Synrad Applications News

SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Issue 214

Applications at a glance

Cutting Fired Alumina Ceramic
Marking EPDM Rubber
Ablating Cable Insulation


Cutting Fired Alumina Ceramic

Marking EPDM Rubber

Ablating Cable Insulation

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 Fired Alumina Ceramic

The use of alumina ceramic materials in the biomedical and electronics fields has become commonplace, due to the superior wear and corrosion-resistance properties of ceramic. Orthopedic joint implants now feature ceramic components and alumina acts as a substrate for many thin-film electronic devices. In industrial environments, alumina ceramic is frequently used to manufacture nozzles, dies, seals, and wear plates.

There are two methods for manufacturing alumina ceramic components. The first is to shape ceramic powders and binders into a "green body" and then create any holes or openings in the part before it is fired at temperatures ranging between 700°C and 1500°C. The second manufacturing method is to machine - cut, grind, scribe, or drill - the fired alumina. Although difficult to accomplish, machining fired alumina is often necessary in manufacturing tight tolerance parts due to subtle variations in part-to-part shrinkage during the firing process.

    




Cutting Fired Alumina Ceramic

This sheet of 0.5 mm (0.020") thick alumina ceramic contains 16 individual parts. The thru holes and rectangular center in each part are cut out by pulsing a 100 watt laser for 2 ms at a frequency of 143 Hertz, while moving the beam at a rate of 6 inches per minute.

This application illustrates the quality and ease of machining thin-sheet fired alumina using a Synrad CO2 laser. As shown in the photo, the part layout consists of 16 individual pieces on a sheet of 0.5 mm (0.020") thick alumina. At a power level of 100 watts, the four thru holes and rectangle on each part are cut out at a speed of 0.15 meters per minute (6 inches/minute) by pulsing the laser for 2 ms at a frequency of 143 Hertz. After cutting out the thru holes and rectangular center section, the area between each individual part was laser-scribed to create a "perforated" line so that pieces are easily separated from each other by snapping along the score line.


Marking EPDM Rubber

EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) rubber has many uses where resistance to weathering, ultraviolet radiation, and heat are important factors. Commonly used for decades as a low-slope industrial roofing material, EPDM is also making substantial inroads in the automotive industry because its high heat resistance outperforms natural rubber in engine bay and chassis applications requiring durable boots and seals.

This application trial involved marking an easily readable identification code (with the potential to outlast the lifetime of the part) on an EPDM roofing gasket. Because the CO2 laser interaction with the EPDM provides an engraved mark with a metallic-like contrast, you can obtain similar marks on other EPDM rubber products where identification, tracking, or part numbers must appear on the part itself.

    


Marking EPDM Rubber

This EPDM roofing gasket was marked using 10 watts of power at a speed of 15 IPS in a cycle time of 0.36 seconds, and exhibits a permanent, easily readable mark.

 

 

The marking setup included a Synrad CO2 laser, an FH Series marking head equipped with a 200-mm focusing lens, and a copy of our WinMark Pro laser marking software. The 200 mm lens provides a 290-micron (0.011") spot with a 5 mm (0.196") depth of focus. In WinMark Pro, we created a seven-character identification string using WinMark Pro's built in 'Simple' stroke font and set a Text Height of 7.6 mm (0.3"). On the Marking tab, we set a Power (duty cycle percentage) corresponding to 10 watts, set Velocity to 381 millimeters per second (15 inches/sec), and entered a Resolution value of 300. With these settings, we obtained the mark shown in a cycle time of 0.36 seconds per part.


Ablating Cable Insulation

Extruded flat cable is becoming more popular throughout the automotive industry, as manufacturers continue to add electronic devices and sensors to increase the safety and efficiency of modern automobiles. Flat cable is important to automotive designers because it allows them to position devices that require many conductors inside tight spaces such as doors, roofs, and even seats. Where traditional round cable diameters can range from 3.2 mm to 6.3 mm (0.125-0.250") or greater, extruded flat cables with equal or greater wire cross-sections have typical thicknesses of only 0.38 mm (0.015").

For this application, the customer asked us to ablate the polyethylene (PE) insulation from specific locations on the cable without damaging the three copper conductors.

   

Ablating Cable Insulation

The polyethylene insulation on this section of
0.015" thick extruded flat cable was ablated in the two areas shown using 60 watts of power at a speed of 90 inches per second in a cycle time of 0.59 seconds.

Because copper is reflective to the 10.6µm CO2 wavelength, wire stripping in general is a perfect application for Synrad lasers. Careful selection of power and speed parameters ensures that the copper or surrounding insulation is not over-heated or damaged in any way.

To complete this application, we set up a firestar t-series laser and coupled it to an FH Flyer marking head. The Flyer head was fitted with a 125 mm high-power lens that provides a 180-micron (0.007") spot over a mark field spanning 80 mm x 99 mm (3.3" x 3.9"). Using our WinMark Pro Laser Marking software, we created two rectangular shapes to be ablated and precisely positioned them using WinMark Pro's four-digit (0.0001") position accuracy. We then set a Power, duty cycle percentage, corresponding to 60 watts and a scanning Velocity of 2286 millimeters per second (90 inches/sec). At these settings, we were able to remove the 0.09 mm (0.003") thick PE coating - a total surface area of 99.32 mm2 (0.154 in2) - in 0.59 seconds. The polyethylene insulation was completely vaporized, leaving a bare copper conductor with no debris, vapor, or thermal damage.


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


FH Flyer / Fenix Flyer Technical Updates

Synrad Technical Updates keep you informed of recent developments related to FH Flyer Marking Head or Fenix Flyer Laser Marker products. Sign up to receive these bulletins automatically via email at http://www.synrad.com/FH_Flyer/flyersupport_subscribe.htm


Contact Us:

Please do not reply directly to this newsletter. E-mail questions or comments to synrad@synrad.com

Synrad, Inc.
4600 Campus Place
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Tel: 1-425-349-3500
Fax: 1-425-349-3667
E-mail: synrad@synrad.com


To unsubscribe, please click here.


Copyright ©2009 SYNRAD, Inc. All rights reserved.

SYNRAD and Synrad product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of SYNRAD, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.