Material family
Films & Laminates
Multi-layer packaging structures and polymer films for printed electronics — scoring, perforating, kiss-cutting, and contour cutting.
Also called: BOPP · PET · PE · metallized film · multi-layer laminate · printed electronics on PET · membrane switch overlay · polycarbonate (PC)
- Wavelengths
- CO₂ — 9.4 µm, 10.2 µm, or 10.6 µm depending on layer absorption; NIR 1064 nm or UV 355 nm where a metallized layer must be opened selectively
- Pulse regime
- Modulated CO₂ for scoring and perforating; nanosecond NIR or UV where a metal layer is in the stack
- Why the pulse regime matters →
Why these wavelengths
How deep a wavelength penetrates before it is absorbed decides which layer it heats and how much of the pulse reaches the next one. This family’s materials are on the chart. Add others to compare. Every curve is computed from published optical constants, not from our own claims. The sources are in the table below the chart.
Materials on the chart — up to 6 at a time
Gold lines are the laser wavelengths LasX runs; click a laser label to jump to it. Curves stop where the material is transparent for practical purposes — polymers below 1 cm⁻¹ (the datasets’ detection floor), glasses below 0.01 cm⁻¹ (penetration beyond 1 m).
Values at the laser wavelengths, and sources
| Material | 355 nm | 532 nm | 1064 nm | 9.36 µm (9.4 µm laser line) | 10.2 µm | 10.6 µm | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PET (polyester) | — | — | — | 558 cm⁻¹ 18 µm | 471 cm⁻¹ 21 µm | 199 cm⁻¹ 50 µm | Zhang et al. 2020 (Appl. Opt. 59; JQSRT 252) via refractiveindex.info, CC0 Clear, additive-free resin. Below 1 cm⁻¹ the data sit at the detection floor and are not drawn — the film is transparent there. |
| Polypropylene (BOPP / CPP) | — | — | — | — | — | 35 cm⁻¹ 290 µm | Coelho et al. 2004 (film); Kameyama et al. 2021 (sheet) Absorption peak near 10.2 µm (FTIR, Novanta 2021); measured at 10.6 µm; transparent through the visible and NIR. |
| Polyethylene (HDPE / LDPE) | — | — | — | — | — | 9.6 cm⁻¹ 1.0 mm | Coelho et al. 2004, Polymer Testing 23, 307 Measured films at 10.6 µm; no strong band anywhere in the CO₂ range; transparent through the visible and NIR. |
| Polyimide (Kapton) | 36,000 cm⁻¹ 278 nm | — | — | — | — | 690 cm⁻¹ 14 µm | Lippert 2004 (308 nm); Hüske, LPKF/IPC (355 nm, 10.6 µm) Strong UV absorber — 355 nm penetrates only ~0.3 µm. |
— : outside the dataset, or below its detection floor (transparent for practical purposes). Non-metals: α = 4πk/λ; penetration depth 1/α is where 63 % of the beam has been absorbed. Metals: A = 1 − R at normal incidence. All optical constants from the refractiveindex.info database (public domain, CC0); literature points as cited. Full source list and verification notes: docs/charts in the site repository.
Process data
| Achievable line speed | Trial data requiredPopulated from PhotonX trial results for this construction. |
|---|---|
| Kerf width | Trial data required |
| Heat-affected zone | Trial data required |
| Seal integrity after scoring | Trial data required |
| Metallized-layer behavior at 10.6 µm | Construction-dependentAluminum reflects most of a CO₂ beam. See the note on metallized film below. |
Entries marked “trial data required” have not been run on your specific construction. We publish only what we have measured.
Typical constructions
- PET / adhesive / PE
- BOPP / metallized / sealant
- Paper / foil / sealant
- Recyclable mono-material PE and PP
- Printed polymer electronics on PET film
What usually decides it
Wavelength selection matters more here than anywhere else. A structure that scores cleanly at 9.4 µm may char at 10.6 µm. Absorption differs with layer chemistry.
Flexible packaging is never one material. It is a stack, and each layer responds to the laser differently.
The exception: metallized film
Aluminum reflects most of the light at 10.6 µm. A metallized layer therefore behaves differently from the polymer around it. That does not rule the laser out. It means the process window has to be set in the lab, because a datasheet will not give it. Three things decide it:
- Which side the metal is on. A CO₂ beam entering through the polymer layers scores the film and stops at the reflective layer. That is exactly what a controlled-depth score wants. Entering from the metallized side is a different process.
- How thick the metal is. Vacuum-metallized layers are tens of nanometers thick. They open readily once the polymer beneath them is removed. Foil layers of several microns are a different material family; see Metal foils.
- Whether the goal is to keep the metal or remove it. Selective removal of a metallized layer uses an NIR or UV source that aluminum absorbs, not CO₂. Examples are antenna patterns, registration windows, and easy-open features.
We publish the solved cases as they are released for publication. Ask for the metallized-film examples when you submit a construction.
See it run
Fill in the missing numbers with your actual material.
Every trial adds to the measured record behind these pages. It also adds to the process model we are building to predict the window before the first test piece is cut.