German laser manufacturer Eurolaser says it has carried out successful tests in the area of cutting printed materials using lasers.
In tests aimed at maintaining clean print at the cut edge of an object, carried out in conjunction with Canon Deutschland, printed acrylic glass and printed polyester foil were tested for laser suitability. In the tests, the laser was focused on the ink rather than the material.
Eurolaser says its optical detection system, consisting of a CCD camera and evaluation software, can guarantee high precision. The camera identifies the printed fiducial mark and calculates the position of the material automatically, adjusting the cutting contours as necessary.
The company stated: 'All aims were achieved in the test. The cut edge shows no smoke residue meaning that the white back remains faultless. The laser cut causes no kind of damage to the applied ink; this means the print remains excellent right up to the cut edge. There is no need for polishing or post-processing the cut edge as the laser automatically achieves the desired smooth cut edge in one pass.'
