What is rust?

Laser cleaning is an important process in the removal of contaminants from the surface layer of materials. These contaminants can be substrates such as carbon, rubber or silicon.

Other damage that materials can suffer is rust, and not only does this tarnish the aesthetics of the material. But it can also be harmful to the quality too. This is why rust removal is an important process, and just one of the many cleaning applications of a fiber laser.

Rust is generally known as the result of a reaction between iron and oxygen when there is water or air moisture present. After time, this material can suffer complete rust damage, and simply disintegrate.

There are other types of rust, such as reactions between iron and chloride in an environment that has limited oxygen. That case you may see green rust. It’s not just metals that suffer rust damage, other materials, such as concrete, can also be subject to it too.

Not only does rust look displeasing to the eye, ruining the value of the object that it has damaged, but it can also be harmful to safety too. Rust causes materials to become weaker, and over time can completely eat away at a material. If you are considering something like the brake calliper of a car, then you simply can’t afford for rust to pose a risk to human life.

Other damages that rust can cause are holes, a loss in magnetic attraction, a loss in electrical conductivity.

And it can also cause materials to stick together (which would otherwise slide over one another). Rust can attach itself to works of art, such as on metal frames and also to statues and monuments. It affects the aesthetics and is also damaging. As can be seen, rust removal with fiber lasers is a crucial and necessary process.