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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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Cutting Glass-Filled Nylon Gears Nylon gears are commonly used in many automotive, electronic, and medical applications as well as in various industrial machines. Nylon gears offer increased service life because they wear less than metal gears (even though they require less lubrication) and reduce gear noise, which is important in consumer products. Adding a 20% to 30% glass fill to the nylon blend increases the material’s stability, rigidity, and wear-resistance. This application demonstrates the ability of a Synrad CO2 laser to precisely remove a machining hub from the center of this helical-cut gear after the last manufacturing step.
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Our laser cutting setup consisted of a Firestar f201 laser delivering the beam via XY “flying optics” into a cutting head containing a 127 mm (5.0”) plano-convex focusing optic. This optic produces a 203-micron (0.008”) spot with a 6.3 mm (0.25”) depth of focus. During the cutting process, we supplied 2.8 bars (40 PSI) of breathing-grade bottled air coaxially with the beam as gas assist. The machining hub, which measures 2.4 mm (0.093”) thick, was cut from the front face of the gear by trepanning a 30.7 mm (1.21”) diameter hole that matches, and is aligned to, the bore of the gear. Using 200 watts of power at a cut speed of 2.54 meters per minute (100 inches/minute), we were able to remove the hub in a cycle time of 2.3 seconds per gear. As seen in the photo, the cut edge exhibits slight charring due to the glass fill but has no effect on the finished product.
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Marking Stainless Steel Gauge Pins Machinists frequently use precision ground gauge pins as Go / No-Go indicators during the manufacture of close-tolerance components. Here at Synrad, precision gauge pins are used during tube assembly in the clean room to ensure that optical resonators meet our exacting quality standards. Because several different gauge sizes are used in the manufacturing process, our Applications Lab was asked to mark each gauge pin with its corresponding diameter. Our marking setup consisted of a Firestar |
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We created a four-character text object in WinMark Pro using our European stroke font with a Text Height value of 2 mm (0.08”) and 0.11 mm (0.0043”) of Extra Character Spacing. On the Marking tab, we specified two (2) Mark Passes, a Power, duty cycle percentage, corresponding to 100 watts, and a mark Velocity of 63.5 millimeters per second (2.5 inches/second). Using these settings, we achieved high contrast marks on each stainless steel gauge pin in a cycle time of 0.34 seconds per part. |
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Trepanning Glass Ceramic Transparent glass ceramic is a high-temperature material commonly used for windows in ovens, fireplaces, wood stoves, and furnaces. Glass ceramic is rated for temperatures up to 760 °C (1400 °F) and boasts a remarkable near-zero coefficient of heat expansion. Because glass ceramic is unstressed (untempered) it is possible to fabricate various pieces as required from a single large sheet. For this application, we were asked to laser drill 4.8-mm (3/16”) diameter holes in a sheet of 4.8-mm (0.19”) thick glass ceramic. Due to the large hole diameter, we setup our XY table to trepan holes in the ceramic by commanding the motion system to follow a circular path. |
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We focused the Firestar f400 beam through a 127 mm (5.0”) plano-convex lens that generates a 203-micron (0.008”) spot with a 6.3 mm (0.25”) depth of focus. In addition, we supplied 4.14 bars (60 PSI) of clean, dry air as gas assist to blow the molten glass through the cut. At a power level of 400 watts, we cut 4.8-mm (0.188”) diameter holes through the glass ceramic material at a speed of 0.23 meters per minute (9 inches/min) in a cycle time of 3.94 seconds per hole. The thru hole exhibits some underside dross around the cut edge.
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Search our online library for more applications of Synrad's sealed CO2 laser technology. Sort by material, process, or industry. |
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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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