CO2 laser supports electronics contract manufacturing at Z-AXIS, near Rochester, NY
September 18, 2017 – Z-AXIS has added a new CO2 laser to its center for design and contract manufacturing near Rochester, NY. The new 75-Watt laser is used for a variety of services related to manufacturing of PCB assemblies for commercial, industrial and medical applications. These include:
- Cutting foam and film for product packaging.
- Cutting FORMEX and other specialty materials to create components such as electrically insulating shields in PCB assemblies.
- Creating masks for conformal coating and other assembly tasks.
- Etching or engraving markings onto parts and assemblies.
Z-AXIS invested $36,000 in the USA-made Epilog Fusion M2 40 laser to replace its older CO2 laser system. With significantly higher throughput and accuracy, the Epilog laser allows Z-AXIS to increase both the production volume and the range of services it offers to its customers in this area.
“We use our CO2 laser to produce a wide range of precision-cut components for our customers, adding to the value of our PBC assembly services,” said Michael Allen, President of Z-AXIS. “Having the laser in-house, we can make custom components affordable and practical for our customers with low- to mid-volume production needs by eliminating the up-front expense of steel ruled dies.”
The new laser has a smaller spot size and uses servo motor drives to deliver faster, smoother and more accurate cutting. It has an accuracy of 0.010″ over its 40″ x 28″ work area. It is easily programmed by uploading engineering drawings, reducing programming time from hours to minutes in many cases. The air-cooled system has higher energy efficiency and lower maintenance requirements than the water-cooled system it replaces.
Z-AXIS also has a 20-Watt UV laser for cutting and depaneling rigid and flex circuit board materials that can’t be processed by a CO2 laser. This allows the company to make smaller, high-tolerance PCB assemblies.
Visit the company’s Manufacturing Services page for more information about the onshore contract manufacturing services offered by Z-AXIS.