Understanding the benefits
Using laser ablation to strip coating from a wire allows you to customize the exact amount of exposed material for your application. By utilizing a laser for coating removal instead of traditional mechanical cutting blades, the process avoids causing damage to the underlying wire. The laser ablation process also provides greater flexibility and accuracy in locating areas of coating removal, allowing you to design more complex components.
When you use laser ablation to strip coating from your wire, you get:
- Tighter tolerances
- Precise transition zones
- Ablation of specified locations of discrete lengths of wire or cable
Typical end uses
Our customers often use wire that has undergone laser ablation in:
- Cardiac rhythm management devices
- Electrophysiology applications
- Guidewires
- Neurostimulation devices
Design specifications
Laser ablation is customized to your specifications. This information provides a starting point for determining what considerations will impact your design.
- Wire types solid, strand, cable
- Coated wire/cable size range 0.076 mm to 1.27 mm [0.003 in to 0.050 in]
- Coating types ETFE, PFA, FEP
- Coating thickness 0.005 mm to 0.127 mm [0.0002 in to 0.0050 in]
- Wire lengths 50.5 mm to 2.02 m [2 in to 80 in]
- Ablation locations beginning, end, or variable
- Ablation lengths 0.102 mm [0.004 in] minimum
Product forms and capabilities
Prior to laser ablation, a wire, strand, or cable has to be coated. Learn more about these product forms and our coating capabilities.
- Coatings carefully applied to provide electrical insulation or chemical separation
- DFT® wire that combine two dissimilar materials in a single construction
- Flat wire with a rectangular cross section
- Round wire with a circular cross section
- Shaped wire with specialty shaped cross sections
- SLT® wire straight-off-the-spool to eliminate process steps
- Strands and cables in complex constructions for advanced applications