After the incredible success of 5W and 10W Sol 532nm lasers in marking applications, Bright Solutions is pushing the more powerful versions of green ns lasers in other markets, first of all in electronics industry (depaneling).  Introduction  During last LWOP 2017 exhibition in Munich, Bright Solutions launched a new laser model belonging to Sol product family, i.e. a 20W air-cooled green laser realized in a very compact footprint, also fully compatible with Sol models (infrared and green) already present in the market. In the following paragraphs we will present some results we already achieved in electronics manufacturing field. Laser source main features Sol 20W 532nm is a nanosecond DPSS Actively Q-Switched laser source, that can operate from single shot to 100 kHz. Pulsewidth range varies from 10 to 50 ns and maximum pulse energy is 1 mJ. Beam properties in terms of collimation, roundness and M² in combination with consistent average power, make this laser source a suitable tool both for high quality marking and for  cutting applications at a reasonable speed. Moreover the range pulse energy range and nanosecond pulsewidth generate two immediate benefits in the material interaction: high peak power and reduced thermal transfer to the material. Mechanical dimensions and weight are the same as the entire Sol family, i.e. 23 x 10 x 9 cm³ with a 4.5 kg weight; these features allow an easy integration of the laser source in already existing housings and also in moving XY stations. In a larger footprint (even incredibly compact) we can also offer a high-end solution that provides more than 35W average power with the same pulsewidth and beam features of the 20W model. Air cooled or water cooled versions are available according to customer needs; red aiming beam and beam expander are already included in the standard features. 2-year full warranty (maintenance free) are conditions also offered by default. Depaneling  We are not going to describe in details all of the different processes related to PCB depaneling used, but we would provide some hints related to the use of Sol 20W green source as a possible tool. Considering the laser solutions currently used for separating PCB parts (FR4 or flexible materials) with different thicknesses, UV lasers and CO2 lasers are the main traditional players. UV lasers allow to perform high quality cutting but they require regular maintenance due to natural power degradation over working hours; on the other hand CO2 lasers offer very attractive price but they can be used only if the required quality is not the main parameter to comply with. In the picture below you can see how the Sol 20W green laser processes a 0.18mm kapton-made layer. Cutting time and quality are comparable with UV lasers used for such application.                                       8W 355nm                          Sol 20W 532nm Also 0.8mm FR4 boards can be cut efficiently and with an acceptable quality in terms of percentage of burnt areas with Sol 20W 532nm, as showed in the pictures below. Sol 20W 532nm  Other laser source 15W 355nm  The comparison with CO2 lasers has been made for V-cut boards and mousebyte cut boards with thickness grater than 1.5 mm.  

Sol 20W 532nm                                                        >30W CO2 laser

For more detailed information about Sol 20W 532nm and other DPSS laser solutions that can be succesfully used in the electronics industry, Bright Solutions will be happy to assist you.