SBIR-STTR Award

General LASERTONICS Corporation (GLC), Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works, and Acurex Enviromental Inc. will develop a portable laser-based small area decoating system. GLC will demonstrate their current portable system design at Robins AFB in Phase I, and will evaluate in Phase II. In conjunction with Stanford University's Non- liner Optical Materials Laboratory GLC will also demonstrate relevant future generation laser technology. Skunk Works will prepare stripping samples and evaluate stripping results for the design exercise in Phase I, and will support develop- ment of the prototype in Phase II. Acurex will assess waste stream subsystems performance and contribute design inputs in Phase I, and will assist in Phase II develop- ment of the subsystem. A functional specification for theoperational system will be developed in conjunction with the end user community in Phase I . Successful operation of the prototype system in Phase II will enhance production flow times and personnel safety, while reducing overall maintenance costs. The system will function on either commercial or military aircraft regardless of aircraft size and configuration, without change, and can be applied to a wide range of other operational and maintenance equipment.

Benefits:
Commercialization potential of the system includes aircraft maintenance requiring either small area depainting or spot stripping for NDI. The system can be adapted to lead paint abatement, or other depainting operations and to certain types of decontamination

General Lasertronics Corporation (GLC), with support from Lockheed Martin and interest from the US Navy North Island and the MCAS Cherry Point, will complete the design and deliver a laser-based, coating removal system to WR-ALC. GLC will configure the system to meet the military needs for parts cleaning and for depainting. Historical data and observations have confirmed that the technology produces no damage to substrate materials, because the laser operates at benign conditions. Additional damage assessment studies involving Lockheed Martin are planned. GLC has shown that coating removal using lasers provides pollution prevention and that the minimal waste formed is efficiently captured for disposal. To meet the broad needs of WR-ALC, the light-weight, user-friendly workhead could be used either in a hand-held mode to improve accessibility to small areas or in a fixtured mode for work-bench applications. The system will be extremely portable and, with training, will generally be operable by one technician. Safety interlocks ensure that workers and other people near the laser are protected from laser exposure, even without prior training. The project will consist of an early demonstration at Robins AFB, followed by design/fabrication efforts to meet the specific needs of WR-ALC and interested parties.

Benefits:
Environmentally-friendly, coating removal without substrate damage meets broad commercial needs in numerous market segments, including aerospace rework, nuclear remediation, lead paint abatement, and graffiti removal.