Laser plastic engraving

As a precision processing machine, laser engraving machine can process plastic at high speed. Plastic is a malleable material that can either be cut into sheets or processed with a laser. Plastic is cheap and has a wide range of applications. In order to meet the requirements of some industries, it is necessary to use a laser engraving machine to cut or engrave plastic.

Classification of plastics

As a commonly used industrial material, plastic can be divided into many types according to different classification methods.

• According to the heat change of the resin, it can be divided into thermosetting plastics and thermoplastics. Thermosetting plastics generally refer to plastics that cannot be softened by heating after molding. Thermoplastics refer to plastics that can be reheated or re-softened after the material is formed, but the chemical composition remains unchanged.
• According to the different applications of the resin, it can be divided into general plastics, engineering plastics, general plastics and special plastics. General-purpose plastics are mainly used in packaging, construction, agriculture, and daily necessities because of their easy processing and low cost. Engineering plastics have good mechanical properties and high dimensional stability, and can be used at high temperatures. They are mostly used in the fields of machinery, electronics, automobiles and aviation. Generally, the amount of plastic is not large, and the application range is not as wide as that of general-purpose plastic. Specialty plastics have unique properties and are more expensive.

Plastic laser processing technology

• Material expansion

Expansion is a laser processing technique that melts the surface of plastic at high temperatures. The part of the plastic that is irradiated by the laser will form white protrusions. If the plastic is dark, these bumps will be very noticeable. Thanks to this property of plastic, reliefs can be engraved on plastic using a laser engraver. The relief carved in this way can be preserved for a long time.

• Carbonation

Carbonization processing is used for highlight contrast processing. Carbonization can create a strong contrasting color on the surface of the plastic, but if the color of the material is very dark, this contrast will not be obvious.

• Color change

The irradiation of laser can change the crystal structure in the plastic, causing chemical changes in the composition of the plastic, and finally changing the color of the plastic. All plastic polymers can undergo this color change process. In general, processed material is darker than unprocessed material.

Advantages of plastic laser processing technology

Laser processing of plastics has many advantages.

• Laser engraving uses the principle of high temperature irradiation to process materials. The material will undergo color change, physical change and chemical change under high temperature. This change is permanent, so the material imprint after laser processing can usually last for a long time.
• Laser processing directly on the plastic is non-contact, with little damage to raw materials, which helps to save costs.
• The edge of the laser-cut material is very smooth and flat, no further processing is required, which reduces the loss of the laser.
• Fast engraving processing speed and high production efficiency. Both cutting and engraving of the material are controlled by a computer program that sets the direction and positioning of the laser beam.
• The diameter of the laser is very short. If there are special requirements, the laser engraving machine can produce excellent products with extremely high precision.
• High processing efficiency. The speed of laser processing is many times higher than traditional processing methods, which ensures that the product is processed in the shortest possible time.

Conclusion

Laser engraving machine can process many types of materials, it can not only process plastic, but also process wood and soft metal. The laser engraving machine has higher engraving precision and faster engraving speed. The non-contact processing doesn't damage the material. Moreover, compared with the traditional hand-carving method, laser engraving can also achieve a very delicate engraving effect, which is no less than the level of hand-carving craftsmanship. It is precisely because the laser engraving machine has so many advantages that the application of the laser engraving machine has gradually replaced the traditional engraving equipment and methods, and has become the main engraving equipment.