Introduction

AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 Thermally Conductive Insulator is part of a product line of similar materials, including TC900S and AOK® TC2000. AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 was selected for testing for compatibility with laser processing and consists of a fiberglass substrate with a silicone film on either side. TC1200-T023 is 0.23mm thick with all three layers. A diagram depicting the layers of the TC1200-T023 is shown in Figure 1.AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 is a flexible thermally conductive silicone film. It is primarily used as a heat sink in electronics. TC1200-T023 is also utilized in LED lighting, LCD displays, and mass storage devices. This material is suitable for both laser cutting and marking; however other processes are not suggested as they are not conducive to the intended uses of AOK Technologies TC1200-T023. The non-contact nature of laser cutting allows applications to be processed with small features and fine geometry, which might be difficult to achieve with traditional mechanical methods. Laser cutting of this material produces smooth processed edges and minimal heat-affected zones, without degrading the physical properties of the material beyond a limited heat-affected zone. Laser marking of this material produces a highly readable permanent surface mark. Universal Laser Systems (ULS) makes it simple to consistently and repeatedly process this material to a high degree of dimensional accuracy since the non-contact nature of laser cutting greatly reduces charring during processing.

Laser Processing Notes

AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 was tested to assess laser processing compatibility and determine the best configuration of laser peak power and wavelength for this material. Laser cutting of this material produces a nominal amount of surface debris from the silicone layers, which may require post-process cleaning using a mild solvent such as isopropanol. A comparison of the material processed showed that the 10.6µm laser produced significantly more surface debris than that of the 9.3µm laser. After cleaning the debris from the samples, no difference in edge quality or heat-affected zone was observed between the 9.3µm and 10.6µm samples. A microscopy image taken at 300x magnification of the edge quality of the TC1200-T023 with the liners in place is shown in Figure 2. The 3D image in Figure 3 depicts how the film responds to laser cutting with the recommended system configuration of a 75 watt 9.3μm CO₂ laser source. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting C1200-T023 is shown in Figure 4.Further analysis of the material shows that the materials can be cleanly marked with a 50 watt 1.06µm fiber laser source. The black silicone layer absorbs 1.06µm energy more efficiently for marking than other laser wavelengths offered by ULS, meaning less peak power was necessary to produce high quality marks with minimal heat affects. Figure 4 illustrates an example of laser marking AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 using the recommended fiber laser system configuration.

Processing Example

AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 applications requiring fine geometry and detail can be accomplished with ULS technology without degrading the physical properties of the material. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting TC1200-T023 is shown in Figure 4.Conclusion

AOK Technologies TC1200-T023 is suitable for both CO₂ and fiber laser processing and was extensively tested to determine the optimal processing configuration. Through this testing, it was determined that both laser cutting and marking are viable processes. A 75 watt 9.3µm CO₂ laser source is the best configuration for the laser cutting of this material. The substrate efficiently absorbs the 9.3µm wavelength laser energy to produce a clean, smooth, processed edge that has a minimal heat affected zone and no discoloration. A 50 watt 1.06µm fiber laser source is the best configuration for the laser marking of this material. The TC1200-T023 efficiently absorbs the 1.06µm wavelength laser energy to produce a permanent surface mark that is highly readable.