SYNRAD, INC. - http://www.synrad.com  
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Issue 74

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 & Marking Stainless Steel

   This application involved cutting out and marking a batch of stainless steel coupons. We first cut the coupons from a sheet of 23-gauge (0.0269") stainless steel using 240 watts of power moving at 120 inches per minute on an XY flying optics system. A 2.5" positive meniscus lens focused the beam down to a 0.004" diameter, while 60-PSI oxygen provided the gas assist.

   Next, six lines of text and a 0.142"-square, 14-character 2D code were marked using 60 watts of power focused through an FH Series marking head. The CO2 beam was focused through a 125 mm HP (high power) lens that provided a 180-micron (0.007") spot with a 3 mm depth of focus.  

   For marking, object properties were set using WinMark Pro laser marking software. The 2D code was marked at a Velocity of three inches per second (IPS) using a Resolution of 50 with Spot Marking Style set to Yes. The filled, TrueType "SYNRAD" text was marked at 4.75 IPS at 300 Resolution. The remaining five lines of stroke text were marked at an average Velocity of five IPS with a Resolution setting of 500. Total cycle time to mark the 1.8 by 1.2 inch rectangular coupon was 20 seconds.

Marking & Cutting Ceramic

   This ceramic (fired alumina) plate was marked using 80 watts of CO2 power with an FH Series marking head. An 80 mm focusing lens, with a 116-micron (0.005") spot and corresponding 0.8 mm depth of field, created a contrasting, engraved mark on the ceramic surface.

   WinMark Pro's built-in "Simple" stroke font was used for the text, which measures 0.12" high. Marking Velocity was 10 inches per second and total cycle time was 0.2 seconds.

   Because fired alumina is brittle and has a low thermal expansion, cutting is a significant challenge. CO2 lasers offer two distinct advantages over mechanical cutting methods. The laser's localized heating effect prevents thermal stressing of the ceramic and non-contact processing eliminates downtime incurred during blade or shear replacement.

   As an example, 0.025-inch thick fired alumina cuts at speeds of 15 inches per minute using 200 watts of power. A 2.5-inch focusing lens, with a 100-micron spot, and 60-PSI air assist create a clean cut with no dross attachment or burring.

Marking Wood Handled Hairbrushes

   This hardwood hairbrush handle exhibits a nicely contrasting and engraved mark. To create the mark, an FH Series marking head focused a 120-watt CO2 beam through a 125 mm HP (high power) optic. This lens provides a 180-micron (0.007") spot size and 3 mm depth of focus.

    The font style we chose was Times New Roman, although WinMark Pro can support any TrueType font installed in the system Fonts folder. WinMark Pro's Text Height property was set to 0.4 and 0.08 inches respectively. We used a mark Velocity of 175 inches per second and a Resolution of 600. In this case, the higher Resolution value created a darker contrast without substantially affecting engraved depth. The entire 26-character mark was completed in 1.86 seconds.

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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