Driving success inautomotive production• Electric motor (enamel removal)

Lasers are used in all areas of car manufacturing
The automotive industry utilises a diverse

Lasers are often used in conjunction

composites, textiles, leather, glass andthroughput can be improved withrange of materials, including plastics,

rubber. From the smallest interior trim

components to large pillars and bumpers,
from windows, windscreen wipers anddoor seals to seatbelts and airbags,

CO2 lasers can replace conventional tools
throughout the manufacturing process.

Processes include cutting, drilling, ablationand marking.

with robot systems; productivity andautomated robot cells performing multiple
laser processes. Laser systems produce

consistent quality and low rejection rates,
and have the flexibility to adapt easily to
new designs.

• Number plate (plastic cutting)• Air intake duct (plastic cutting)• Air filter (rubber/foam cutting)• Brake disc (metal cleaning)• Wing mirror (glass cutting)• Windscreen wiper (rubber marking)• Dashboard (plastic drilling/cutting)• Seatbelt (textile cutting)• Interior panels - roof, parcel shelf, etc.
(textile/laminate cutting)• Spoiler (paint removal)• Window (glass marking)• Door seals (rubber drilling)• Car seat (textile cutting)• A-pillar trim (textile cutting)• Alloy wheels (paint removal)• Tyre (rubber marking)• Headlight cover/lens (plastic degating)• Parking sensor(plastic cutting, paint removal)

The automotive industry uses textiles ina variety of ways, from interior trim andupholstery to seatbelts and airbags. Laser

Case study:
textile cutting

cutting is now commonplace within theindustry and offers numerous advantages
over traditional mechanical methods.

Laser cutting is flexible, fast and precise,and produces a high quality finish. Fabricwaste can be trimmed from the edgesof moulded interior pillars with ease,using robots to follow the contours of the3-dimensional parts. Textiles for upholstery
can be cut from sheets of fabric at highspeed. In many cases the laser melts andseals the edge of the material, reducing therisk of fraying; this is important from bothan aesthetic and a functional point of view.

CO2 lasers can cut cloth for car seats, airbags and seat belts

Rubber is cut by lasers to

Case study:

make windscreen wipers

rubber cutting and drilling
Rubber processing is common in theautomotive industry, where holes are drilled
in rubber car door seals and sheets ofrubber are cut to make gaskets, seals andwindscreen wiper blades.

Door and tailgate seals are made by drilling
holes in hollow rubber extrusions; this isdone on the fly using our MULTISCAN to
track the moving product. This versatile
CO2 laser marking system may also be

used for marking various automotive parts

with information; these include plasticcomponents, wiper blades and car windows.
Laser processing ensures that rubber
profiles are cut with high accuracy.

The non-contact nature of the process

eliminates downtime due to tool wear andbreakage, increasing the efficiency
of production.

Laser drilling of drainage

holes in rubber seals for car
doors or tailgatesCase study:
e-mobility

Electric motors use copper “hairpins”, thicklittle downtime or tooling needed for any

which replace traditional components

the laser beam over the required area,

rectangular copper wires up to 6mm wide,
made with copper windings. Hairpins arecoated with a dielectric enamel (PEEK,PFA-PI, PA) to provide electrical isolation;
this enamel must be partially removed
so that the hairpins can be welded forelectrical contacting.

Mechanical processes damage the surfaceof the copper and remove a thin layer ofexpensive copper.

Laser processing is contactless, without
ablation or loss of copper, and with verychanges. A galvanometer scanner passes
turning the hairpin midway through toprocess all sides, while leaving the copper
undamaged.

In Luxinar’s application laboratory wehave demonstrated that copper removalusing our CO2 lasers is a very fast process.
Removal rates depend on the type andthickness of coating, as well as the coating
method (cross layer), but there is nomaterial loss (cost of copper) when a CO2

laser is used.

CO2 lasers are used to remove enamel
coating on copper hairpins

Electric motor hairpin manufacturing

uses lasers as they are contactless, fastand there are no material losses

Case study:

laser processing of plastic parts
Plastics are extensively used in modernAll of these materials can be processed

engine compartment to the interior.

cutting or drilling holes for fixing points,

cars, appearing everywhere from theMaterials such as ABS, PC/ABS andpolypropylene are moulded to form

dashboard panels, interior pillars, bumpers,
spoilers and air ducts, while transparent
polycarbonate and acrylic materials areusing CO2 lasers. Typical processes include:

lights, switches and parking sensors;

trimming or degating excess plastic left

over from the injection moulding/forming
process; surface texturing and/or paintremoval from selected areas.

utilised for light housings. Composites

and laminates are used for number plates,fascias and other components.

Excess plastic from injection moulding islaser trimmed for dashboards

Plastic (PP/PE) car dashboard is drilled by laser

Case study:

robotic plastic cutting
Lasers are often used in conjunction

with robot systems in order to follow thecontours of 3-dimensional parts. Holescan be cut in dashboards and pillars, edges
can be trimmed, and waste material leftby the injection moulding process can beremoved.

For these applications, typically aLuxinar OEM 65iX, SCX 35 or SR series

laser is used in conjunction with a robot
arm in order to steer the beam aroundthe 3-dimensional contours of the part. In
some cases, several laser processes may
be performed within a single robot cell,improving production efficiency.  

Laser processing is fast, flexible andconsistent, and robot cells can often be

fully automated to increase productivity.

Headlamp housings and lenses madefrom clear plastic can be laser trimmed toremove tabs of waste left by the injection
moulding process

There are three ways in which the laser can be integrated in robotic applications:

How do you bring the laser beam
to the workpiece?

METHOD 1

The laser is mounted directly onto a robot arm and the beam is transferred to theworkpiece by a sophisticated articulated beam delivery. The robot is programmed to cut
relatively complex shapes while always keeping the beam in focus.
For this method to be successful:• The laser must be sufficiently compact to allow mounting on the robot arm.

• The laser must be able to withstand G-forces generated by robot movement.

• The robot must be large and powerful enough to support and move the laser.
METHOD 2

The laser is stationary and the robot moves the part in front of a fixed laser beam – asimpler mechanical process, which is good for smaller robots. A galvanometer scanner isoften used to steer the laser beam as the part is offered up by the robot.
METHOD 3

Both the laser and parts are stationary and the robot moves a laser-mounted articulated
arm to the desired position to process the parts.

SR laser from Luxinar mounted directly onto a robot arm(courtesy of Robot Technology GmbH)Benefits of

CO2 lasers vs conventional
mechanical processing:• Non-contact process increases productivity• No tool wear or breakage means downtime is reduced• Lower tool cost (digital process)• High level of accuracy• Fast and consistent process reduces time to market• Flexible method that is easily automated• No/less maintenanceA watertight laser technology
Our SR series CO2 laser sources, SR 08s, SR 10i, SR 15i, SR15s and SR 25i, are all IP66

rated to ensure a high level of protection against water and dust ingress. This, together
with the reliability that our customers have come to expect from Luxinar, guarantees awatertight laser technology.
• IP66 rating• Wavelengths 10.6µm, 10.25µm, 9.3µm• Integrated and field replaceable RF power supplies• Compact, lightweight laser sources• Simple diagnostics• Minimum shipment power 20% higher than rated power
The simple control interface and compact mechanical design of the units allow easy

integration into laser-based processing machines used for cutting, marking, perforatingand drilling, among others. Throughput, economy, flexibility and reliability are the mainfeatures associated with the SR series of CO2 laser sources.

SR series – 80-250W
sealed CO2 laser sourcesPower range of 20-350W• IP56 rating• Wavelength 10.6µm• Separate RF power supplies for flexible integration• Minimum shipment power 20% higher than rated power
The SCX 35 laser source, with an output power of up to 350W, is designed for integration
into industrial processing systems and is often used for cutting applications such as
plastics and wood. It includes a separate RF power supply which enables the laser

to produce short optical pulses with high peak power or quasi-CW output. Due to its
lightweight and robust design, this CO2 laser is ideal for robotic applications and canbe integrated exceptionally well into systems with scanners or other beam guidancecomponents.

SCX 35 – 350W

sealed CO2 laser sources

OEM series – 450-1000W
sealed CO2 laser sources
Power outputs up to 1000W• Most lasers are available in wavelengths 10.6µm, 10.25µm, 9.3µm• A high quality, round, symmetrical beam for high-speed processing applications• Short optical pulse for improved edge quality and minimal HAZ• Minimum shipment power 20% higher than rated power

The OEM series of CO2 lasers represents a compact solution that can be easily integrated

into industrial processing production lines. The RF power supply enables the laser toproduce short optical pulses with high peak power or quasi-CW output. There is also theoption for an absorbing thin film reflector (ATFR) to prevent back reflection issues.
The OEM series lasers use a single resonator design, producing laser light with alinear polarisation. With a beam quality of K > 0.8, power and precision are definingcharacteristics of these lasers. Since many equipment manufacturers purchase thisrange to integrate into their equipment, these OEM laser sources are available without
the laser housing, if desired.

MULTISCAN HE/VS – 125W
CO2 laser marking systems

The MULTISCAN range of CO2 laser marking systems offers an inklessmethod of applying alphanumeric text, QR codes, 2D and traditional

barcodes, as well as complex graphics to a wide variety of materials;
marks can be made on substrates including glass, plastics, wood,paper, card, painted metals, and more. The flexible software allows

intelligent data to be placed anywhere within the specified scan area,

and the system can mark stationary objects or moving products which
need to be coded on the fly.

• Clean, ink-free production lines• Static or on the fly marking, scribing and drilling• Large scan area, up to 300x300mm• High quality vector generation for precise rendering of graphics• Low maintenance – fit and forget• Available in three wavelengths – 10.6μm, 10.25μm and 9.3μm

Applications laboratories
Could a CO2 laser be used to enhance your automotive production process? We can help

you to find out by testing samples of your product.

Our applications lab facilities are open to both new and existing customers and OEMs.

Our laboratories are well equipped to carry out a range of processes, including marking
and cutting.

We offer rapid sample turnaround times, detailed application reports, and complimentary
advice from our experienced applications engineers.

We carry out application tests using your actual product samples. Guided by yourobjectives, we will try to replicate the conditions of your application as closely as possiblein the lab.

Upon completion, you will receive a detailed report outlining our findings, along withsome laser-processed samples for your evaluation. Most application tests can becompleted within 10 working days.

Whatever your process, we can help you to find the best laser for your application.

Contact us on https://www.luxinar.com/contact/ or info@luxinar.com
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