Can’t Afford Gasket Guesswork?

In general terms, laser cutting is the ideal process for gasket fabrication. Most gasket materials are organic such as plastic, rubber or cellulose making not just laser cutting but laser marking too the ideal processing candidates.

A great deal of gasket manufacturing is for custom or semi-custom parts. Such parts normally need to be produced in short-time frames to meet tight customer schedules. Die design and fabrication is a time consuming process with the additional drawbacks of production inflexibility and storage with associated cataloguing.

Digital speed and flexibility

Laser cutting is the ideal solution for fast and flexible production. As a digital technology, users can move from design to finished part with no need for special tooling. This not only saves time but money – a rotary die can cost £1000s to manufacture. 

Laser cutting’s digital flexibility makes it the optimum medium for cutting complex gasket designs or designs with small openings. With die cutting, the cut pieces tend to stick in the die cavities especially with intricate designs or when the gasket material includes an adhesive layer. Laser cutting has no tools, so there are no surfaces for small pieces to adhere to.

End of touch and go

If there is a downside to laser cutting, it is in finding the optimum parameters to not just cut a specific material but take into account the thickness as well. More often than not the solution is reached through guesswork.

Gasket materials usually require a combination of wavelengths for cutting. With so many materials used in gasket fabrication, finding the right combination can often only be achieved through trial and error. This can take weeks, even months which, in a time stressed manufacturing environment can make the process unfeasible.

Intelligent Materials Database

Through their Intelligent Materials Database, our product partners Universal Laser offer a solution. This unique proprietary database is the most extensive repository of laser material processing parameters. Working with Universal Laser platforms, the database automatically calibrates optimal processing settings for hundreds of materials in the range of 10 to 500 watts.

By providing the necessary parameters, the Intelligent Materials Database eliminates the guesswork and makes laser processing relatively simple. It allows users to focus on being productive and by using only optimum settings for each material reduces the potential for any negative safety issues.

For further details of trial and error-free gasket fabrication and more information on Universal Laser Systems Intelligent Materials Database and range of laser cutting systems, please contact sales@tlm-laser.com