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Manufacturing Pain Points Behind the Explosive Growth of the Flexible Sensor Industry
According to the 2025 Global Flexible Electronics Industry Report, the market size is expected to exceed $57.2 billion, widely used in wearable devices, smart cars, medical monitoring, and other fields. However, the industry faces three major challenges:
· Material Adaptation Dilemma: New flexible materials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and polyimide (PI film) account for over 60%. Traditional mechanical processing easily causes material deformation or edge carbonization.
· Structural Precision Bottleneck: Processing requirements such as 5μm-level electrode line width and 0.1mm hole spacing far exceed the 100μm precision limit of traditional lithography.
· Mass Production Efficiency Plight: Complex processes such as multi-layer stacking and curved surface forming rely on manual adjustment, with the yield rate of a single production line generally below 80%.
Laser cutting machines, with their non-contact processing, high-energy density focusing, and programmable path planning, have become a key technology to overcome these challenges, driving flexible sensors from laboratory samples to large-scale production.
Four Key Technological Breakthroughs of Laser Cutting Machines in Empowering Flexible Sensor Manufacturing
1. Precision Processing Solutions for Full Material Adaptation
Aiming at the diverse material systems of flexible sensors, laser cutting machines achieve precise processing through multi-light source collaborative technology:
UV Laser Cold Processing (355nm Wavelength): Cuts 10μm line-width strain sensor electrodes on 0.05mm-thick PET film with a heat-affected zone <2μm, avoiding material thermal deformation.
Femtosecond Laser Ultra-Precision Processing (Pulse Width <500fs): Achieves carbon-free connection in silver nanowire electrode welding with a solder joint diameter of only 5μm, increasing electrical conductivity by 30%.
CO₂ Laser Structuring: Completes the preparation of a 20cm×20cm porous graphene array in 30 seconds, 100 times more efficient than traditional chemical vapor deposition, suitable for flexible pressure sensor substrates.
Case Evidence: A medical device manufacturer used the laser cutting solution to process flexible ECG electrodes on 0.1mm-thin PI film, with an annual production capacity of over 2 million pieces per line and electrode impedance fluctuation controlled within ±2%.
2. Revolutionary Improvement in Three-Dimensional Precision Processing Capability
Through five-axis linkage systems and intelligent path algorithms, laser cutting machines achieve high-precision forming of complex flexible sensor structures:
Technical Indicator | Traditional Mechanical Processing | Laser Cutting Technology | Performance Improvement |
Minimum Line Width | 100μm | 5μm | 20 times |
Curvature Radius of Curved Surface Processing | ≥1mm | 0.05mm | 20 times |
Multi-Layer Material Cutting Precision | ±50μm | ±1μm | 50 times |
Three-Dimensional Curved Surface Forming: The ±135° double-swing head structure supports microfluidic channel processing on curved glass and silicone substrates with an R-angle precision of 0.05mm, meeting the curved surface fitting requirements of wearable skin sensors.
Multi-Layer Heterogeneous Material Peeling: Laser energy gradual attenuation technology achieves precise layered cutting of 10-layer PI film with an interlayer positioning error <5μm, solving the interlayer offset problem in traditional processes.
3. Intelligent Production Systems Reconstructing the Manufacturing Process
Laser cutting equipment equipped with AI algorithms builds an intelligent production line for flexible sensors:
Process Parameter Self-Adaptation: Built-in 1000+ material processing databases automatically match laser power (5-50W) and scanning speed (100-500mm/s) according to input material types (such as PDMS and silver paste coatings), reducing manual debugging time by 70%.
Full-Process Quality Control: Integrated visual inspection systems and vibration sensors real-time monitor cutting edge roughness (<10μm) and equipment vibration (<5μm/s), increasing the yield rate to 99.2%.
Cloud Connectivity: Supports MES system docking for remote monitoring of equipment energy consumption and consumable life (such as laser tube life early warning), helping enterprises achieve digital workshop management.
4. Process Integration Urge New Manufacturing Models
Laser cutting machines break through single-processing limitations and achieve multi-process collaborative production:
Cutting + Welding Integration: After cutting sensor electrodes on 0.1mm-thin metal foil, 5μm solder joint laser welding is simultaneously performed, reducing process transfer losses.
Surface Modification for Performance Enhancement: Femtosecond lasers etch micro-scale bump arrays on PI film surfaces, increasing the friction force of sensor skin fitting by 40%, suitable for sports monitoring patches.
Microstructure Functional Processing: Processes φ20μm air hole arrays on PDMS films, reducing the response time of humidity sensors from 10 seconds to 3 seconds, meeting the needs of harsh environment monitoring.
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What are the precautions for operating a laser marking machine?
1. It is strictly prohibited to start the laser power supply and Q-switching power supply when there is no water or the water circulation is abnormal.
2. The Q power supply is not allowed to operate without load (i.e., the output terminal of the Q power supply should be left floating).
3. In case of any abnormal phenomenon, first turn off the galvanometer switch and the key switch, and then conduct a check.
4. It is not allowed to start other components before the krypton lamp is lit to prevent high voltage from entering and damaging the components.
5. Pay attention to leaving the output terminal (anode) of the laser power supply suspended to prevent sparking and breakdown with other electrical appliances.
6. Keep the internal circulating water clean. Regularly clean the water tank and replace it with clean deionized water or pure water.
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What should we do when laser intensity decreases and the marking is not clear enough?
1. Turn off the machine and check if the laser resonant cavity has changed; Fine-tune the resonant cavity lens. Make the output light spot the best;
2. The acousto-optic crystal is offset or the output energy of the acousto-optic power supply is too low;
Adjust the position of the audio-visual crystal or increase the working current of the audio-visual power supply;
3. The laser entering the galvanometer deviates from the center: Adjust the laser;
4. If the current is adjusted to around 20A but the light sensitivity is still insufficient: the krypton lamp is aging. Replace it with a new one.
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How to maintain a UV laser cutting machine?
1. It is required to carry out regular cleaning every day, remove debris from the countertop, limiters and guide rails, and spray lubricating oil on the guide rails
2. The waste materials in the collection box should be cleared regularly to prevent excessive waste from blocking the exhaust port.
3. Clean the chiller once every 15 days, drain all the internal water, and then fill it with fresh pure water.
4. The reflector and focusing lens should be wiped with a special cleaning solution every 6 to 8 hours.
When wiping, use a cotton swab or cotton swab dipped in the cleaning solution to wipe from the center to the edge of the focusing lens in a counterclockwise direction.
At the same time, be careful not to scratch the lens.
5. The indoor environment can affect the lifespan of the machine, especially in damp and dusty conditions.
A damp environment is prone to causing rust on the reflective lenses and also easily leading to short circuits, discharge and sparking of the velvet laser.
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What accidents might be caused by the laser emission when using a laser cutting machine?
(1) A fire was caused by the laser coming into contact with flammable materials.
Everyone knows that the power of laser generators is very high, especially when it comes to high-power laser cutting machines, the temperature of the emitted laser is extremely high. The possibility of a fire being caused when a laser beam comes into contact with flammable objects is very high.
(2) Harmful gases may be produced when the machine is in operation.
For instance, when cutting with oxygen, it undergoes a chemical reaction with the cutting material, generating unknown chemical substances or fine particles and other impurities. After being absorbed by the human body, it may cause allergic reactions or discomfort in the lungs and other respiratory tracts. Protective measures should be taken when conducting work.
(3) Direct laser exposure to the human body can be harmful.
The damage caused by lasers to the human body mainly includes damage to the eyes and skin. Among the harms caused by lasers, the damage to the eyes is the most severe. Moreover, damage to the eyes is permanent. So when doing homework, you must pay attention to protecting your eyes.
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What is the focused spot diameter of nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond laser?
Nanosecond: The light spot is 0.5-1mm.
Picosecond: The focused spot is around 0.02mm.
Femtosecond: Under the action of a laser beam with a high repetition rate of 100-200KHz and a very short pulse width of 10ps,
the focused spot diameter is as small as 0.003mm.
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What are the main applications of UV laser cutting machine?
The UV laser cutting machine can be used for cutting and depaneling PCB.
It can precisely cut and shape various types of PCB circuit boards with V-CUT and stamp holes, and open Windows and covers.
It can also be used for separating packaged circuit boards and ordinary smooth boards.
It is suitable for cutting various types of PCB substrates, such as ceramic substrates, rigid-flex boards, FR4, PCBs, FPCs, fingerprint recognition modules, cover films, composite materials, copper substrates, aluminum substrates, etc.
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Precautions for laser cutting machines to process various metal materials?
Copper and brass:
Both materials have high reflectivity and excellent thermal conductivity.
Brass with a thickness of less than 1mm can be processed by nitrogen laser cutting.
Copper with a thickness of less than 2mm can be cut. The gas used for laser cutting processing must be oxygen.
Copper and brass can only be cut when a "reflective absorption" device is installed on the system. Otherwise, reflection will damage the optical components.
Synthetic materials:
Processable synthetic materials include: thermoplastics, thermosetting materials and artificial rubber.
Aluminum:
Despite its high reflectivity and thermal conductivity, aluminum materials with a thickness of less than 6mm can be cut, depending on the type of alloy and the capacity of the laser.
When cutting with oxygen, the cutting surface is rough and hard.
When nitrogen is used, the cutting surface is smooth.
Pure aluminum is extremely difficult to cut due to its high purity.
Only when a "reflection and absorption" device is installed on the fiber laser cutting machine system can aluminum materials be cut.
Otherwise, reflection will damage the optical components
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What should be paid attention to when laser cutting stainless steel?
Laser cutting processing of stainless steel requires the use of oxygen, under the condition that edge oxidation is not a concern.
If nitrogen is used to achieve an edge free of oxidation and burrs, no further processing is required.
Coating an oil film on the surface of the sheet will achieve a better perforation effect without reducing the processing quality.