Process Date: January 2003

   Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is one type of material used in the manufacture of laminated glass for aircraft, automotive, and architectural uses. The PVB layer provides penetration resistance and sound isolation in addition to buffering infrared (IR) and filtering ultraviolet (UV) rays. After the glass layers have been bonded to the PVB layer, the next step in the manufacturing process is trimming. The CO2 laser cuts PVB plastic cleanly, leaving a transparent polished edge. A 2.5" positive meniscus lens with its corresponding 0.004" focused spot size was used to cut through the PVB layer at a speed of 270 inches per minute (IPM) using 100 W of laser power.