Newsletter 242: Laser Marking and Cutting Decorative Cards, Cutting Thermoplastic Header Pins, 48-1 10W Model

Synrad, Inc. - www.synrad.com
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Issue 242

Applications at a Glance
	Marking and Cutting Decorative Cards
	Cutting High Temperature Thermoplastic Header Pins
News from Synrad
	Synrad's 48-1 Still Sets the Industry Standard
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

Featured Application: Laser Marking and Cutting Decorative Cards

In addition to its many product marking applications, Synrad's FH Flyer is frequently used to laser cut thin materials. Because thin materials are cut quickly and generate very little debris, the use of a traditional cutting head and assist gas to cool the cut and blow debris away is not necessary (although fume extraction should be positioned to direct vapor and debris away from the focusing lens when cutting with a marking head). For applications where a thin material must be both cut and marked, marking heads are considerably faster than laser engravers or XY tables, because marking heads use galvanometers to quickly steer and redirect the beam.

Using a 60W laser and FH Flyer Marking Head, this inked cardstock sample was marked and cut to business card size in just 10.39 seconds.

See this Application in Action!
(Requires Flash Player)

For this application, brown-inked cardstock was laser marked and then cut out to business card size. A Synrad 60 W laser was used to accomplish this, along with a Flyer marking head equipped with a 200 mm focal length lens, and Synrad's WinMark Pro software. This setup produced a focused spot size of 290 mm (0.011") on the cardstock. The marking portion of the mark file consisted of a bitmap graphic imported into WinMark Pro. This object's Power value was set to a duty cycle equivalent of 60 W, the Velocity property was set to 5080 millimeters per second (200 in/sec), and the Resolution value was set to 200 scan lines per inch. A vector-style graphic using "stencil" text and a card outline was imported into WinMark Pro for the cutting portion of the process. For the cut object, the Power property was still set to an equivalent of 60 W; however, we lowered the Velocity to 165.1 mm/sec (6.5 IPS) to obtain clean cut edges through the cardstock.

The resulting decorative card measures 90.2 mm x 50.9 mm (3.55" x 2"). The brown cardstock bleaches white when marked and cuts cleanly. As seen in the accompanying video, the combined marking and cutting process takes only 10.39 seconds to complete.

Cutting High Temperature Thermoplastic

Stacked header pins are used in product manufacturing to form interconnections between one or more stacked circuit boards. In addition to passing electrical connections between boards, a secondary function of the stacked header is to stand-off or space boards apart.

This application trial was to determine the feasibility of laser trimming a continuous web of stacked header pins to specific lengths (8-pins, 24-pins, etc.) per customer requirements. Each segment of the dual row header is molded from a high temperature thermoplastic and connected to another by a small tab measuring 0.51 mm (0.020") wide by 2.18 mm (0.086") tall and 1.27 mm (0.050") thick.

To perform this application, we used our XY cutting table with "flying optic" beam delivery. The beam was focused by a 127 mm (5.0") positive meniscus lens to obtain a 203-micron (0.008") diameter spot with a 6.35 mm (0.25") depth of focus.

Using 80 watts of power and 1.03 bar (15 PSI) clean, dry air assist, we cut stacked header pins at a maximum cut speed of 1.905 meters per minute (75 in/min). Cut surfaces are clean with no melt-back or charring. The slight discoloration seen in the "vees" on each side of the cut area is the result of thermoplastic outgassing during processing.

We cut a continuous roll of dual-row stacked header pins into specific lengths using 80 watts of power at a speed of 75 inches per minute.

Synrad's Original 48-1 Still Sets the Industry Standard

Synrad's original 48-1 10W laser opened the door for sealed CO₂ lasers in many industrial applications more than 20 years ago. Today, with over 50,000 in use worldwide, it remains the industry's gold standard for performance, reliability, long operating lifetime, and low cost.

Built for 24/7 operation, the rugged 48-1 is easily incorporated into marking and coding systems, compact engravers, or paired to our FH Flyer Marking Head. The all-metal sealed tube design and proprietary manufacturing process ensure high gas purity, essential for long operating lifetimes. Ideal for engraving and marking plastics, wood, composites, glass, and more, the 48-1 operates from a standard 30VDC power supply, and can be either fan-cooled or water cooled. A 3-year warranty comes standard with each unit.

More information on the 48-1 is available on our website.
Visit: http://www.synrad.com/48series/48_10.htm

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

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

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