Laser Processing of 3M™ 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film
Laser Processing of 3M™ 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film
Introduction
The 3M™ 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film is part of the product line of similar materials referred to as 3M Device Component Films for Medical Device Components. The product line includes 3M 9960 Diagnostic Microfluidic Hydrophilic Film and 3M 9962 Diagnostic Microfluidic Hydrophilic Film. 3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film was selected for testing compatibility with laser processing. The 99µm thick, optically clear polyester film is treated on one side with a 3M hydrophilic technology coating, a layer less than 1µm thick on one side. A diagram depicting the layers of the 3M 9984 film is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. 3M 9984 film diagram showing the 3M hydrophilic technology coating one side (<1µm) of the polyester film (99µm).
3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film is an optically clear, chemically inert film that bonds well with adhesives and is qualified for use in the health care field. 3M 9984 is used for bonding, laminating and assembly of in-vitro diagnostic and related membrane-based immunoassay products. 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. 3M 9984 is only suitable for laser cutting which produces smooth edges and minimal heat-affected zones, without degrading the physical properties of the materials beyond a limited heat-affected zone. Other laser processes are not suggested as they are not conducive to the intended use of this material. Universal Laser Systems makes it simple to consistently and repeatedly process this material to a high degree of dimensional accuracy, as the non-contact nature of laser cutting greatly reduces irregularities during processing.
Laser Processing Notes
3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film was tested to assess laser processing compatibility and determine the best configuration of peak laser power and wavelength. The 3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film absorbs 9.3µm energy more efficiently than other laser wavelengths available from Universal Laser Systems, meaning less peak power was necessary to produce good results with minimal heat effects. With the configuration of 30 watts of 9.3µm laser energy, laser processing of 3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film produces a consistent edge along the processed path. Laser cutting of 3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film results in a small amount of debris along the edge requiring some cleaning by wiping the edge with a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol after laser cutting. A microscopy image taken at 300x magnification of the edge of 9984 is shown in Figure 2.
The 3D image in Figure 3 depicts how the polyester film reacts to the laser energy by forming a “wave” of melted material along the top surface of the edge (red area).
Figure 2. Microscopy image (300x) of the edge after laser cutting 3M 9984 film. The heat-affected zone measures to 100µm.
Figure 3. 3D Microscopy image (300x) of the edge of 3M 9984 film.
3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film was also tested with an alternate system configuration of 10.6µm laser energy at equivalent laser power level. The results of these tests were compared by analyzing the heat effects, edge quality, and post processing requirements. The results of the comparison of these system configurations are listed in tabular form in Table 1 and shown photographically in Figure 4. The 9.3µm configuration produces a noticeably better edge when laser cutting this material and is the recommended configuration.
Table 1. System Configuration Comparison
System Configuration
Heat-Affected Zone
Process Characteristics
Post-Processing Requirements
9.3µm (Recommended)
Minimal heat-affected zone of approximately 100µm
The 9.3µm laser energy has the advantage of better absorption by the material resulting in a consistent edge along the processed path with a reduced heat-affected zone
Post-processing requirements include the removal of slight deposition from the surface using light abrasion and a solvent such as isopropyl alcohol
10.6µm
Increased heat-affected zone of approximately 125µm
This configuration results in an increased heat-affected zone and less consistency in the edge along the processed path
Figure 4. Comparison microscopy images (300x) of the edge using the 9.3µm wavelength (left), and 10.6µm wavelength (right).
Processing Example
3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film applications requiring fine geometry and intricate detail without degrading the physical properties of the material can be accomplished with technology from Universal Laser Systems. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting 3M 9984 film is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Example of the fine geometry possible with laser cutting of 3M 9984 film.
Conclusion
3M 9984 Diagnostic Microfluidic Surfactant Free Fluid Transport Film is suitable for laser processing and was extensively tested to determine the optimal processing configuration. Through this testing it was determined that laser cutting is a viable process and a 30 watt 10.6µm or 9.3µm CO2 laser source is the best configuration for the processing of this material. The polyester substrate efficiently absorbs the 10.6 or 9.3µm wavelength to produce a clean edge that has minimal heat-affected zone and discoloration.
