Using an FH Series 80 mm focusing lens, we achieved drilled hole diameters of 116 microns (0.005”) in the Mylar film. Overall cycle time to drill the 1,764 holes was 15.44 seconds.

This application involves perforating aluminized Mylar® film using a Synrad sealed CO₂ laser and FH Series marking head. With a specified position accuracy of four ten-thousandths of an inch (0.0004” or 0.01 mm) using our 80 mm focusing lens, the FH head is ideal for creating highly accurate, repeatable marks.

A 1.05” (26.7 mm) square grid was created by laying out an array of spots using WinMark Pro’s Spot tool. Instead of drawing individual spots, we created a single Spot object in WinMark and then created an array. On the Format tab, we set an Array Columns value of 42 and then set Array Rows to 42. To set the correct spacing between holes, we set both Column Spacing and Row Spacing to 0.025” (0.64 mm).

A Spot object is marked, or in this case, drilled, by commanding the laser to remain on for the amount specified by the Spot Lase Duration property (also on the Format tab). Using a laser power level of 10 watts, a Spot Lase Duration of 5 milliseconds is required to drill through the 1.5 mil (0.0015” or 0.038 mm) thick Mylar film. On the Marking tab, we set a Power percentage equivalent to 10 watts and chose a marking Velocity of 100 inches per second (IPS).