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Lasers are non-contact tools capable of delivering
enormous amount of energy to specific areas without wearing out.
They have been increasingly used in plastics. Their usage includes
welding, cutting, engraving, marking and many other applications,
particularly in sensitive segments like medical devices, printed
circuit and automobiles.
Plastics, due to their different structures, interact differently
to different lasers of different wavelengths. Some of the lasers
emit light energy in the Infra Red (IR) portion of light with wavelength
higher than 700nm. These lasers create hot processes that transform
low melting plastics. These types of lasers are more energy intensive
and can be suitable for cutting, drilling, sintering, welding and
engraving. These IR lasers can either use CO2 diode or JR Neodymium
and differ in their wavelengths. CO2 can emit light energy in the
wavelength range of 9400-10600 nm and is quite versatile. Infact
lasers with CO2 are widely used for machining of plastics. To prevent
degradation, CO2 lasers with lower emission of 9400nm are more preferred
compared to those with emissions at 10,600nm.
Another type of laser using UV wavelength emission of less than
400nm with UV neodymium acts more on the surface layer and is ideally
suited either to mark the plastic products or engrave moulds. These
types of UV lasers are ideally suitable for providing identification
markings to medical catheters. Some of the medical devices require
very small holes. These holes can be very accurately drilled with
UV lasers.
Several industrial lasers that are now commercially available,
are suitable for a wide range of plastics from PP, Acrylics, Teflons
to ETPS like Polyesters or Polyimides. These integrated laser systems
include laser, beam-delivery systems, electronics, material handling
systems and control software. They are quite user friendly and are
gaining greater acceptance, particularly in automotive, healthcare
and electronics segments.
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