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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 Polyamide (Kevlar®) Fabric Polyamide fabric (sold under the trade name Kevlar®) is widely recognized as the material used in bulletproof vests. Kevlar’s strength-to-weight ratio is five times that of steel, yet being a woven fabric, it is flexible enough for use in the manufacture of cut-resistant gloves and clothing; small-diameter, high tensile strength ropes; reinforcement for run-flat tires; and as shrapnel-resistant blankets in military, aerospace, and automotive applications. For this particular application, the customer asked that we perform bias cuts—cuts at a 45-degree angle to the straight and crosswise orientation of the fibers. Our beam delivery setup began with a Firestar f201 laser where the beam is moved across the cutting table by a set of “flying” XY mirrors. The expanded and collimated beam is then directed through a 63.5 mm (2.5”) optic, resulting in a 100-micron (0.004”) focused spot on the fabric.
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We positioned the 0.762 mm (0.030”) thick Kevlar fabric on the flatbed table so that the laser beam would traverse the direction of the weave at a 45-degree angle. At a power level of 200 watts, we cut the Kevlar at a speed of 0.76 meters per minute (30 in/min) using 4.1 bars (60 PSI) of air assist. Although the fabric exhibits some slight charring along the cut edge, our non-contact laser cut eliminates any distortion of the fabric often seen when mechanical cutting technology is used.
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Marking Glass-Filled Polypropylene Many plastics, polypropylene among them, provide an engraved, slightly contrasting mark when processed at the 10.6 micron CO2 wavelength. Although we can easily create readable text and verifiable 2D Data Matrix codes on these plastics, some customers prefer higher contrast marks. The solution, it turns out, is glass fiber fill. Materials Engineers and Scientists have known for some time that adding a percentage of glass fiber to their plastic formulations increases part strength. In addition to creating a more durable part for customers, a secondary benefit of glass fill is that it significantly increases CO2 mark contrast. |
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This electronic component cover is an excellent example of a part that is injection molded from a polypropylene mixture containing a 30% glass fiber fill. The gray-colored glass-filled polypropylene exhibits a high-contrast, readable mark when marked with 25 watts of power at a galvanometer speed of 762 millimeters per second (30 in/second). To mark these components, we setup a Synrad laser and FH Series marking head driven by our WinMark Pro laser marking software. Our focusing optic of choice is a 125 mm lens that provides a 180-micron (0.007") spot with a 3 mm (0.118") depth of focus. The main body of text consists of 50 characters on four lines using our European stroke font at a Text Height of 1.9 mm (0.074”) with 0.25 mm (0.01”) of Extra Character Spacing. Our phone number was marked at a Text Height of 3.4 mm (0.134”) with 0.25 mm (0.01”) of Extra Character Spacing. As mentioned above, we marked the glass-filled polypropylene cover using 25 watts of power at a Velocity of 762 millimeters per second (30 in/second). Total cycle time per part to mark 63 high-contrast characters on five lines is 0.60 seconds.
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Cutting Polyester Filter Discs Medical and pharmaceutical industries are booming as more and more companies invest in sealed CO2 lasers from Synrad in order to meet rigorous manufacturing demands. Synrad lasers and marking heads are installed in thousands of manufacturing processes where they perform precision cutting, marking, welding, and drilling operations day in and day out. In this example, we were asked to cut 25 mm (0.98”) diameter filter discs from a sheet of 0.114 mm (0.0045”) thick polyester mesh using 10 watts of power. Our cutting setup consisted of a 10-watt Series 48 laser, an FH Series marking head, and our WinMark Pro laser marking software. The marking head was equipped with a 125 mm focusing lens that delivers a 180-micron (0.007”) spot over a mark field measuring 85.7 mm × 105.6 mm (3.4” × 4.2”). |
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At a power level of 10 watts and a mark Velocity of 889 millimeters per second (35 in/sec), we cut individual 25-mm diameter discs in a cycle time of 0.12 seconds per piece. Not only are the resulting cut edges clean, but the polyester mesh fabric is also sealed by the interaction of the CO2 beam. To optimize this cutting process in a manufacturing environment, use WinMark Pro’s Array properties to create an array of 9 to 12 discs within the 125 mm lenses mark field. Set Array Columns to 3 and Array Rows to 3 or 4 and then set Column Spacing/Row Spacing properties to 26 mm to obtain the most parts per section of filter material. Using the Power and Velocity settings described above, you can cut an array of 9 parts in 1.11 seconds or 12 parts in a cycle time of 1.46 seconds.
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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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