Newsletter 125: Marking ABS, Cutting Mylar, Cutting Wood

SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Issue 125


Marking ABS Connectors	Cutting Mylar Tape	Cutting Wood

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.

Marking ABS Connectors

ABS is a strong, lightweight copolymer of Acrylonitrile, Butadiene, and Styrene. ABS is manufactured in various grades—some are designed for molding; others for thermoforming or extrusion; and some grades are designed for electroplating, which provides that chrome-plated look popular in many plumbing and automotive applications.

This black ABS electrical connector exhibits a typical CO₂ mark—an engraved mark with slight contrast. To achieve this mark, our setup consists of a 10-watt Synrad laser, an FH Series marking head, and WinMark Pro laser marking software. The FH head is equipped with a 125 mm lens that provides a 180-micron (0.007”) focused spot with a 3 mm (0.118”) depth of focus.

Our system engraved the date code on each
connector using 10 watts of power at a velocity of
20 inches per second. At this rate, each eight-
character string is marked in a cycle time of only
70 milliseconds (0.07 s) per part.

In order to automate the date coding process, we creating a text object in WinMark, and set the Auto Text Type to Date Code Text. This step reads the current date from the marking computer and updates the text string prior to each mark. In this case, we assigned the European standard (DD.MM.YY) as the desired date format. Due to the size of the mark area, we set the date code’s Text Height to 2.0 mm (0.079”) and chose the wider profile of WinMark’s European stroke font to increase legibility.

Cutting Mylar Tape

Mylar® adhesive tape is frequently used in processes as diverse as handling IC wafers, insulating electrical components, sealing photograph and document archives, and even for kite-making.

This application called for trepanning 10-mm diameter holes through 8-mil (0.2 mm) thick adhesive-coated Mylar and a 2-mil (0.05 mm) thick liner. Because future projects require intricate cuts over a small area, we selected an FH Series marking head equipped with a 125 mm focusing lens to provide XY motion. The 180-micron spot from the FLA 125 lens covers a maximum mark field of 85 mm by 105 mm (3.4” x 4.2”) with a position accuracy of 0.017 mm (0.0007”).

Cut using 60 watts of power, the Mylar tape
and liner above exhibits cleanly cut edges
with no discoloration or dross present.

At a power level of 60 watts and a galvanometer Velocity of 14 inches per second, we cut each 10-mm diameter hole in 0.12 seconds. The Mylar tape and liner exhibits cleanly cut edges with no discoloration or dross present.

Cutting Wood

Most industrial laser processes involve cutting, marking, drilling, or welding various types of steel or plastics. However, wood-based products are also ideal candidates for CO₂ laser processing. These products range from birch or maple dieboard manufacture to intricately cut balsa wood components for model kits.

Because wood is cut by a chemical degradation process (where the wood fiber is burned away and then removed from the cut area by the pressurized assist gas), cut edges are usually charred, but little to no discoloration is seen on adjoining faces.

Using our f400 laser, intricate curves on the gear
shape were achieved at 85 inches per minute.

The largest problem when cutting wood, by laser or handsaw, is moisture-content and density; dry, lightweight woods cut easily while dense or moisture-laden woods cut more slowly. Consistent storage conditions and moisture control procedures are crucial to obtaining repeatable results.

To illustrate the capability of our Firestar f400 laser, we cut this gear shape from a piece of 12.7 mm (0.5”) thick walnut hardwood. Our cutting setup consists of an XY “flying optics” cutting head outfitted with a 63.5 mm (2.5”) positive meniscus lens that provides a 100-micron (0.004”) focused spot and a 1.8 mm (0.07”) depth of focus. Thirty PSI of air assist was supplied coaxially with the laser beam to the work surface. Using 400 watts of power, we cut the piece shown at a speed of 85 inches per minute in a cycle time of 29 seconds.

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Tel: 1-425-349-3500

Fax: 1-425-349-3667

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