Newsletter 231: Laser Marking Vinyl Window Frames, Cutting Polycarbonate Filter Media, Marking Stainless Steel Alignment Gauges

SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Issue 231

Laser applications at a glance


Laser Marking Vinyl Window Frames	Cutting Polycarbonate Filter Media	Marking Stainless Steel Alignment Gauges

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.

Marking Vinyl Window Frames

Vinyl is commonly used in window framing and exterior siding applications for both commercial and home structures. Its popularity is due to its low cost and minimal maintenance requirements. Vinyl is less expensive than comparable wood or composite door/window or siding solutions, and it is easier to maintain, because it never needs to be refinished or repainted.

Vinyl window framing comes in many sizes and shapes, depending on the window type and dimensions, so labeling part information on the siding is helpful during both manufacturing and construction processes. For these types of labeling applications, laser marking offers many advantages over traditional ink and adhesive labels. Laser marking produces a permanent mark that can't be removed, and it can withstand long-term weathering in outdoor environments.

Laser Marked Vinyl Window Frame

This highly visible logo and part number were laser marked on vinyl window framing using a 25W CO₂ laser and marking head.

This particular application setup consisted of a Synrad 25 W laser and an FH Flyer marking head equipped with a 125 mm focal length lens and controlled by WinMark Pro Laser Marking software. The lens choice provides a focused spot size of 180 mm (0.007") on the vinyl surface. The mark file contained 8.9 mm (0.35") high Arial TrueType and 3.8 mm (0.15") high Simple stroke text objects. The "XYZ" logo, with dimensions of 30.5 mm x 16 mm (1.2" x 0.63"), was imported into WinMark Pro from a vector graphics file. The mark Velocity for all of these objects was set to 1016 mm/sec (40 in/sec).

The resulting high-contrast mark was completed in a cycle time of 0.72 seconds. Typical for all vinyl/PVC based materials, the mark is dark brown and highly visible on light-colored vinyl surfaces.

Cutting Polycarbonate Filter Media

Polycarbonate membrane filters are used to trap extremely small particulates for further analysis by scientists or medical researchers using light microscopy (LM), or more typically, electron microscopy (EM) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Polycarbonate filters - specifically, polycarbonate track-etch (PCTE) membrane filters - are precision micro-porous screens. These filters contain uniform, cylindrical pores that are etched into the membrane material, providing an even distribution of trapped samples on the flat, smooth surface. The polycarbonate substrate is strong, biologically inert, resistant to chemicals, and thermally stable.

Laser Cut Polycarbonate Filter

31 mm x 21 mm samples were cut using 10 watts of power at a cut velocity of 50 inches per second. Cycle time to cut each individual piece was 0.15 seconds. The cut edges are clean with no discoloration.

For this application, sheets of 2-mil polycarbonate media were cut into smaller rectangular shapes to fit the filtering device. Because the material is so thin, gas assist is not necessary and the material is easily laser cut on an XY table or with a marking head. We chose a 10 watt sealed CO₂ laser aligned to an FH Series marking head and fitted with a 125 mm focusing lens.

Using WinMark Pro's intuitive interface, we quickly created and sized the desired 31 mm by 21 mm (1.2205" x 0.8268") rectangular shape with four-digit accuracy. On WinMark Pro's Marking tab, we set a Power, duty cycle percentage, equivalent to 10 watts and entered a cut rate (Velocity) of 1270 millimeters per second (50 inches/second). At these settings, we cut out individual membrane filters in a cycle time of 0.15 seconds per piece. The edges of the polycarbonate filter media are cleanly cut with no discoloration or residue.

Marking Stainless Steel Alignment Gauges

This application demonstrates the ability of CO₂ lasers to create high-contrast, permanent marks directly on stainless steel parts. The first batch of these tapered alignment gauges were originally produced on a milling machine that cut V-notches to indicate each index line - a process that added over an hour for each matched set of gauges. Using a Firestar CO₂ laser and FH Series marking head, we precisely marked index lines AND dimensions in a cycle time of 21 seconds per set of gauges.

Our marking setup consisted of a Firestar t100 laser, an FH Series marking head, and our WinMark Pro laser marking software. The FH head was equipped with a 125 mm HP high-power lens that provides a 180-micron (0.007") spot with a 3 mm (0.118") depth of focus. We imported the customer's DXF file into WinMark Pro at 1:1 using the software's Vector Import Scale property. WinMark Pro's object placement accuracy of 0.0025 mm (0.0001") is critical because each index line corresponds to a 0.051 mm (0.002") increase in the gauge's taper. To obtain the best mark quality, we created dimension text using European - one of WinMark Pro's built-in stroke fonts. We set Text Height to 2.54 mm (0.10") and added 0.19 mm (0.008") of Extra Character Spacing to aid readability.

We permanently marked these stainless steel taper gauges using 100 watts of power at a speed of 1.5 inches per second. The high-contrast mark, containing 190 objects, was completed in 21 seconds.

On the Marking tab, we set a duty cycle percentage (Power) corresponding to 100 watts, a Velocity of 381 mm per second (1.5 inches/sec), and a Resolution value of 400 DPI. After placing a set of taper gauges in a fixture to hold them in precise alignment to one another, we marked the entire file seen here - 128 characters and 62 index lines - in a cycle time of 21 seconds. The interaction of the laser's intense beam on the stainless steel surface produces a permanent, high-contrast mark that will endure for the life of the part.

Browse Synrad's Applications Database

Search our online library for more applications of Synrad's sealed CO2 laser technology. Search by keyword, material, or process.
http://www.synrad.com/search_apps/Default.htm

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Synrad, Inc.
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E-mail: synrad@synrad.com

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