TechFront New Developments in Manufacturing and Technology Surfaces Get Laser-Produced Textures I
n many industries, surface texture has become an important aspect of product design. It not only provides the means to refine the physical appearance of an item, but also allows a company to influence tactile impressions of their products. As a result, surface texturing has become an important aspect of product design for ap- plications as diverse as automotive, medical, and moldmaking. Laser-texturing technology is a fully digitized manufacturing process that can produce detailed and nuanced texturing, microstructuring, engraving, marking, and labeling of 2-D and 3-D geometries, said Gisbert Ledvon, business development man- ager, GF AgieCharmilles (Lincolnshire, IL). “Our laser texturing technology can achieve a much higher level of detail than chemical etching for greater creativity in part design
Laser-texturing technology is a fully digitized manufacturing process that can produce detailed and nuanced texturing, giving product designers both refined appearance and tactile qualities.
across a wide variety of materials, including plastics, graphite, aluminum, copper, steel, carbide, brass, and ceramics.”
The textured surface is produced by a laser that turns material directly from solid to gas. The Laser 1000 5Ax machine from GF Agie Charmilles uses a pulsed laser to produce 2-D and 3-D details from a high-quality digital im- age, allowing for completely reproducible results for specific textures, engravings, marks, or labels in both large and small batches. At IMTS, the machine was paired with an integrat- ed pallet changer to demonstrate its repeatability in produc- ing precise complex 3-D texturing on airbags and other automotive molds. Special surface textures can be created on surgical implants, often made of titanium, to stimulate bone or tissue growth onto or around the implant to secure it in place.
Laser-texturing machines produce precise repeatable patterns and textures directly from digital files with no variations from component to component or within a metal mold.
The Laser 1000 5Ax has two optical and five mechanical axes and construction using a cast iron body that produces a stable machining platform. Linear scales and rotary encoders ensure maximum accuracy, and a 20-W Ytterbium pulsed fiber laser is standard with a 50-W option available. The machine is equipped with a programmable tilting laser head,