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SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com |
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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. |
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As mentioned in previous Application Newsletters, acrylic is an excellent material to process with CO2 lasers. When cutting acrylic, the cut mechanism is the result of material vaporization due to 100% absorption of the 10.6-micron wavelength. When marking most acrylics, CO2 lasers produce a highly-legible engraved mark. This example demonstrates the type of fine mark detail you can achieve with a CO2 laser just by varying laser power and scan speed. Our marking setup consisted of a SYNRAD 48 Series 10 W laser, an FH Series marking head, and our WinMark Pro laser marking software. We installed a 125 mm lens on the marking head to obtain a 180-micron (0.007”) focused spot across the extents of the 85 mm by 105 mm (3.4” x 4.2”) mark field. All of the text on our acrylic sample was created using WinMark Pro’s European stroke font at a Text Height value of 1.8 mm (0.0715”) with 0.12 mm (0.0047”) of Extra Character Spacing. Mark parameters include a Power, duty cycle percentage, corresponding to 8 W, a Velocity of 381 millimeters per second (15 inches/second), and a Resolution setting of 750. The “invisible” text in the outlined rectangle is not visible in this photograph (see Issue 76 in our Newsletter archives at http://www.synrad.com/newsletter/ |
All of the visible information on this acrylic |
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The 14-character 2D Data Matrix code has cells measuring 8 mils (0.008” or 0.2 mm) each with an overall size that measures only 3.18 mm (0.125”) square! To format the code, we set the 2D Barcode Bitmap property to No, enabling WinMark to draw each cell as a vector-style circle, and set both 2D Barcode Circle Radius and 2D Barcode Rounding Percentage properties to 100%. To mark the 2D code, we set a Power level corresponding to 8 W at a Velocity of 635 mm/second (25 inches/second). Using the WinMark Pro settings described above, we marked the entire acrylic sample as shown in a cycle time of 2.11 seconds. For customers interested in marking only 2D codes at high throughput speeds, the 2D code was marked in only 0.36 seconds. The ECC200 Data Matrix code was easily read by both handheld and vision system readers with an average read time of 6 milliseconds and achieves overall AIM grades of “A” under proper lighting conditions. |
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Many consumer electronic devices and even automobiles now incorporate some type of flexible printed circuitry in their design. These flex circuits can be as simple as thin ribbon conductors that replace bulky multi-conductor cables or they can be as sophisticated as complete analog or digital circuit assemblies sandwiched in multiple layers of flex material. Each of the three main flex circuit substrates have their pros and cons—polyimide has the highest temperature rating, yet is costly and absorbs moisture easily; aramid fiber has a high tear strength and costs less, but is susceptible to moisture and heat; polyester (PET) has good mechanical and electrical characteristics, low moisture absorption, and the lowest cost; however it also has the lowest maximum temperature rating of the group. In any case, all of these substrates are ideal candidates for some type of CO2 laser processing. |
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To cut the 0.65-mm (0.025”) thick PET circuit substrate, we set a cut velocity of 0.63 meters per minute (25 inches/minute) and applied 25 watts of power. Air assist at a pressure of 1.7 bar (25 PSI) is delivered coaxially with the beam through the nozzle to minimize melt back of the cut edges and provide a clean finished look to each circuit. |
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Machinists frequently use precision ground gauge pins as Go/No-Go indicators during the manufacture of close-tolerance components. Here at SYNRAD, we use precision gauge pins during tube assembly in the clean room to ensure that the optical resonators in our lasers meet exacting quality standards. |
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New! 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 |
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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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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. |
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