Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation for paint removal at oblique illumination: Effect of the incidence angle

This research studies how the angle of incidence affects the ablation process when a pulsed femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 1040 nm and a high repetition rate is applied to spray paints used for graffiti. Flat test samples were painted using four different spray paints (red, blue, black and silver). All paints had an organic base but different physicochemical properties. For each paint, the ablation process was characterized using confocal microscopy, determining the threshold fluence and the penetration depth of the laser radiation at normal incidence. For different sample tilt angles in the range of 0°–60°, the effect of oblique incidence was analysed in terms of its effect on the ablation rate and the geometric properties (depth and width) of the ablation grooves on each paint. The results show a clear decrease in the ablation rate as the angle of incidence moves away from normal incidence. Moreover, it can also be observed that for a given angle, groove depth is the property most affected by beam tilt. These results represent a necessary step in addressing both cleaning and other laser ablation processes on non-flat surfaces in a controlled and reproducible manner.