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:
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.

LasX can help you build entire laser perforating systems for your unique production needs or can integrate laser modules into your existing equipment.
Additionally, our converting services teams will laser process your materials in-house, offering cost-effective contract production for both small and large volume runs.
Contact us to learn more about laser perforating equipment and services.