Introduction

Bergquist™ Sil-Pad A2000 is part of a product line of other thermal gap pad materials including 400, 800, 900S, 980, 1100ST, 1200, A1500, 1500ST, 2000, K-4, K-6, and K-10. The Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 sheet product selected for testing consists of three layers totaling 685µm thick. The center layer is a 381µm thick silicone elastomer reinforced with fiberglass strands. On each side of the elastomer there is a blue liner measuring 152µm thick. A diagram depicting Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 is shown in Figure 1.Henkel Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 is a silicone elastomer designed for use as electrically insulating, thermally conductive filler material between heat sources and heat sinks. The non-contact nature of laser processing enables this material to be processed with small features and fine geometry that would be difficult to achieve with traditional mechanical methods. Other laser processes are not recommended, as they are not conducive to the physical requirements and intended use of this material.

Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 is only suitable for laser cutting that produces even processed edges and minimal heat-affected zones without degrading the material’s physical properties. Universal Laser Systems MultiWave Hybrid™ technology makes it simple to process this material to a high degree of dimensional accuracy, with consistent processed edges, minimal heat affects, and virtually no material deformation during processing.

Laser Processing Notes

Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 was tested to assess laser processing compatibility and to determine the best configuration of peak laser power and wavelength. The silicone elastomer in Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 absorbs 9.3µm energy more efficiently than other wavelengths available from Universal Laser Systems. The fiberglass reinforcement strands inside the silicone absorb the 1.06µm wavelength most efficiently. The combination of 9.3µm and 1.06µm laser wavelengths in the MultiWave Hybrid system configuration, which combines the two wavelengths into one simultaneous beam, produces a consistent processed edge with minimal heat affects. The 1.06µm laser is able to cleave the fiberglass strands effectively and the 9.3µm laser ablates the silicone elastomer. In Figure 2 below, a microscopy image taken at 200x magnification shows the processed edge of Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 processed with the top blue release liner removed.Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 was tested with two alternate system configurations: a 10.6µm laser combined with a 1.06µm laser, and a 1.06µm laser alone. The results of these tests were compared by analyzing the heat effects, processed edge quality, and post-process requirements. These system configuration comparisons are listed in Table 1 and shown photographically in Figure 3. Both system configurations appear viable with some quality reduction, as stated in the comparison.Processing Example

Henkel Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 applications requiring fine geometry and intricate detail without degrading the material’s physical properties can be accomplished with Universal Laser Systems MultiWave Hybrid technology. An example demonstrating the results of laser cutting Henkel Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 using the recommended system configuration is shown in Figure 4.Conclusion

Henkel Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 is suitable for laser processing and was extensively tested to determine the best process configuration. Through this testing, it was determined that laser processing is viable with this material and the use of Universal Laser Systems MultiWave Hybrid technology, with a combination of a 50 watt 1.06µm laser and a 75 watt 9.3µm laser, is the optimal configuration. Bergquist Sil-Pad A2000 efficiently absorbs the 1.06µm and 9.3µm laser energies to produce a processed edge that has a minimal heat-affected zone and almost no discoloration.