Bonding clear polymers WITHOUT additives!

Bonding clear polymers WITHOUT additives!

Thanks to new fiber laser technology it is now possible to weld clear and translucent polymers without requiring any specialized additives. Traditional through-transmission laser welding requires additives, whether pigments or specialized additives designed specifically to absorb the near-IR radiation. This was limiting, however, as it made bonding completely clear polymers expensive and the color was never truly.

But with the addition of higher-wavelenght fiber lasers to the laser welding repertoire, it is now possible to bond polymers in their natural state! This is great news for the medical device industry which often requests clear plastics for their “clean” look. Also, this allows engineers to remove one more chemical required for assembly, making devices that much easier to pass through FDA regulations.

See this article by Josh Brown, Sales Associate at LPKF Laser & Electronics on Medical Design for more details – http://medicaldesign.com/materials/Transparent_laser_plastic_welding_Clear_polymer_bonding_medical_devices/