When manufacturing polyester materials, the polymer can take two very different forms—as a fiber, typically used to produce fabrics, rope, and carpet; and as a plastic, used for making bottles, balloons, and packaging film.

For this application test, we cut several thicknesses of polyester fabric that was either dyed or printed. Our cutting setup consisted of a 63.5 mm (2.5”) optic that provides a 100-micron (0.004”) focused spot and a 1.8 mm (0.07”) depth of focus. For gas assist, we delivered 20 PSI of clean, dry air coaxially with the beam through the gas jet nozzle. All cutting trials were done at the requested power level of 25 watts.

The light blue fabric measures 0.26 mm (0.010”) and was cut at a line speed of 11.43 meters/minute (450 inches/minute–IPM). The dyed dark blue fabric, measuring 0.40 mm (0.016”) was cut at a speed of 5.72 meters/minute (225 IPM). We cut the printed yellow/red polyester material, also measuring 0.40 mm, at a speed of 5.08 meters/min (200 IPM). Cut edges are clean with no discoloration. Note also the CO₂ laser’s signature sealed cut that serves to reduce or eliminate frayed fabric around the edges.

 
This application involved cutting several polyester fabrics of different thicknesses using 25W. Each sample resulted with clean cut sealed edges with no discoloration.