Synrad's Applications News
Synrad, Inc. - www.synrad.com
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Issue 235
Applications at a Glance
Laser Cutting Carbon Fiber Composite
Marking Silicone Tubing
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SYNRAD's sealed CO2 lasers are used in a variety of industrial processes including cutting, welding, drilling, and marking. This news brief features news and information from Synrad, and highlights some of the interesting materials and products that are processed daily by Synrad's line of CO2 lasers and marking heads
Featured Application: Laser Cutting Carbon Fiber Composite

Today's advanced composite materials fall into three main classes: Ceramic Matrix Composites, Metal Matrix Composites, and the most common type - Polymer Matrix Composites or PMCs. Polymer composites are created by adding reinforcing fibers such as aramid, carbon, graphite, or glass to a thermosetting resin like epoxy or polyurethane. Although the material properties of individual fibers are not spectacular by themselves, the combination of fiber and resin properties along with the design of the fiber geometry within the composite combine to produce lightweight, durable materials that are quickly replacing metals, especially in the aerospace industry.

Because it is a non-contact process, CO2 laser cutting is ideal for composites, especially when specific shapes or profile cuts are required. For this test, all runs were made using 200 watts of power at cut speeds of 120-125 inches per minute (IPM). Beam delivery to the surface of the 1 mm (0.04") thick PMC material was focused through a 2.5" positive meniscus lens, which provided a 100-micron (0.004") spot with a 1.8 mm (0.07") depth of focus.
Laser Cut Woven PMC material shows some edge charring
Woven PMC material cut using an assist gas of air.
 
Changing the assist gas to nitrogen reduced edge charring
Changing the assist gas to high-pressure nitrogen reduced edge charring.

The first photo shows a woven PMC material that was cut using 40-PSI air as the assist gas. The cut edge exhibits a light charring, which is typical of the chemical degradation cutting method where laser energy degrades the material to a point that the material is removed under pressure of an inert assist gas.

Because edge quality was important in this particular application, we modified our assist gas setup for high-pressure nitrogen. As seen in the second photo, the use of a high-pressure (180 PSI) nitrogen assist gas significantly reduced edge charring on the PMC material.

It's important to note that although gas consumption increased by 355% using high-pressure nitrogen (an N2 flow rate of 2.73 CFM @ 180 PSI versus 0.77 CFM @ 40 PSI for air), the relative costs of high-purity nitrogen and breathing grade air means that gas costs increase by only 200% in achieving substantially better cut edge quality.


Marking Silicone Tubing

Silicone tubing is widely used in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries where ultra-pure fluid transfer is essential for health and safety. In addition to its flexibility and puncture-resistance, silicone tubing is free of additives that could leach into, or contaminate, fluids carried by the tubing.

The purpose of this application is to demonstrate the feasibility of marking silicone tubing. Using WinMark Pro, we created a mark file containing 15 sets of two-digit numeric characters laid diagonally across the mark field of an FH Series 200 mm lens. This technique allows us to mark a section of tubing measuring approximately 210 mm (8.3") versus the maximum length of 165 mm (6.5") possible with a vertical orientation. Text objects were created using "Simple", one of WinMark Pro's twelve built-in stroke fonts with a Text Height value of 2.7 mm (0.11").

Using 25 watts of Power at a Velocity of 508 mm per second (20 inches/sec), we were able to mark a string of 30 characters total in a cycle time of 0.68 seconds per string.
Laser Engraved Silicone Tubing Sample

Readable, engraved marks were produced on this silicone tubing using 25 W at a mark speed of 20"/s.
 

 
Find Detailed Product Information on www.synrad.com
Synrad CO2 Laser Specifications available on www.synrad.com

 

Whether your job calls for cutting sheet metal, marking electronic components, or engraving wooden plaques, Synrad has a CO2 laser to meet your needs. With output powers from 10-400W, Synrad offers several distinct laser technologies - each designed to provide specific benefits to our customers' applications.

Visit the Product Overview page on our website for links to each of our CO2 laser families. Detailed information, including specifications, operation manuals, drawings, and 3D models, is available for each product group. Also available for download in pdf format is our Laser Specifications Guide - use this quick guide to compare laser models and narrow down your search for the right laser.

Visit: http://www.synrad.com/Products/overview.htm
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Synrad, Inc.
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