Efficient Production Solutions
Applied Laser Engineering Ltd – Twin Track Laser Technology
This new state of the art laser technology sets asides the historic link between the shape of a laser beam and the shape of a cell. This new approach, particularly applicable to mid and low screen counts, dynamically shapes the beam’s impact on the ceramic being engraved. Historically, with laser engraving, there has been a single-track approach of changing the size of a focused laser beam until it matched the size and volume of the required cell. The new Twin Track approach dynamically changes the laser power and laser beam position throughout a cell in order to change the cell shape or profile. This facilitates the engraving of flatter and wider bottomed cells, offering higher volume and improved release characteristics.
Several advantages of this new technology include:
1. With the Twin Track technique, defocusing the laser in order to fill out an Anilox cell is no longer necessary whereas in the past the laser beam had to be defocused creating an Energy Density Ceiling. All points of a cell can be reached by the focused laser beam and the power at each point in the cell can be controlled. This means the Energy Density Ceiling is no longer an issue, simply because Twin Track operates at close to sharp focus.
2. Always engraving close to sharp focus is a much easier task for engraving machine operators. Constantly changing the laser beam focus position is a time-consuming job, requiring frequent, skilled operator intervention.
3. With Twin Track, higher cell volumes can be obtained with a lower depth of engraving. This is because while the focused laser beam is moved around the Anilox cell, the laser power is varied, thus making a flatter cell bottom.
4. Because cell volume can be obtained with lesser depth, then ceramic coating thicknesses do not have to be so great.
5. Ink is more easily transferred from a flat bottom cell than a cell with a narrowing, pointed bottom.
6. The more difficult it is to get ink out of a cell, the more likely it is that old ink dries and plugs the cell. Less plugging, less frequent roll cleaning with flatter, open cell profiles.
7. Twin Track cells can easily provide higher cell volumes that are near unobtainable by the historic conventional method that is limited by the Energy Density Ceiling.
In conclusion the Twin Track engraving technique increases the range of engravings that can be produced by a laser engraving machine. This opens new market opportunities in the coatings and the applicator roll sectors.
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