Why can't PE film be cut by carbon dioxide and UV laser?

Polyethylene PE film has been widely used in industry and daily life, but its characteristics make it difficult to cut with CO2 laser and UV laser. Here we will explore why these two common laser cutting methods are difficult to apply to PE film.

鈻?Optical properties:

The wavelength of carbon dioxide is generally 10.6um, and PE film has high transmittance to this wavelength. High transmittance means that most of the laser energy penetrates without being absorbed, so it is difficult to generate enough heat on the surface of the PE film for cutting. Even if the laser energy is increased, it is difficult to locally heat the surface of the PE film to a temperature sufficient for cutting because most of the energy penetrates the film.

Ultraviolet lasers usually operate in the wavelength range of 200 to 400 nanometers. However, PE film also shows high transmittance for this wavelength range. UV light cannot be effectively absorbed by PE film, so it cannot generate enough heat for cutting.

鈻?amp;nbsp;Thermal conductivity:

PE is a material with low thermal conductivity. Even when the laser energy is absorbed, the surface temperature rises relatively slowly due to the slow heat conduction rate. This results in it being difficult to generate enough local high temperature on the PE film to achieve cutting even if the laser energy is absorbed.

鈻?amp;nbsp;Chemical Reaction:

Another impact is the chemical interaction between PE film and CO2 laser and UV laser. PE film is generally an inert material, meaning it does not easily react chemically with other substances. The energy of CO2 lasers and UV lasers may not be enough to trigger sufficient chemical reaction in PE film to produce the desired effect of cutting.

鈻?amp;nbsp;Surface characteristics:

PE film usually has a high surface smoothness, which makes it difficult for laser to produce sufficient local effect on the surface. Light is easily reflected on the smooth surface instead of being absorbed.

鈻?amp;nbsp;Advantages of other cutting methods:

Although laser cutting is very effective on many materials, other cutting methods may be more suitable for PE film. For example, mechanical cutting or thermal cutting may be easier to achieve because they do not rely on the material's absorption of the laser.

In summary, the characteristics of PE film, including its optical, thermal and chemical properties, make CO2 lasers and UV lasers difficult to cut. Although lasers are a powerful cutting tool on many materials, for some specific materials, other cutting methods need to be found to meet the needs.