In the first half of this year alone, there have been a number of reports of new laser welding equipment from major welding equipment suppliers, Pitney Bowes and Dukane, including spill reduction plastic welding and large welding machines specifically designed to weld complex profile parts. Also in the news, Panasonic Automotive Systems of Japan announced that it will develop and mass produce PBT molded plastics for laser welding. Its applications are in automotive switches and sensors. The new plastic reportedly enhances design flexibility and long-term reliability.
  
  OMCA, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and Germany's Lepco Optoelectronics are currently collaborating on a laser plastic welding technology. The technology saves manufacturers weight, time and cost compared to using conventional materials, while maintaining and even optimizing the part's cosmetic quality.
  
  In the plastic laser welding process, two plastic parts are joined together by laser radiation. The upper layer of the plastic being welded transmits energy, the lower layer absorbs energy, and the laser heats the material in the lower layer and bonds the two compatible materials together.
  
  The lower layer is usually based on a highly absorbent pigment, such as carbon black. In this technology partnership, LPKF provides the production equipment and the process solution for laser welding of plastics, while OMCA provides the customized coloring technology for the upper and lower layers.
  
  To achieve the best design aesthetics, OMCA says it is possible to color match the upper layer where the energy is delivered so that the laser can penetrate the upper layer and finish the laser welding on the lower layer where the energy is absorbed.
  
  The technology is widely used in the automotive, medical and FMCG industries. Brett Conway, head of the R&D group at OMCA, gave an example to explain the advantages of this technology: for welding automotive taillight housings, plastic laser welding ensures that the weld seam is strong. "With LPKF's welding equipment coupled with Omnicom's coloring technology, the seam is only visible along the top of the taillight, and its been used as part of the innovative design of the taillight.
  
  Although laser welding of plastics has been around for more than a decade, the market demand has only started to grow in recent years as automakers increasingly seek better quality solutions in manufacturing processes, lightweighting and robotic assembly," added LPKF boss Stephen Schmidt. Thanks to the ability to customize colors for most parts, it is possible to match laser welding to other parts of the vehicle interior or exterior."

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