The ATC has developed processes and systems using plasma and high power electron beams for the treatment of surfaces such as metals and composite materials. A mobile tool has been developed for surface cleaning and paint removal without the production of liquid waste.
A high energy electron beam processor has also been developed for specialised surface treatment of alloys. Large area dielectric barrier discharges operating at the kW level have been investigated for the removal of organic materials from conducting substrates.
Applications include paint stripping (with no solid or liquid waste), carbon fibre composite cleaning and roughening, and paint primer decontamination. A novel processing head has been built (patent pending) and demonstrated. (b) High power electron beam technology. High power, pulsed electron beams operating in the 0.1-1MW region are being developed for metal surface treatment.
This technology offers a much greater flexibility of pulse shape and duration than the commonly used industrial lasers. Surface melt depths up to 60µm have been demonstrated. Aluminium aerospace alloys and nickel-aluminium-bronze alloys have been studied to date.
