New Tool for Transparent Plastic Laser Welding | Changguang Huaxin Launches 1710nm Direct Semiconductor Laser

With the development of new material processing technologies, plastic products are widely used in fields such as aviation, shipbuilding, automobiles, medical devices, food packaging, and daily chemical products due to their characteristics of being lightweight, corrosion-resistant, having good insulation, and excellent molding and processing performance. Industries like medical devices and food packaging have extremely high requirements for welding efficiency and quality, demanding green and environmentally friendly processes, excellent water and air tightness, and sterility without dust... Transparent plastic laser welding machines perfectly meet these needs and are leading the new market for transparent plastic laser welding applications.

▲Medical Plastics

It is well known that the average efficiency of plastic laser welding has already exceeded traditional welding processes by 2 to 3 times, possessing very obvious process advantages. And The 1710nm wavelength laser has an absorption rate in transparent/white plastics several to ten times higher than lasers with shorter wavelengths. , it can perfectly weld transparent plastic components together, offering more flexible use and more aesthetically pleasing welds, such as Changguang Huaxin's 1710nm direct semiconductor laser completes a complex plastic welding process in just a few seconds.

Low power, high efficiency!

Transparent/white plastics have a strong absorption rate for 1710nm lasers. From the figure below, we can analyze that transparent plastics absorb 1710nm lasers better than 2μm fiber lasers, and the output power of 1710nm lasers does not require at least 100W like 808nm and 980nm lasers; generally, only tens of watts of optical power are sufficient for most applications. Lower power means lower laser usage costs, smaller size, and greater practicality.

▲Absorption spectra of common plastics

▲Transmittance of different wavelength lasers in transparent PMMA and PC plastics

The 1710nm direct semiconductor laser solution can save energy up to more than 10 times compared to solid-state lasers or CO2 lasers, and saves 30% energy compared to fiber lasers.

Fully independent, more reliable!

The laser wavelength of semiconductor lasers is determined by the compound semiconductor materials used. Changguang Huaxin has always focused on the research and production of gallium arsenide and indium phosphide semiconductor material systems, with leading domestic and advanced international technology levels. Semiconductor lasers made from indium phosphide materials can cover wavelengths from 900 to 2000nm. Based on market demand for transparent / white material welding, Changguang Huaxin actively developed 1710nm semiconductor lasers based on indium phosphide materials and successfully developed 1710nm high-power semiconductor laser diode single-chip chips. 。

Based on the 1710nm high-power semiconductor laser diode single-chip chip, Changguang Huaxin successfully developed a 50W fiber-coupled module with a 400μm/NA0.22 output fiber.

▲1710 nm fiber-coupled module LIV curve and aging power variation

The upper left figure is the LIV curve, the upper right figure is the spectrum at 18A current, and the lower figure is the aging power variation curve at 19A current.

(Image source: Changguang Huaxin)

The above figures show the LIV curve of the fiber-coupled module under 25℃ test conditions, the spectrum at 18A current, and the aging power variation curve at 19A current. The aging time has exceeded 6000 hours. From the aging power variation curve, it can be seen that the module output power has not significantly decreased, demonstrating high reliability.

Mass-produced products, quality assurance!

Based on the excellent product performance of Changguang Huaxin's 1710 nm fiber-coupled module, Changguang Huaxin simultaneously launched a 1710 nm wavelength semiconductor laser product. This product is mainly used for laser penetration welding of transparent plastics under 1 mm thickness and has been applied in batches at client sites, receiving good market feedback in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness.

▲ Changguang Huaxin 1710nm Semiconductor Laser

The figure below shows the test results after Changguang Huaxin used the 1710nm semiconductor laser to weld transparent plastics.

▲ Welding effect of two transparent plastic thin plates

▲ Welding effect of transparent plastic tubes

Plastic laser welding technology is a revolutionary green and environmentally friendly near-net-shape forming technology with extremely broad development and application prospects. Changguang Huaxin is one of the earliest companies in China to initiate projects, mass-produce, and sell high-power direct semiconductor lasers. Relying on a complete vertical industry chain platform, Changguang Huaxin became the first domestic company to develop and produce semiconductor lasers with fully independent intellectual property rights at wavelengths of 1310 nm and 1710 nm. At the same time, it also has corresponding technical reserves in the 1100-2000nm band and possesses the capability to quickly transition from research and development to mass production, providing strong support for the development of China's laser plastic welding industry.