If military uniforms are dirty, they can be washed with water, but if firearms, ammunition, weapons, and equipment are dirty, they cannot be directly rinsed with a faucet.

Nowadays, in addition to traditional mechanical cleaning, chemical cleaning, and ultrasonic cleaning methods, there is also a laser cleaning method. This type of "laser plastic surgery" that uses high-energy laser beams to irradiate the surface of objects and "remove" particles, dirt, rust, or attachments can be called a beautician who "rejuvenates" various equipment.

Laser cleaning technology mainly utilizes the characteristics of high energy, high frequency, and high power of lasers to apply high-energy density beams to small areas on the surface of the object to be cleaned. By taking advantage of the difference in laser absorption ability between the substrate material and the attached material, the attached material or coating on the surface of the object that is "dirty and grime" is instantly "evaporated" or peeled off. Compared to traditional cleaning methods, laser cleaning has many advantages such as non-contact, no grinding, no thermal effect, and wide applicability. It is considered the most reliable and effective "cleaner" and currently plays an important role in weapon and equipment cleaning, cultural relic protection, precision parts processing, and other fields.

Any item that has been stored for a long time is inevitably contaminated with dust, let alone cultural relics and historical sites that have spanned thousands of years. In order to remove "defects" such as smoke, rust, mold, and insect spots on the surface of cultural relics, manual and mechanical descaling methods inevitably cause damage to cultural relics. In order to give historical relics a "true face of Mount Lu", the "Cultural Relics Hospital" of the Palace Museum has specifically used laser cleaning technology to "extend the lifespan" of its collection of cultural relics. In fact, people have used laser cleaning to clean the moss for Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area for a long time. Many historic sites abroad, such as Amiens Cathedral in France, Cologne Cathedral in Germany, have also been rejuvenated after laser cleaning, and the ancient palaces have instantly taken on a new look.

Even the "traces" of time can be skillfully repaired, not to mention the maintenance and upkeep of weapons and equipment. Laser cleaning technology can efficiently and quickly remove rust and pollutants from the surface of equipment, which is equivalent to a "deep cleaning" of the equipment. At the same time, by setting different parameters, a dense oxide protective film or molten metal layer can be formed on the metal surface of the equipment, which can further enhance the strength and corrosion resistance of the metal surface. The "facelifted" equipment is also equipped with an "iron cloth shirt" that is not afraid of erosion. After flying for a period of time, fighter jets can also be repainted by completely removing the surface paint layer through laser cleaning, and the metal surface remains "intact", greatly improving the service life of the fighter jet.

The "eighteen martial arts" of laser cleaning are not limited to this. Electronic devices on the information battlefield must undergo harsh environmental tests, and electronic components are inevitably contaminated with dust, affecting the efficiency of electronic devices. However, laser cleaning can bring electronic devices back to life. Various types of mechanical equipment such as tanks, airplanes, and even spacecraft often require cleaning the oil used for lubrication on their parts.

The biggest advantage of laser cleaning compared to chemical methods is the "double protection" of the surface of the parts. Laser cleaning can also be used for cleaning the pipelines inside nuclear power plant reactors, and equipment production molds can also be cleaned with the help of lasers. Even for field food used to satisfy hunger on the battlefield, regular cleaning of production equipment is required during the production process, and laser cleaning can also come to the forefront.

More importantly, laser cleaning is still a "green and environmentally friendly" cleaning method. It does not require the use of any chemical agents, and the solid waste cleaned is easier to store and recycle. The "soft and invisible" light does not cause mechanical damage or other "secondary damage" to the surface of the equipment, and has a high degree of cleanliness. At the same time, laser cleaning has high efficiency, low usage time, low operating cost, and can also achieve fully automated operation.

It can be foreseen that this "new generation" cleaning technology will play an important role in future equipment maintenance and upkeep. Zhang Aimin