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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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Polyacetal (also called polyoxymethylene or POM for short) is an engineered thermoplastic copolymer that features high wear resistance, high flexure fatigue strength, and excellent dimensional stability. Polyacetal products are easily manufactured by molding (using injection, compression, or blow molding equipment), by extrusion, or by rotational casting. Polyacetal is available in a pure, unfilled form or, like many plastics, is often modified by special additives including glass fibers, colorants, or lubricants. POM is also available in medical and food grades for manufactured products sold to the medical or food processing industries. This application request involved cutting molded polyacetal tubing with a finished wall thickness of 1.05 mm (0.041”). Our beam delivery consisted of a Firestar 100 watt laser focused through a 63.5 mm (2.5”) positive meniscus lens, providing a 100-micron (0.004”) spot with a 1.8 mm (0.07”) depth of focus. Clean, dry air at 1.4 bar (20 PSI) was delivered coaxially with the beam through the nozzle as a gas assist.
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Part motion was achieved using a rotary stage so that the tubing was rotated under the point of focus at a linear cut speed of 3.1 meters per minute (122 inches/minute). Although polyacetal vaporizes completely, leaving a cleanly cut edge, properly placed fume extraction prevents any vapor from being re-deposited on or near the cut edge.
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Surface mount technology (SMT) components are used extensively in manufacturing electronic circuit boards due to their small size and compatibility with automated assembly processes. In this application, we were asked to mark an eight-digit identification code on ceramic surface mount capacitors measuring only 2.5 mm x 3 mm (0.098” x 0.118”). To perform this task, we set up a Synrad CO2 laser with an FH Series marking head and installed an 80 mm focusing lens, which provides a 116-micron (0.005”) diameter beam with a 0.8 mm (0.032”) depth of focus. Using our WinMark Pro laser marking software, we created an eight-digit code using “Simple”, one of WinMark’s twelve built-in stroke fonts. For Power, we set a duty cycle percentage corresponding to nine watts and then set a marking Velocity of 229 millimeters per second (9 inches/second). With these parameters, we marked characters measuring only 0.82 mm (0.032”) high in a cycle time of 0.35 seconds per part. |
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This application calls for cutting 51-mm (2.0”) diameter spherical discs from molded silicon rubber sheet stock. The rubber sheet consists of a layer of 0.6-mm (0.022”) thick rubber that is backed with a 0.038-mm (0.0015”) thick protective film. We set up our XY beam delivery system with a 63.5 mm (2.5”) positive meniscus lens that provides a 100-micron (0.004”) spot and a 1.8 mm (0.07”) depth of focus. For gas assist, we used 1.4 bar (20 PSI) of breathing-grade bottled air. Using 100 watts of power, we achieved cut speeds of 8.9 meters per minute (350 inches/minute) in an overall cycle time of approximately 1.08 seconds per disc. The combination of silicon rubber and backing material exhibit cleanly cut edges as seen in the photo.
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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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