Laser Cleaning for the Aerospace Industry
The UK aerospace sector — Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, and their supply chains — operates to the tightest dimensional and surface preparation tolerances in manufacturing. Laser cleaning provides a substrate-safe, media-free cleaning method appropriate for titanium, aluminium alloys, composites, and high-specification steels used in aerospace structures, engines, and systems.
Aerospace Laser Cleaning Applications
Pre-bond surface preparation
Surface activation on aluminium alloys and composites prior to structural adhesive bonding. Laser cleaning achieves the cleanliness and surface energy required for aerospace bond joint standards.
Paint and coating removal
Selective paint stripping from aircraft structures and components — fuselage sections, control surfaces, and structural elements — without chemical solvents or dimensional risk to thin aerospace gauge materials.
Mould tool and autoclave tooling cleaning
Removal of release agents and polymer residue from composite mould tools and autoclave tooling without surface polishing or chemical contact that would affect the tool surface specification.
Thermal spray bond coat preparation
Substrate preparation prior to thermal spray coating deposition on aerospace components. Laser cleaning replaces grit blasting for the critical bond coat preparation step.
Weld preparation on aerospace alloys
Oxide and contamination removal from titanium, Inconel, and aluminium weld zones prior to TIG, laser, or electron beam welding processes.
NDT inspection preparation
Surface cleaning prior to fluorescent penetrant inspection, magnetic particle inspection, or eddy current inspection — removing contamination without leaving chemical residues that affect NDE sensitivity.