Authors:
H. Li
S. Costil
H-L. Liao
C. Coddet
LERMPS, Universite´ de Technologie de Belfort-Montbe´liard, 90010 Belfort Cedex, France

V. Barnier
R. Oltra
LRRS, Universite´ de Bourgogne, 21078 Dijon, France

Pulsed laser cleaning has emerged as a promising technology to challenge traditional surface preparation methods. This paper introduces the PROTAL® process, which combines an in situ pulsed laser cleaning with thermal spraying techniques. This laser surface preparation avoids some drawbacks of the traditional degreasing and sand-blasting stages prior to thermal spraying, which is especially meaningful for ductile and notch-sensitive materials. The laser induced phenomenon and the significant role of such laser irradiation in the coating deposition are presented.