ROFIN Introduces Revolutionary High-Speed Laser Glass Cutting Process for Industrial Mass Production

ROFIN Introduces Revolutionary High-Speed Laser Glass Cutting Process for Industrial Mass Production

Starnberg / Germany, August 2014 Cutting of brittle and transparent materials, like glass, is nothing less than a key technology for global mass markets. Smart phone and tablet shipments alone will surpass 1.5 billion units in 2014. Not to mention television and computer screens or upcoming devices like smart watches. ROFIN is now able to offer the most-advanced, all-laser cutting process for glass, sapphire, ceramics and other transparent, brittle materials: The IP protected SmartCleave™ FI laser cutting process.

Cutting display glass can be massively improved

Cutting glass with conventional, mechanical methods like diamond scribing and breaking is a relatively inexpensive process, but it comes with significant drawbacks due to relatively low scribing quality (micro-cracks, chipping) and accuracy. Typically, a number of additional time-consuming processing steps like grinding, masking and etching are necessary to remove the damage that had been introduced by mechanical processes, as well as to eventually achieve the required tolerance of the parts outer dimensions. Furthermore, mechanical methods quickly reach their limits, when complex geometries, like small radii, have to be generated Tool wear and the applied mechanical forces can lead to a significant amount of glass breakage and reduced production yields. Therefore, the glass manufacturing industry is always looking for alternative technologies to cut glass and other brittle, transparent materials with low damage and higher yields.

Limited laser cutting alternatives so far

Some laser processes are already used in glass manufacturing, but so far a single laser process has not been able to provide a comprehensive solution. Sometimes lasers are used to just drill holes or cut areas of complex shapes in an ablative method. But those processes would be way to slow to be applied on a full device. Fast laser processes, like CO

2-laser cutting still show accuracy limitations, especially when it comes to contour cuts. So, today often a combination of one (or more) laser and mechanical processes can be found in production of glass- or sapphire-based device production.

SmartCleave™ FI - a true game changer

SmartCleave™ FI is a kerf-less separation process for strengthened (chemically and thermally) and non-strengthened glass of 100 μm to 10 mm thickness and other brittle materials. It

Press Release – September 14

achieves greater 300 mm/s cutting speed. Straight, curved, angled and chamfered contours are possible as well as cutting of tubular or curved parts or stacks.

SmartCleave™ FI offers unmatched cutting quality with minimal micro-cracking and chipping and a surface roughness of Ra < 1μm. Parts cut with SmartCleave™ FI retain high bend strength and require minimal post-processing.

Compelling economics

Depending on material and thickness the parts are self-cleaving or just require little force or stress to cleave. This leads to a dramatic reduction of process steps and higher yield in industrial mass production. And finally it's a green technology without water use.

IP protected and unique

Through a recently completed asset deal, ROFIN acquired all intellectual property including trademarks, know-how, patents and patent applications of FiLaser USA LLC which are the foundation of SmartCleave™ FI. This technology opens the door to huge application area, especially but not at all limited to the consumer electronics area.

Press Release – September 14

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You will find the press release and the relevant pictures on our website: http://www.rofin.com/product_news

Please visit us at

GLASSTEC

October 21 – 24, 2014

Dusseldorf / Germany

Hall 11 / booth A18

We are looking forward to demonstrating the new game-changing laser glass cutting technology to you.

ROFIN Group, ROFIN Laser Micro

ROFIN-BAASEL Lasertech

Susanne Lötzsch

Petersbrunner Straße 1b

82319 Starnberg, GERMANY

Phone: +49-8151-776-4220

Fax: +49-8151-776-4159

s.loetzsch@baasel.de

www.rofin.com