Could lasers replace needle guns for coating removal?
A US Navy shipyard has been testing lasers to strip coatings and corrosion from warships, and measured the difference in noise, vibration and dust.
What they tested
The painters and blasters in Shop 71 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard compared laser ablation with the tools they use now, including needle guns. The shop first used a laser on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in 2019, then tested again on USS Ronald Reagan a couple of years later.
What they found
- Noise. With a needle gun, hearing protection was needed within 95 feet of the work. With the laser, it was 5 feet.
- Vibration. Operators felt practically none. Needle gunning often means anti-vibration gloves and regular breaks to rest their hands.
- Dust. The laser vaporises the coating, and a fume extractor on the unit collects what comes off, so it isn’t spread around the work area.
The team also sees uses where power tools aren’t allowed, and on delicate materials such as fibreglass, where they currently hand sand or blast with plastic media.
Laser ablation training at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, May 2025. US Navy photo by Shelby West (public domain).
What happens next
Puget Sound is buying more laser units and building a dedicated laser booth, and the Navy has bought units for its other shipyards. At Norfolk Naval Shipyard, more than 40 laser operators have been trained, with more each month.
The team is clear that lasers won’t replace every tool. Older methods stay for the jobs where they work better.
What it could mean on the shop floor
- Less blast media and fewer abrasives on some coating removal jobs.
- Fume extraction and filter changes become a bigger part of the job.
- Laser safety comes in: eyewear, controlled work areas and trained operators, on top of the usual PPE.
Read the full story from NAVSEA, and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard update on DVIDS.
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