When the space shuttle Endeavour made its final landing Sept. 21 at Los Angeles International Airport, it arrived on a runway maintained by a StarJet™ pavement marking removal system from NLB Corp. The company is a global leader in high-pressure and ultra-high pressure waterjet systems.
NLB manufactures a full line of quality water jetting pump units and accessories for contractor and industrial uses, including pavement stripe removal, runway rubber removal, pipe and tube cleaning, surface preparation, product removal, tank and tube bundle cleaning, concrete hydrodemolition, and concrete and pipe cutting.
The StarJet, operated by Sterndahl Enterprises, Inc. of Sun Valley, CA, removes old runway markings and rubber buildup with high-pressure water jets (up to 40,000 psi) without the pavement damage that often results from abrasives or grinding. The self-contained system has rotating water jet nozzles on a front-mounted articulating arm with a pump unit, water tank, and vacuum system to recover the water and debris. The runway cleanup ensured a safe, uneventful landing for Endeavour, as it made its way to its final resting place.
