Typically our customers find that they have a problem cutting complex parts with a high degree of tolerance. In some materials the quality of the finished product is inferior when stamping or producing it via any process other than laser cutting.
If a crease, slot, cut hole or a scribed line is required for folding or fastening at a later time, as in the packaging industry, laser cutting can solve the problem with a single program resulting in a beautifully finished product. KJ Laser does this routinely with a 0.005” thick Mylar film slipcovers.
Often the product is produced with a material that frays, in most cases the heat of a laser seals the edges, such as Polyester products. Some materials are abrasive to knives or are just plain difficult if not impossible to cut via mechanical means, such as Kevlar webbing, which is easily cut via a laser system.
Some products require an irregular shaped outline and/or interior holes to be cut, such as screen-printed bezels or artistic pieces produced in thin plastic sheets. This would require an expensive non-flexible die board to be produced. Your intended quantity may be too small to warrant the expense.
Fretsaws, Jigsaws or hot wires are slow, mechanically unstable and have a high material wastage factor. Computerized nesting before laser cutting is a much more efficient use of your material.
If your company has any difficulties or problems similar to these, there is a good chance that we have a fit and laser cutting will increase your quality and production at an economical rate. We should talk!
Here is a list of some products and materials that may be cut at KJ Laser Ltd.
|
|
Scribing is the ability to cut part way through a material in a controlled manner. Time is money and lasers are not only accurate but they are extremely fast at scribing most materials.
Often when a product is produced it requires lines to be scribed on it. These lines may be for use later to guide a secondary process, such as hand applied Dremel work. A crease may be required for folding along a line later in the production process. In some cases the scribed line is filled with paint and is an integral part of the design such as in artwork or signage.
Some manufactured parts require a “knock-out” or piece that may be removed at a later time as required. Scribing deeply can do this and in many cases it leaves the product with the ability to be hermetically sealed.
Scribing is used to weaken some products so they can be broken off along the scribe line at a desired length when used at a later date or in a secondary manufacturing process.
Any material that can be laser cut can be laser scribed.
If your product or process requires computer controlled scribing at a very economical rate, your company and KJ Laser Ltd. have a fit and you should contact us.
Marking is a form of laser scribing. Marking is described as the ability to permanently scribe a design or an alphanumerical number on a previously finished product.
To “Laser Mark” a product the operator has to make up a jig to hold the item in a prescribed manner. Then write a program, which tells the laser system where to apply the required marking.
Often during the laser manufacturing of a part, laser marking is accomplished via the same program. This saves time by reducing the number of steps to the finished product.
Any material that can be laser cut can also be laser marked.
If you find that your parts require marking for tracking or quality control processes you may want to consider “Laser Marking” as a viable option. We should talk; you may be pleasantly surprised with the ability of KJ Laser Ltd.
Etching is described as the ability to alter the surface of a material without removing any material. Etching is a “Dot Matrix” process that scans the design onto the material consequently it is slower than a vector process.
Typically photographs and text are etched onto hard surfaces. Often the material requires added fillers such as paints or dyes in order for the etching to become visible. In other cases the material surface changes characteristics, which allows one to see the etched design.
Etching is customarily done on, but not limited to, glazed ceramic, wood and plastic materials.
Some examples of etching are, signage, and pictures for framing and advertising materials often produced from plastics.
If your company is looking for etching for promotional or other reasons, please call and we can discus the possibilities, which are bountiful.
Some of our customers have a requirement for accurately sized holes located with precise control in their product. Some of these holes are not round.
Coin slots and attachment screw holes are some of the examples common in this kind of service. Another requirement is cutting holes in small boxes for the electronics industry. Usually the holes in boxes are of close tolerance for fit of connectors and plugs.
KJ Laser Ltd. has cut many wall plates for data jacks and plugs to be installed in office buildings.
At KJ Laser Ltd. we drill or cut and measure holes with in the tolerance of +-0.001”
Does your company have a need for accurately cut or drilled and placed holes in a non-metallic substrate? If you answer yes to this question, you should contact us, as we may be able to save you time and money, as well as improve your product.
Engraving is a process where the some of the surface of a material is removed. (The engraving process is a “Dot Matrix” process, which is slower than vector cutting and scribing etc.) This removal of material is accomplished via beam intensity. If the beam is turned off and on at a set power rate and the material has a consistent density, you will get a constant depth of engraving. This is 2D engraving; the normal engraving one sees on wooden plaques and is relatively inexpensive.
Because KJ Laser equipment is state of the art, we have the ability to go one step further, which is to turn the beam on and very rapidly control it at varying power levels. This results in 3D engraving. (See link to Kern Electronics and Laser.) Two of the three laser systems owned by KJ Laser Ltd. are Kern Lasers, with all the abilities shown on the their website.
A word of caution: 3D engraving is an extremely costly operation due to the unbelievably complex programming involved to make the original program. After the program is produced it is no more expensive than 2D engraving and is a breath-taking thing to see.
Many of our customers have used engraving on wood for advertising as in signs or as a logo on products like furniture, replacing stamped ink, which may bleed.
2D engravings can be filled with paints, inks, other woods or plastics to give a strikingly beautiful colored finish to the engraved area. This is often called inlaying.
If you have a requirement for engraving, which is a tad out of the ordinary, you really should call because we may have a fit, which will culminate in mutual benefits for both of us. This will result in you providing you or your customer with a superior value enhanced product.
