Laser paint stripping has been attracting attention as a paint stripping method from the viewpoint of the SDGs in recent years, because the method produces less waste and provides excellent working environment properties. While laser paint stripping technology has generally been applied to paint removal from metal surfaces, the technology has not yet been practically applied to paint removal from surfaces of thermally susceptible materials, such as composite materials, due to the risk of heat input by the laser. This report describes on the development of a short-pulse laser paint stripping technology that suppresses heat effects on the composite base material, and a selective laser paint stripping technology that can strip only the topcoat from composite material surfaces among the primer and topcoats.
