SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com  
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Issue 87

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 Custom Aluminum Wheels

Powder-coated wheel marked at 22.5 IPS
 

This application request was to mark both clear-coated and powder-coated aluminum wheels. We were able to mark both wheels without penetrating the coatings to prevent any possibility of aluminum corrosion.

In addition to a firestar series laser, an FH Series marking head and WinMark Pro laser marking software provided beam delivery and power control. A 125HP (high-power) lens created the 180-micron (0.007”) diameter spot with a 3 mm (0.118”) depth of focus.

We created the West Coast Wheels logo using a TrueType® font with a Text Height of 0.1875”. The wheel size text was done using one of WinMark Pro’s 12 built-in stroke fonts (European) also with a height of 0.1875”.

Cutting Sailcloth

 




This 0.0145” thick material demonstrates a relatively linear cutting speed of 10 IPM per watt of power

Sailcloth material exhibits cleanly cut, sealed edges with no discoloration

One of the primary advantages of laser-cutting fabrics is that the edges are typically sealed during cutting, which prevents fraying. This feature eliminates additional steps required later in the manufacturing process to seal any frayed edges.

Sailcloth, a generic term that encompasses several specific fabric types, is often cut on large-area flatbed cutting systems equipped with lasers. This 0.0145” thick material demonstrates a relatively linear cutting speed of 10 IPM per watt of power. We achieved cut speeds of 250 inches per minute (IPM) at 25 watts; 450 IPM at 50 W; and 1000 IPM at 100 W. Using 240 watts of power we exceeded the 2000 IPM limit of our XY stage. In all cases, the material exhibits cleanly cut, sealed edges with no discoloration.

Our cutting setup consisted of 25 to 240 watts of power focused through a 2.5” positive meniscus lens. Spot size is 0.004” with a 0.07” depth of focus. Nitrogen at 20 PSI provided the gas assist.

400W Spot Welding

5-10ms spot weld


20-40ms spot weld


80ms spot weld

This application highlights the spot welding capability of Synrad’s new f400 laser. The purpose was to determine maximum penetration into 0.048” (1.2 mm) thick 304 stainless steel at various pulse widths.

With an ƒ9 optical setup, the ƒ-number equals lens focal length / beam diameter at lens, we fired the f400 at pulse widths of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 milliseconds (ms). After cross-sectioning, see accompanying microphotographs*, penetration depths and surface weld widths were measured and recorded in the table below.

Beam delivery was through a 4” focusing lens (0.005” diameter spot with a 0.122” depth of focus). Argon at 5–10 PSI provided a flow rate of 4–5.5 CFM through a 0.125” diameter coaxial gas nozzle.

Post weld analysis shows only a slight increase in penetration as pulse width is lengthened, because of increased losses due to heat conduction. The most efficient penetration is achieved with pulse durations between 5–20 ms.

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.

http://www.synrad.com/search_apps/Default.htm

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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