Andaltec has extensive experience in the development and implementation of laser systems in production lines.
The laser technologies we work with are 3:
Laser welding is a fast, clean and efficient technology to join components. It was used at first to join housing and lens in rearlamps but it has already been adapted and used to join more components.
Laser welding allow 2 kinds of junctions:
- Plastic + plastic: One of the plastic parts let the laser beam pass through and the other part absorb the energy. When one part is absorbing heat the other part joins it by the help of this local temperature and pressure. A very clean and good aspect is achieved in the junction and with very high strength resistance to be separated.
- Plastic + metal: The plastic melts and comes into grooves already defined on the metal surface. Metal parts must be textured with laser. Local temperature and pressure can be applied in two ways depending on whether the plastic absorbs the wavelength of the laser beam. So, if the plastic doesn’t absorb the laser power it can be set in an upper position, otherwise the pressure and heat are applied directly to the metal which eventually heats the plastic on the other side of the metal.
Plastic + plastic laser welding in a Rearlamp
Laser welding machine
It has typically been used to cut sprues and runners from injected parts or to define the perimeter of a part that has been manufactured by thermoforming.
Cutting line of a plastic part cut by laser
This technology is used to define microtextures on metal and so in metal molds can be used to. It can be used to modify the surfaces, to define an esthetical aspect or for a functional performance too.
Surface layers can be removed with a controlled process during ablation. Decoration can be developed too. You can program the machine to “draw” what you define by eliminating external layers of the surface.
Ablation tests on metal surfaces
