10 AWG and 26 AWG wires after ablating (cutting) the insulation.

Fluoropolymers are thermoplastic polymers where some or all of the hydrogen has been replaced by fluorine. These materials (TFE, PFA, PVDF, etc.) are resistant to high temperatures (including fire), chemicals, weathering, and abrasion. They also exhibit low coefficients of friction, high dielectric strength, and are chemically inert. Taken together, these properties define the ideal material for insulating electrical wire.

Note that an actual integrated CO₂ wire stripping machine would create a complete cut around the wire circumference so that the insulation could be pulled off in preparation for termination. In some specialized applications involving ribbon or multi-connector cable, the beam may be scanned across the wire to strip selected conductors at predetermined points so that individual conductors are connected to only certain components along the wiring path.

The connection to CO₂ lasers is twofold: First, fluoropolymers are easily vaporized by CO₂ lasers; and two, copper and aluminum wire are reflective at the 10.6 micron wavelength. Because the wire is not nicked or damaged by the laser beam, wire stripping is an excellent application for Synrad CO₂ lasers. This application highlights a proof-of-concept test for stripping 10 AWG and 26 AWG fluoropolymer-coated wire.

To obtain a 0.004” (100 micron) focused spot size, our cutting setup consisted of an XY table, a firestar f201 200W laser, a 2.5” focusing lens, and air assist set to 5 PSI.

The 26 AWG (thin wire) has a 0.003” (0.08 mm) thick insulation coating that we ablated at a speed of 900 inches per minute (IPM) using 50 watts of power. At the 100 W power level, we achieved a cut velocity of 2000 IPM.

When stripping the 0.0135” (0.34 mm) thick fluoropolymer coating from the 10 AWG (thick wire), we cut through the coating at a speed of 900 IPM using 100 W and cut at a speed of 1800 IPM using 200 W of power.