Fun with lasers...
I found this reference to a paper delivered by JMARians and others at the 11th IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference, last July.
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF A 20 KW EXCIMER LASER MODULATOR, W.R. Cravey, G.L. Devlin, Tetra Corp., USA; H. Shields, H. Rieger, M. Powers, JMAR Industries, Inc., USA
source:http://ppc97-www.nrl.navy.mil/os16.html
Looking for a little information about what the people at Tetra Corp are up to I found this (from 2/95 SPIE proceedings: Novel Applications of Lasers and Pulsed Power)
Abstracts:
Paper #: 2374-02
Application of lasers and pulsed power to coating removal, pp.2-9
Author(s): Chris M. Young, Tetra Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA;
William M. Moeny, Tetra Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA;
Randy D. Curry, Tetra Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA;
Ken McDonald, Tetra Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA;
John T. Bosma, Tetra Corp., Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Abstract: Lasers and other pulsed power systems are uniquely
suited for removal of coatings from a wide variety of
substrates. Coatings which can be removed by these
systems include paint, adhesives, epoxies, dips, rust,
scale, and bird droppings. Suitable substrates include
wood, metal, cloth, stone, ceramic, plastics, and even
skin. These systems have the advantage over chemical
stripping or mechanical abrasion in that the substrate
is left virtually unharmed and in many cases the
residue is reduced to a form that is more easily
disposed of without toxic byproducts or expensive
refurbishment. Furthermore, laser and other pulsed
power based systems can be operated using only local
containment without the need for special operator
protective gear or complete enclosure of the substrate
structure. Additional advantages are gained in these
systems because they typically combine multiple removal
mechanisms for greater effectiveness. For example,
pulsed lasers create rapid heating of the coating. This
rapid heating can result in chemical breakdown of the
coating, thermomechanical stress induced dislocation,
shock wave agitation, and physical ablation. This paper
presents some of the latest research findings on
coating removal using these systems. A comparative
survey of the system technology, effectiveness, cost,
and application is presented. Also presented is a
survey of the commercial potential for the systems.
Systems which are presented include lasers (CW, pulsed,
Infrared, UV, etc.), flashlamps, electro-cathodic
debonders, electron beams, and glow discharges.
source:http://www.spie.org/web/abstracts/2300/2374.html
I suggest that we can help the stock and get even with the Swiss by each buying a JMAR laser, removing as many bird droppings as we can, and mailing them to those Swiss B-------!! |
