Important Things to Know About Laser Plastic Welding
Another name for laser plastic welding is through-transmission welding. It is a unique process of plastic bonding with the aid of focused laser radiation. There is a wide difference between this process and the traditional metal welding. It uses a concept based on directing laser beam through the transmission part of the two parts that you need to join. The laser beam then focuses on the interface between the two to weld them. Also, the laser beam is converted to heat energy and the heat cause a molten weld seam to fuse the two plastics at their interface. If you are new entirely to the world of plastic laser welding, we will further open your eyes to some of the many features and processes you must be aware of.
Important factors to note
Four major factors are involved in laser plastic welding and they are:
- The trans missive layer
- Laser absorbing layer
- Plastic material compatibility
- Contact between the parts
The first layer is the natural thermoplastic, which transmits infrared laser radiation. The radiation can measure 808nm or 980nm to enable it to transmit the highest possible energy. The absorbing layer is the lower layer and it converts the light energy from the laser beam to heat. Most types of thermoplastics are receptive to infrared radiation, but absorption quality can be boosted by using additives for plastic laser welding. A good example of addictives you can use is carbon black. The additive can also promote the absorption of fillers, pigments, etc. You can use non-absorbing colorants to color the upper layer or make it opaque.
Factors like polymer chain length and surface energy can help to determine material compatibility. However, you must focus more on finding plastics that have overlapping or similar melting temperatures for easy fusion. Before melting can take place, some of the light energy converted to the thermal energy must move to the upper layer before melting can occur. The transfer of the energy can occur via conduction if the two surfaces are in good contact. You can apply a clamping force to create a good contact.
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