Plasma Jet Coupled with Nd:YAG Laser: New Approach to Surface Cleaning

A new approach to cleaning and paint removal in civil engineering and conservation of monuments is the coupling of a plasma jet with a laser. Components of our experimental setup were a 1 064 nm Nd:YAG laser and an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. Stone slabs and glass slides were coated with paint and spray lacquers using various binding media and pigmentation. Initial examinations proved the laser-plasma-coupling to be a method to increasing the efficiency as well as to permit more flexibility in cleaning procedures.