Jul 31 2010
The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT has announced that it will present a laser-based plastics welding machine, the TransTWIST.
Microfluidics component made of plastic, welded using TransTWIST
The institute will present the product at the 2010 International Plastics and Rubber Trade Fair to be held in Düsseldorf from October 27 to November 3, 2010. At the trade show, researchers will demonstrate lap-welding of two transparent plastic joining partners with laser radiation.
The Fraunhofer ILT’s researchers have developed the TransTWIST, which is ideal for the use in the field of bio-biomedical, particularly in design, packaging industry, and microfluidics applications. The TransTWIST is capable of welding transparent joining partners and this process requires no laser absorbers.
The technique is a major development in polymer laser welding, and it avoids the necessity of an elaborate pretreatment, thereby saving process costs and time. The plastics welding machine delivers high-quality welds that are devoid of weld marks and restrict the zone from heat.