SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com  
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Issue 93

SYNRAD's sealed CO₂ lasers are used in a variety of industrial processes including cutting, welding, drilling, and marking. This news brief showcases some of the interesting materials and products that are processed daily by Synrad's line of CO₂ lasers and marking heads.

Cutting and Welding Film to Acrylic

Transparent film after being welded to acrylic
 

This unusual application involved cutting an acrylic shape while simultaneously welding a sheet of film to the cut edges. To meet the line speed requirements for this process, we set up our new Firestar f400 CO₂ laser on an XY table with flying optics. Because of the waveguiding properties of acrylic, we chose a 2.5” focusing optic to obtain a small spot size, 100 microns, with a power density exceeding 5.2 million watts per square centimeter!

The sample material consisted of a sheet of 0.125” (3.2 mm) acrylic covered on each side with a 0.003” thick transparent film. As the acrylic was being cut, the thin film was welded to the acrylic edges without exhibiting any melt back or damage. As in all laser welding applications, proper part fit, no gaps between materials, is crucial to achieving consistent results.

Using nitrogen assist gas at 4 PSI, we were able to obtain cutting/welding speeds of 450 inches per minute with 400 watts of power.

Detail of transparent film with layers peeled back prior to processing.

Cutting Synthetic Belting

Detail of synthetic belting
showing sealed edges

Many industries use synthetic belting to convey materials across the production area; in other industries, such as paper making, specialized belting becomes a vital part of the manufacturing process. In virtually all cases, belting responds well to the CO₂ laser cutting process – cut edges are true and most materials produce nicely sealed edges that prevent fraying and delamination.

Cutting Carpet

The edge of the carpet exhibits minimal charring


Section of carpet with a support post cutout trepanned in the center

Many specialized carpet installations for motor coaches, aircraft, and other small square-footage applications benefit from the precision and convenience of having the carpet precut on a large-area flatbed laser cutting system. Using a CAD file of the floor plan, the laser cutter can follow the outline of walls, appliances, and cabinetry – even making cutouts for table support posts and seat mounting rails as required.

The photo to the left shows a section of carpet with a support post cutout trepanned in the center. Although a few individual carpet loops in the pile are cut and appear loose, each end embedded in the carpet backing has been fused by the laser cut and is sealed into the backing to prevent fraying which is often a problem when carpet is mechanically cut.

This 0.175-inch thick commercial/industrial carpet sample was cut at a speed of 190 inches per minute (IPM) using 200 watts of power. Beam delivery was via a 5” plano-convex optic that provided a 0.008” spot size and 0.25 inch depth of focus. A gas assist of 20-PSI nitrogen was delivered coaxially with the CO₂ beam through the nozzle to minimize edge charring and force vaporized debris down through the cut channel away from the fabric.

Browse Synrad's Applications Database

Search our online library for more applications of Synrad's sealed CO₂ laser technology. Sort by material, process, or industry.

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Do you have an interesting application using Synrad Lasers?  Would you like to see it published in the Synrad Newsletter?  We would love to hear from you!  Please send your story ideas to: editor@synrad.com

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Copyright (c) 2004 SYNRAD, Inc. All rights reserved.