Laser Blasting Machines UK
Laser blasting, and the laser blaster machine that does it, is what many people call laser cleaning when they come to it from abrasive blasting. The job is the same, taking a coating or corrosion off a surface. What changes is that nothing is fired at the surface except light.
A laser blasting machine is a pulsed fibre laser cleaning machine: a handheld cleaning gun on a mobile, air-cooled unit that removes rust, paint, mill scale and coatings by pulsing 1064nm light at the surface. There is no grit, sand, soda or ice, so there is no spent media to contain, collect or dispose of. LaserStrip sells six, from the 200W at £6,650 to the 2000W at £73,400 ex VAT; the 500W at £16,900 is our main commercial machine.
The practical difference from abrasive blasting is what surrounds the job rather than the job itself. A blast set-up needs a compressor, media, sheeting and a clean-up at the end, and the spent media is waste you pay to remove. A laser needs power, extraction and a controlled area, and the only thing that leaves the surface is the coating you were removing, drawn away by the extraction.
Laser blasting vs sandblasting
- No media. Nothing to buy per job, nothing to sweep up and nothing trapped in joints, threads or machinery.
- No containment sheeting. Work can happen next to occupied rooms, live production or finished surfaces, inside a controlled laser area.
- No surface profile. A laser takes the surface back to clean metal but does not cut an anchor profile. Where a coating specification calls for a profile, blasting still does that part of the job.
- Speed on large open steel. On big, flat, heavily corroded areas, abrasive blasting is often faster. A laser earns its place on detail, sensitive substrates and sites where media and dust are a problem.
We compare the two in more depth in laser cleaning vs sandblasting, and against dry ice in laser cleaning vs dry ice blasting.
What a laser blasting machine removes
- Rust and mill scale on steel and iron. The strongest application. See our laser rust removal machines.
- Paint, primer and powder coating. Layer by layer; thickness sets the time. See our laser paint strippers.
- Graffiti and soiling on masonry. Without grit eroding the face. See our laser graffiti removal machines.
- Oil, grease and residue on tooling. Non-contact cleaning where the tool is worth more than the job.
Laser blasting machine prices
| Model | Price (ex VAT) | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| 200W | £6,650 | Light rust and coatings on smaller items |
| 300W | £7,800 | Detail work and occasional use |
| 500W | £16,900 | Our main commercial machine for contract work on steel, coatings and masonry |
| 1000W | £30,900 | Heavy corrosion and large structural areas |
| 1500W | £51,300 | Marine, plant and production volumes |
| 2000W | £73,400 | The highest removal rate in the range |
Prices exclude VAT, freight, import charges and UK mainland delivery, which are quoted at the point of purchase. See all laser cleaning machine prices, deposits and finance on the full price list.
Buy or hire a laser blasting machine
If you will sell the work week in, week out, buy the machine: tell us what you are removing and from what, we recommend one model, send a written quotation and deliver it with training. For one defined project, hire a laser cleaning machine by the week or month, with a one-week minimum. Buying never depends on hiring first.
Applications
Where laser blasting fits
The jobs blasting contractors most often move to a laser.
Which machine
Laser blasting machines
The 500W is our main commercial machine for blasting-type work. The 300W suits detail work and occasional use.
All prices exclude VAT, freight, import charges and UK mainland delivery, which are quoted at the point of purchase.
Machine finance is available to UK businesses through an FCA-regulated broker. Limited companies can be funded on any machine; sole traders only above £25,000. Check whether you qualify → LaserStrip is not a lender. See also the Business Launch package.
Further reading
Laser blasting guides
Standards and guidance
The rules this work sits under
A pulsed fibre laser is a Class 4 device. These are the primary UK sources, linked so you can read them rather than take our word for it. Measured results, including the combinations that do not work, are being published in the surface ablation database as tests complete.
- The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010The statutory duty governing any Class 4 laser used at work in the UK.
- HSE: non-ionising radiationThe regulator's guidance on laser hazards, exposure limits and controls.
- HSE: local exhaust ventilation (LEV)Ablation produces airborne particulate; extraction is a legal control, not an optional extra.
- HSE: COSHHWhat you remove becomes waste. Old lead paint and coating residue are controlled substances.
Common questions
Questions we get asked
Is laser blasting the same as laser cleaning?+
Yes. Laser blasting is a common name for laser cleaning, used mostly by people who know abrasive blasting. Both describe a pulsed laser removing rust, paint or coatings from a surface without any blast media.
Is laser blasting better than sandblasting?+
It depends on the job. A laser uses no media, needs no containment sheeting and leaves no spent abrasive, which suits detail, sensitive substrates and occupied sites. Sandblasting is often faster on large open steel and is the method that creates a surface profile when a coating specification requires one.
How much does a laser blasting machine cost?+
LaserStrip machines run from £6,650 + VAT for the 200W to £73,400 + VAT for the 2000W. The 500W, our main commercial machine, is £16,900 + VAT. Prices exclude freight and UK mainland delivery, which are quoted at purchase.
Can I hire a laser blasting machine?+
Yes. We hire laser cleaning machines by the week or month for a defined project, with a one-week minimum and training included. Hire rates are quoted on enquiry.
Application enquiry
Will laser ablation work for your application?
Tell us what you are trying to remove and what is underneath it. We will tell you honestly whether a laser is the right tool, where it would sit in your existing process, and which machine would suit. If conventional preparation is the better answer for your job, we will say so.
- No obligation and no pressure to buy.
- We answer within one business day.
- Have photographs? Reply to our confirmation email with them attached, they help enormously.
We reply within one business day. Your details are never shared.