Semington Dock | Canal Boat Repair & Maintenance | Services

Semington Dock first used Laser steel cleaning technology in Autumn of 2022, and after extensive testing and checking we are now using the kit as the mainstay of our steel prep work.

Laser cleaning is a very effective process for the removal of mill scale, manufacturing contaminants, rust, paint and microbial contamination. It is particularly good for rough pitted surfaces and weld seams. The process is clean so paint can be applied within minutes of the cleaning being completed, minimising risk of gingering (initial oxidation). The surface created promotes excellent paint adhesion, unlike mechanical methods which can create a polished surface.

Compared with traditional cleaning methods such as mechanical friction cleaning with wire wheels, chemical corrosion cleaning, liquid solid strong impact cleaning (shot blasting), and high-frequency ultrasonic cleaning, laser cleaning is efficient, and has low thermal load and low mechanical load on the substrate. The cleaning is non-damaging, it can remove a variety of different thicknesses of contamination. It is also ergonomically efficient for our staff, protecting them from vibration injury. It does not leave significant amounts of solid or liquid waste with potential to contaminate the workspace or environment.

It is energy hungry, but our recently expanded 27KW of solar generation capacity produces a substantial amount of our total demand. We are on a green tariff for our additional needs from the grid, so the process is environmentally sustainable.

Key benefits:

• Non-contact cleaning

• Eliminates microbial activity

• Precise cleaning, can realize selective cleaning with precise position and precise size.

• Easy to clean on a very localised basis such as around window apertures.

• Paint can be applied within minutes to the cleaned surface

• Used at the right time in the life cycle of a boat this level of cleaning coupled with a good quality 2 pack epoxy paint can stave off the need to overplate for a significant amount of time.

We can prepare full hulls, cabins or very localised areas.

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