Applications Newsletter
A Round-Up of Hot Applications from the Synrad Applications Lab
August 2002
Issue 43
Cutting 1.125” Thick Acrylic
Clear
smooth edges
on thick acrylic using a Synrad 240W laser!
The key to achieving a flame polished edge is to balance the power, speed, assist gas flow (pressure), and type of assist gas used. In this case Nitrogen was used because of the slow cutting speed and large amount of acrylic vapors produced. The low pressure Nitrogen removes the vaporized acrylic from the cut area and keeps it from igniting as it is blown away from the cut zone.
In the sample shown above, we were able to create clear, smooth edges using our Evolution 240W laser, 2 psi Nitrogen assist gas, and our UC-2000 controller set at a PWM frequency of 20 kHz to obtain a cutting/polishing speed of 6 inches per minute.
Cutting Coating Aluminum
Normally an impossible task, this aluminum was cut using a
Synrad CO2 laser!
Although aluminum is highly reflective to the CO2 wavelength, we recently discovered that we are able to cut through coated or anodized aluminum with a maximum thickness of 0.015”!
The 0.015” thick anodized aluminum shown in the above photo was cut using a Synrad 240W laser and 40psi oxygen assist gas, at a speed of 1.5 inches per second with minimal underside burring. The same results can be achieved using air assist at a speed of 0.6 inches per second.
Marking Barcodes on Glass
Readable
codes marked using Synrad CO2 lasers!
The barcode on the 1/8” thick automotive glass in the photo above was marked using a Synrad 10W laser, FH marking head, and 125mm lens. Created at a speed of 10 inches per second with only 5W of power, the barcode is readable using a vision system. The code was marked using the WinMark Pro spot marking style with spot mark duration set at 0.1ms with a resolution of 50 dpi. The 6 character Code 128 barcode was marked with a cycle time of 1.7 seconds.
For more information on barcode scanners and vision reading systems for glass, metal, and other products please visit the following websites:
www.rvsi.com
Copyright (c) 2002 SYNRAD, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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.