Add functional or decorative perforations to your products with precision laser perforating.

Laser perforating utilizes a fast, clean, non-contact method to create uniform laser perforations without the use of hard tooling. Laser perforations exhibit more uniform, round holes than is possible with conventional perforating machines. Instead of punching through the material with needles (and sometimes causing tears), laser perforating systems vaporize the material, leaving little residue or processing artifacts. Different hole sizes can be achieved by varying the laser beam’s spot size or power without incurring extra tooling costs.

 

Applications for laser perforating can include:

 

• Breathable or modified atmosphere packaging to preserve food quality
• Venting for rapid filling and package compression/palletization to reduce shipping costs and improve shipment stability
• Easy-open tear strips for pouches and cartons
• Perforations between sheets of parts for easy separation
• Decorative patterns on greeting cards, invitations, business cards, promotional materials, and more

 

Laser Perforating Flexible Packaging Films

One of the most common applications for laser perforating is in the flexible packaging industry, to create breathable or microwavable packaging. A common processing method used to create microperforations involves the use of needles to puncture flexible packaging films. These mechanical perforating systems create small tears in the material, which can weaken and degrade the package’s barrier capabilities and compromise its contents. On the other hand, precision LaserSharp® laser perforating systems selectively vaporize flexible materials, thermally sealing the edges of perforated holes. This results in uniform, clean, round holes free of processing artifacts or fragments. Holes sizes as small as 50 µm can be achieved with accuracy using laser processing. Lasers can be used to create partial perforations in order to maintain a hermetic seal. In this case, the laser beam only partially penetrates the film without creating a hole all the way through the material. This allows gas and air to slowly exchange, while protecting the contents from outside contaminants.

 

Another issue with mechanical perforating methods, specifically hot needle perforating, is that holes may become clogged with material during processing, as films are pierced rather than vaporized. For example, during hot needle perforating, when a needle penetrates a material the heat often liquefies the sealant layer. When the needle retracts and is removed, it pulls some of the sealant back through the opening. This can partially block perforated holes, leading to inaccurate breathing rates. In some cases, the total amount and frequency of perforated holes in a package can be reduced using laser perforating as compared to mechanical methods. Because needle perforating creates inconsistent holes that vary in size, more holes may be required to achieve the same breathing rate as a smaller amount of uniform, precise laser perforated holes.

 

Consistent, perforated holes enhance both the appearance of a package and its effectiveness in maintaining specific barrier properties which preserve a package’s contents. Additionally, laser perforating can be combined with laser scoring to also add easy-open tear strips to pouches or bags, creating a more efficient production solution for flexible packaging. Laser modules can be integrated into existing material handling equipment or a system can be custom designed.

 

Laser Perforating Papers and Plastics

In addition to flexible packaging applications, laser perforations can also be used in decorative and functional manners for a wide range of additional applications. Use laser perforating on graphic arts pieces such as invitations and greeting cards as a design embellishment combined with other laser cut details for an eye-caching piece. Or laser perforate paper packaging and boxes for visual interest, or to slightly reveal the contents within. Laser perforating can also be used to create easy-open tear strips in folding cartons.
Additionally, laser perforating can be utilized for medical and electronic applications or labels to separate parts on a sheet or roll for easy separation. For a complete efficient solution, LaserSharp® digital converting systems can accomplish many laser processes in a single production run. Laser perforating can be combined with other laser processes such as cutting, scoring, kiss-cutting, etching, and ablating, resulting in finished components in less time.