1064-1090nm, this is an area of infrared radiation, i. e. invisible to the human eye. Therefore, it is necessary to wear special quality laser specification. goggles in the first instance. Other rules are specified according to EN 60825-1 which we will, of course, guide you through and train accordingly with our recommended online Australian certified Laser Safety Training programs.

Laser Safety and Training

Safety glasses
We supply the highest quality PPE Laser safety glasses currently on the market.
All of the variants we offer have Australian and International CE certification.

Portable Laser Security Barriers
These Laser protection barriers are designed to increase safety when using laser Equipment, especially portability for site operations.

See Products

Protects against laser radiation and meets the following certifications and standards: ANSI, CE and NFPA-701

The average life service of our resonator and diodes, which is the source of a Laser is theoretically  more than 80,000 hours of use. This would equate to over 20 years of operational usage. Most Australian business’s would consider any equipment usage from 3-5 years would or should offer a return on investment.  Our Standard Warranty is 12 Months ( 6 months with Optics and Head components) with also offer optional Warranties up to 2 years.

Our Rockspoon Series Laser Cleaning Machines are designed to be virtually maintenance-free, of course, subject to  Operators taking due care of keeping the optical parts of the laser clean with normal maintenance. If our Training and SOP instructions have adhered to, then preventive service is generally not required by Rockspoon Industries  on these machines and the water-cooled  Resonators can be used for almost non-stop operation.

However, sometimes machinery, software or hardware can have a few hiccups or merely operators confusion for the usage cleaning of different materials and applications.

See our information for on-line Laser Safety Training, best to obtain at least on person as supervisor and others for operator course. Although not compulsory Laser Safety Traing in Australia as yet, the legislation is coming soon. A lot of larger industrial companies as well demand a Certificate as a contractor to obtained Laser Safety certification, Of course, we are always available with normal methods of communications, email, phone and depending on the location of course on-site.

Very good question, and at times overseas suppliers and even European can be quite unscrupulous in revealing the actual truth. To confirm and assist with your research, Rockspoon Industries supplies independent RoLA (Research of Laser Application) Testing Services, demonstrating the research and testing of a specified, particular, Laser Cleaning Machine model/s or Laser Resonator Output Power Level/s.

RoLA Testing Videos are provided to assist with evaluation of the relevance, suitability, proposed practical usage approach of theory in the workshop environment, related to the specifically nominated Laser Application for Cleaning/Surface Preparation of nominated materials/parts relevant to the client’s desired, proposed usage of Lasers for Cleaning.
With Laser Applications for Surface Preparation/Cleaning, a RoLA can help highlight, investigate and evaluate whether certain aspects of a particular Laser Cleaning idea equate to a technologically feasible possibility from a research standpoint.

You should discuss with us for unique differences, qualities, and options Rockspoon Lasers may offer that another company may not.

That depends on the system, for outputs such as the Portable RS 300w the fibre cable is custom ordered up to 5 metres, RS 500 -RS 1000w can be 10m. The DC 6000 is up to 18-19 metres.

It is even possible to technically custom build a system with different specifications up to 30 metres, however the practical limitations need to be seriously considered.

The beam itself is a considered factor, which is further worked with the use of mirrors, therefore it can be scattered into any shape (lines, circles, rectangles, ellipses, etc.). The width of the beam, therefore, depends on the machine model and  size we program, then on the optics used, due to the smooth manual move during the cleaning process we usually choose a width of 80-100mm. However due to the new Model DC6000 heavy industrial cleaner, It is usually possible to choose between approximately  200mm-500mm, for Australian larger applications.

Rockspoon Laser Cleaning machines are designed to be virtually maintenance-free;  if our SOP Instructions are adhered to, then preventive service is not normally required by Rockspoon Industries on these machines and the laser (water-cooled) machines can be used for almost non-stop operation.

What will happen if a laser beam runs over my hand?
Of course, it depends on how it happens, what setting are you using,.., If you hit within the focusing distance, you will burn your hand, if your hand happens to be out of the focusing distance, you will only feel the heat. The laser is partially reflected, partially absorbed in the material, it can also pass through the material.

This is an Unsafe practice and a completely irresponsible act by some operators,  we do not advise to attempt this situation at any time.

Cleaning rust with our Rockspoon Laser Cleaner is one of the most used applications, this is the most efficient and effective method of removing rust.

Rust, paint, varnish, oil, and other contaminants will NOT resist laser cleaning methods, allowing a huge range of possible applications.

Specific industry applications should always consult with Rockspoon Industries to determine the most cost-efficient methods and options to provide the best outcome and ROI. Also consideration should be given to RoLA

Cooling the laser machine is important in the operation of the equipment.
The Laser beam comes from a hand-held cleaning head, it comprises a triggered housing for containing the optic components in a shell or gun housing. The hand-held cleaning head can be used to safely direct laser energy to a surface to be cleaned; the laser beam ablates from the surface coatings, corrosion, and the like without harming the substrate.

The Air-cooled Laser Cleaning Resonator and portable Hand-Held Cleaning Head are cooled by the environmental air with fans and or cooling fins.

The Water-cooled Laser Cleaner is cooled by a chiller, via tubes to the laser resonator and the cleaning head.

Rockspoon Industries have additionally customised the specific machines for operational usage in Australian and New Zealand climates to control heat and humidity 

Difference Air Cooled vs Water Cooled Lasers

Air-cooled Lasers:

• Smaller precision operations
• Compact and portable
• Less cost 
• Maybe a little slower depending on Applications
• Dual Scanning and very flexible for precision and operators.

Water-cooled Lasers:

• Industrial medium and large operations.
• High energy efficiency.
• More constant performance achievable, independently of the ambient temperature.
• Higher initial cost
• Lower maintenance
•  

Rather than specify a comparison list, we recommend the features and benefits of our Innovative Rockspoon Range of Laser Cleaners, some competitors may have some features and some may not.

Rockspoon Water-Cooled Lasers by Rockspoon and Laser Industries have the following main features:

Our Rockspoon Lasers have complete water-cooling with full integration and Humidity control  from the Resonator and cabinet throughout the fibre cable and into the Laser Handheld, with freon Chillers, alarms, and temperature controls to HMI

Rockspoon Lasers have dust protection Ingress protection

Benefits:

1. Single Transportable Unit with a smaller footprint, less cumbersome than separate chillers and cables. (normally separate chillers are larger units due to the requirements of large water tanks for circulation cooling only. Lower quality builds with no alarms. and non-refrigerant cooling).
2. Due to the unique technology of Rockspoon Lasers  manufacturing, we have enabled our smaller size chillers to accommodate our full range of Water-Cooled 500w to 6000w Laser machines. The new Portable RS 300w Air  is one of the Australia’s first mid-range portable machines available in Australia.
3. The Australian mining and industrial applications can be quite demanding environments, the technology of Laser Industries manufacturing enable IP Ingress protection to provide lower maintenance.
4. Alarms and Temperature control needs to be inbuilt and adjustable to allow different climates, applications, and long operational shifts.
5. Rockspoon Lasers provide unique extra  heat exchanger units for Australian climates and humidity and dew point control

    

What is the difference in efficiency between cleaning lasers according to their power?

We will compare and update new models with different performance ranges of our Rockspoon RS pulsed fibre cleaning systems side by side.
 Time to time we will add new video and testing on different applications.

Advantages 

1. Precision and Efficiency: Laser cleaning offers high precision and control, allowing for non-abrasive cleaning of surfaces without damaging the material underneath. This is ideal for industries like aerospace, heritage restoration, automotive, and manufacturing.
2. Environmentally Friendly: Unlike traditional cleaning methods that use chemicals, laser cleaning reduces the need for hazardous materials, making it more eco-friendly and safer for operators.
3. Minimal Waste Generation: Laser cleaning vaporises contaminants, reducing the need for waste disposal and clean-up after the process, appealing to industries focused on sustainability.
4. Long-Term Cost Savings: Although initial investment is high, laser cleaning systems have lower operating costs over time due to minimal consumables and low maintenance, which can be attractive to businesses focusing on long-term operational efficiency.