Mobile or Stationary: Should the Laser Go to the Work, or the Work to the Laser?
Every laser cleaning setup starts with a simple question that's easy to get wrong: does the laser travel to the work, or does the work come to the laser?
Mobile systems go where the dirt is: a tank, a bridge, a press on the shop floor, a customer's site. Stationary systems sit in one place, usually in a cell or on a production line, and parts come to them. Both use the same physics. They solve different problems.
The three ways to run a Netalux laser
Handheld and portable. Needle and Kamino are air-cooled, run on single-phase power and weigh about 20 to 40 kg. One person can move them, and they fit in a service van. The operator holds the handset and moves the cleaning line across the surface.
Mobile industrial. Jango and Dagger are water-cooled, three-phase systems of roughly 800 to 850 kg on wheels, with forklift points. They move between jobs on a site, and long process fibres (up to 50 m on Jango, 15 m on Dagger) let the cart stay put while the operator works at a distance.
Stationary and automated. Netalux builds stationary systems on all four models, from 100 to 4000 W, controlled over MODBUS/TCP and able to run cleaning cycles straight from CAD drawings. Kamino and Dagger are built to integrate with robots, cobots and crawlers, and Laserverse has run a Jango on a six-axis robot over Modbus. The laser head moves on a robot, gantry or crawler, or the parts move past it, and the process repeats without an operator holding the handset.
Five questions that decide it
1. Can the part move? Structures, tanks, hulls, installed equipment and moulds in a press can't come to the laser. That points to mobile. Parts that already travel through your plant on a conveyor or in bins point to stationary.
2. How much of the same thing? Varied work in small quantities suits a skilled operator with a handset. High volumes of the same part, with the same contaminant, suit automation, where the same path and settings repeat every time.
3. How repeatable does the result need to be? A handheld operator adapts to each surface, which is a strength on varied work. When the result must be identical on every part (pre-weld cleaning on a line, or bonding prep with a measured specification), a robot or fixed path removes operator variation.
4. Where does the controlled area go? A Class 4 laser needs a controlled area. On a mobile job, that's barriers, signage and eyewear for everyone inside. A stationary system can sit inside a Class 1 enclosure with interlocks, so people outside it need no laser eyewear at all. That can matter a lot in a busy plant.
5. What does the floor and the power allow? A stationary cell needs floor space, extraction and a permanent power supply. Mobile systems need power at each work location. Jango and Dagger need three-phase; Needle and Kamino plug into single-phase.
Typical fits
Situation | Usually best | Why |
Field service, varied jobs, customer sites | Needle or Kamino, handheld | Portable, single-phase, quick setup |
Large structures, tanks, heavy coatings | Jango or Dagger, mobile | High pulse energy or CW power, long fibre |
Repeated parts on a production line | Stationary Netalux system | Same process every cycle, MODBUS/TCP control |
Large flat or curved surfaces needing consistent coverage | Kamino or Dagger on a crawler | Steady speed and stand-off over large areas |
Complex parts in a cell | Kamino, Jango or Dagger on a robot or cobot | Repeatable paths, enclosed area |
You may need both
Many plants run both. A mobile Kamino or Jango in maintenance handles moulds, fixtures and one-off jobs, while a stationary system on the line does the repeat work. Starting with a mobile machine is also a good way to prove the process before committing to automation. What you learn about settings carries straight over to the cell.
Limits
Automation doesn't fix a process that doesn't work by hand. Prove the settings on real parts first. And mobile systems still need power, extraction and a controlled area at every location. Plan those before the first job, not on the day.
Where to go next
Not sure which way your work points? Book a demo or send a sample, or call +1 (705) 805-2737. Laserverse supplies mobile and stationary Netalux systems, and the extraction, safety and training around them.
