Synrad Applications News

SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Issue 211

Applications at a glance

Marking PBT Connectors
Drilling Aluminized Mylar Film
Cutting EVA Foam Gaskets


Marking PBT Electrical Connectors


Drilling Aluminized
Mylar® Film


Cutting EVA Foam
Gaskets

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 PBT Electrical Connectors

One of the most significant thermoplastic polyesters engineered in the past 35 years, Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT) exhibits a great surface finish, is dimensionally stable, and has excellent electrical insulation characteristics. When reinforcement is required, materials such as fiberglass, mica, stainless steel or carbon fibers, or other non-orienting fillers are added to the formulation. Today, PBT-based products are used in virtually every type of industrial, medical, and consumer application.

The electrical connector shown here is manufactured from PBT and contains 30% glass fiber reinforcement. In addition to the engraved mark (typical of CO2 lasers), a dark contrast is produced by the reaction of the glass fiber to the laser beam, creating an easily readable, contrasting mark.

    




Laser Marking Electrical Connectors

A slightly engraved, contrasting mark was created using an FH Series marking head and 25 watts of power at a speed of 25 inches/second. It took only 0.14 seconds to mark the eight-character string on each connector.

In many cases, when reinforcing filler materials are added to plastic formulations, CO2 lasers can create contrasting marks in a less expensive and much safer manner than shorter wavelength YAG lasers.

To achieve the cycle time required for this particular application, we selected an FH Series marking head with a 125 mm focusing lens (180-micron spot with a 3 mm depth of focus) to steer the beam from our sealed CO2 laser. We set up an eight-character identification string in WinMark Pro Laser Marking software, using one of WinMark Pro''s fast marking stroke fonts. At a power level of 25 watts and a marking velocity of 635 millimeters per second (25 inches/second), we created each mark in a cycle time of only 0.14 seconds per connector.


Drilling Aluminized Mylar Film

This application involves perforating aluminized Mylar® film using a Synrad CO2 laser and FH Series marking head. With a specified position accuracy of four ten-thousandths of an inch (0.0004" or 0.01 mm) using our 80 mm focusing lens, the FH head is ideal for creating highly accurate, repeatable marks.

A 26.7 mm (1.05") square grid was created by laying out an array of spots using WinMark Pro's Spot tool. Instead of drawing individual spots, we created a single Spot object in WinMark Pro and then created an array. On the Format tab, we set an Array Columns value of 42 and then set Array Rows to 42. To create the correct spacing between holes, we set both Column Spacing and Row Spacing to 0.64 mm (0.025").


    

 



Aluminized Mylar Film Sample

Using an FH Series 80 mm focusing lens, we achieved drilled hole diameters of 116 microns (0.005") in this 1.5-mil thick Mylar film. Overall cycle time to drill an array of 1,764 holes was 15.44 seconds.

On the Marking tab, we set a Power percentage equivalent to 10 watts and chose a Velocity of 100 inches per second (IPS). In WinMark Pro, a Spot object is marked, or in this case, drilled, by commanding the laser to remain on for the amount of time specified by the Spot Lase Duration property. At a laser power level of 10 watts, a Spot Lase Duration of 5 milliseconds (ms) is required to drill through the 1.5-mil (0.0015" or 0.038 mm) thick Mylar film. Using these parameters, we drilled 1,764 holes through the aluminized Mylar film in a cycle time of 15.44 seconds.


Cutting EVA Foam Gaskets

Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam is used in a variety of industrial and consumer applications ranging from flotation vests to shoe insoles to gasketing applications. This flexible, closed-cell copolymer has excellent chemical resistance, good thermal insulation, and retains its flexibility even at subzero temperatures.

EVA foam cuts extremely well using a CO2 laser, which is perfect for low-volume or custom applications where tooling for die cutting is too expensive. Non-contact laser cutting is also appropriate in high-volume manufacturing, as it eliminates maintenance downtime resulting from cutter or rule-die replacement and adjustment. Product changeovers or make-readys are simply a matter of loading a new cut file into the laser's motion control system.

    

Laser Marking Stainless Steel

Using 100 watts of power, we cut these custom gaskets from a sheet of 0.256" thick EVA foam at a linear cut speed of 275 inches per minute in a cycle time of 4.84 seconds per part.

This application involved cutting gaskets from a sheet of 6.5 mm (0.256") thick EVA foam. A CAD file containing a full-scale drawing of the gasket controls the XY motion system, which in turn drives a cutting head holding a 63.5 mm (2.5") positive meniscus optic. Focused spot size is 100 microns (0.004") with a 1.8 mm (0.07") depth of focus. Using 100 watts of power and 0.7 bar (10 PSI) of air assist, each gasket is manufactured at a velocity of 7 meters per minute (275 inches/min) in an overall cycle time of 4.84 seconds per 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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