LAUSR

Abstract In this study, a finite element model was established by using ANSYS to analyze the surface topography following the stripping of epoxy resin paint from the type 304 stainless steel. The nanosecond pulse laser was used to carry out the stripping process, while the “Birth & Death” method was used to simulate the resulting surface topography. The authors aimed to study the influences of various process parameters on the paint stripping process, including the laser fluence, scanning speed, and scanning interval. Furthermore, the surface topography following the plane scanning laser paint stripping was predicted, and the results obtained by using numerical simulations were verified experimentally. The results have shown that the cleaning threshold of single-pulse laser paint stripping is approximately 6.1 J/cm2. The ablation depth is inversely proportional to scanning speed and positively correlated with the laser energy density. The process was optimized by using a series of simulations. The optimal plane scanning results were obtained for the 58 μm ablation depth, the removal efficiency of ca. 11.55 cm3/min/kW at the laser fluence of 50 J/cm2, the scanning speed of 5000 mm/s, and the 70 μm scanning interval. Following the comparison with the experimental results, the digital topography analysis model was proposed, providing a reference for controlling the laser paint stripping process within an average error below 10 %.