Thursday, June 24, 2010
Issue 240
| Applications at a Glance | |
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Cutting Viton® Rubber Gaskets |
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Marking Machined Rulon® Parts |
| News from Synrad | |
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Laser Power Measurement in the Palm of Your Hand |
| Quick Links | |
| Browse Applications Database | |
| Watch Video Clips | |
| Contact Us | |
| 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 | |
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Our laser cutting setup consisted of a Firestar f201 laser that delivered its beam through XY "flying optic" beam benders to a 63.5 mm (2.5") positive meniscus lens mounted in a cutting head. A 2.1 bar (30 PSI) air assist was delivered coaxially with the laser beam to protect the lens as well as force vaporized Viton® material through the cut kerf. Using 200 watts of power, we cut out Viton® gaskets at a speed of 4.2 meters per minute (165 inches/min) in a cycle time of 12.8 seconds per gasket. |
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Introduced back in 1952, Rulon® is a specially-compounded form of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This wear-resistant material is widely used for bearings, bushings, thrust washers, O-rings, and many other molded and machined components. Parts manufactured from Rulon® require zero lubrication and can withstand severe temperatures and corrosive chemicals. In fact, the 'J' formulation of Rulon® offers the lowest coefficient of friction of any reinforced PTFE material.
The goal of this project was to create readable part numbers on machined J-type Rulon® piston assemblies using a Synrad sealed CO2 laser and an FH Series marking head. The FH head was fitted with a 125 mm focusing lens that provides a 180-micron (0.007") spot size with a 3-mm (0.118") depth of focus across the entire mark field.
In WinMark Pro's Drawing Editor, we created an 18-character, 2-line manufacturing code using the 'Simple' stroke font. We set a Text Height of 1.6 mm (0.062") and added 0.13 mm (0.005") of Extra Character Spacing. To mark the piston assemblies, we set a Power (duty cycle percentage) corresponding to 25 watts, a Resolution of 600, and a mark Velocity of 254 mm per second (10"/s). At these settings, we created high-contrast engraved marks on the Rulon® material at cycle times of 0.22 seconds per part. |
| This machined Rulon® assembly exhibits a high-contrast engraved mark using 25 watts of power. Total cycle time for the 18-character mark is 0.22 seconds. |
Laser Power Measurement in the Palm of Your Hand
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Synrad offers a unique solution to the measurement of laser power. Low-cost and lightweight, the handheld Power Wizard power meter is ideal for checking the performance of your CO2 laser in the 1-250W power range. Use it when setting up your system, and as a service tool to ensure maximum laser performance at any time.
Simply insert the Power Wizard's sensor into the laser beam and hold in place for a few seconds. The easy-to-read LCD screen will then display an accurate measurement of average laser power. To take another reading, push the reset button, and the Power Wizard is ready to go!
More information on the Power Wizard can be found on our website.
Visit http://www.synrad.com/pw
http://www.synrad.com/search_apps/Default.htm
Synrad, Inc.
4600 Campus Place
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Tel: 1-425-349-3500
Fax: 1-425-349-3667
E-mail: synrad@synrad.com
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.