Solution

Email:cynthiazheng@dpxlaser.com
Address: Room 601, Building 4, Huidongsheng Industrial Park, No. 1028 Guangqiao Avenue, Yulu Community, Guangming District, Shenzhen (South Gate)

In precision manufacturing, zirconium alloy cladding for the nuclear industry, as a core component of nuclear reactors, has welding quality that directly affects equipment operational safety and service life.

Thoroughly removing surface contaminants and oxide films from workpieces prior to welding is a critical step in preventing porosity, slag inclusions, and cracking defects in welds. Conventional cleaning methods—such as manual grinding, chemical etching, and sandblasting—readily damage the base material and suffer from significant drawbacks, including incomplete cleaning, substantial environmental pollution, and low production efficiency, making them ill‑suited to meet the stringent requirements of high‑precision machining of zirconium alloys.

Shenzhen Horizon Laser Technology specializes in the R&D and manufacturing of high-end laser equipment. It has independently developed a pulsed laser cleaning system, custom‑designed for pre‑weld cleaning of zirconium alloy cladding. By replacing conventional processes with non‑contact cleaning technology, it protects materials, ensures clean surfaces, and boosts efficiency, thereby supporting the green transformation of the high‑end manufacturing sector.
 

The equipment operates on the principle of pulsed‑laser non‑contact cleaning: a high‑energy, short‑pulse laser is focused onto the workpiece surface, where the surface oxide layer and oil‑contaminant impurities absorb the laser energy and undergo vaporization and removal. The zirconium alloy substrate exhibits high reflectivity at this wavelength, ensuring minimal damage during processing. Equipped with a dual‑galvanometer scanning system, it delivers high peak power and uniform beam energy, enabling high‑quality cleaning of complex, irregularly shaped components.

The model supports seamless switching between handheld and automated modes, accommodating varying production scales. With a 100–300 W air-cooled portable design, the unit is compact and can be flexibly deployed on the production line or in the laboratory, while keeping operational maintenance costs low.
 

For pre-weld cleaning of zirconium alloy cladding, the equipment boasts four key advantages.
First, it provides non‑destructive substrate protection: with extremely low heat input and no heat‑affected zone, it exerts no mechanical stress, preserves the workpiece dimensions, and maintains the integrity of the existing coating.
Second, it delivers thorough cleaning with exceptionally high cleanliness, efficiently removing oxide films, oil residues, and adhesive remnants, achieving a cleaning performance that meets the stringent requirements of advanced welding processes. Third, it significantly enhances welding quality and production throughput: compared to manual grinding, the defect rate is dramatically reduced, cleaning efficiency is improved by 3–5 times, and continuous operation is possible without consumables. Fourth, it is environmentally friendly and safe, compliant with EHS standards—requiring no chemical agents, generating no wastewater, exhaust gases, or dust, and featuring an air-cooled design that enables plug-and-play operation.
 

This pulsed laser cleaning machine is versatile, serving multiple applications: in addition to processing zirconium alloys for the nuclear industry, it is widely used for removing residual slag and oxide layers from molds, remanufacturing and repairing mechanical components, rust removal and surface preparation of rail‑transit parts, pre‑welding treatment of shipbuilding steel plates, degreasing and paint removal from chemical‑process piping and automotive components, as well as surface pretreatment of various metal substrates in cultural‑heritage restoration.