SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com  
Friday, February 14, 2003
Issue 56

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.

Cutting Wood Laminate

   Clean cuts with little discoloration were produced on this cedar laminate at a speed of 180 IPM (inches per minute) using 125W of power and 40 PSI air assist. A 2.5" positive meniscus lens with 0.004" spot was used for beam delivery. Since the 2.5" lens has only a 0.07" depth of focus, the beam was focused on the upper surface of the cedar to obtain the thinnest cut kerf possible.

0.2"-thick decorative cedar laminate, cut using
a Synrad 125W Evolution laser.

Marking Plastic Automotive Parts

   The plastic socket, from an automotive assembly, shown in the photo to the left produced an engraved mark with some contrast. The beam from a 10W Synrad laser was steered with an FH Series marking head and focused through a 200 mm FH lens (290 micron spot / 5mm depth of field). The 0.25"-high date code was marked at a speed of 10 inches per second in a cycle time of 0.33 seconds.

This plastic socket was marked with a simple
date code using 10W.

Welding Stainless Steel Foil

     Good welds were achieved on this 316 stainless steel at a speed of 110 inches per minute (IPM). Nitrogen was used as a shield gas. A 125W Evolution CO2 laser was pulsed at 1.25 kHz with a pulse length of 516 microseconds, providing an average output power of 102 W. Beam delivery was accomplished using a 2.5" positive meniscus lens with a 0.07" depth of focus and 0.004" spot.

    When welding very thin materials, remember that part fit is very important as any gaps between pieces will lead to burnt sections and poor sealing.

Browse Synrad's Applications Database

Search our online library for more applications of Synrad's sealed CO₂ laser technology. Sort by material, process, or industry.

http://www.synrad.com/search_apps/Default.htm

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