Quanta announced today that its new C990 Laser performed cleaning trials on the dock where it is moored the Submarine S518 Nazario Sauro, nearby the Maritime Museum of Genova.
Submarine S518, built by Fincantieri shipyards and launched in 1976, was on duty by Italian Navy from 1980 till 2002 and was pensioned on June 7th 2005.
A new life for that started with the project to launch, from June 2010, the first Italian museum-ship really moored inside the ancient Arsenal of the Republic of Genoa, where a war fleet was built during the XVII century.
The edges of the dock are still the original ones made by big granite blocks, and most of them are showing large areas soiled by the paints and other lacks used during works on boats.
A suitable cleaning of these areas (60-100 square meters) has been requested from the beginning for the hosting dock but the solution would not be easy: chemicals or solvents are definitely forbidden because a large amount would fall into the sea-water; moreover some bi-components lack are showing “good” resistance (as normally expected for maritime products).
Sandblasting also cannot be used due to the shops, the pubs and the other waterfront activities recently established in the nearby restored warehouse. Laser cleaning becomes the only solution and performed trials show excellent results.
Especially where, due to the selective laser-matter interaction of the Quanta’s laser, it has been possible to vaporize elements even on the most resistive lacks, preserving the granite surface with its original patina. The evaluated cleaning speed is surely slower than sandblasting, but definitely without impact on the commercial activities due to the noise and the powder.
Moreover no extra-costs for dirty sand collection and disposal shall be calculated.