Lasers and fiber optic waveguides can be used to activate NanoFoil®. Why would you want to use a laser to do this?
- It lends itself to automation:
Imagine a part moving into position, the laser pulses, the NanoFoil® reacts and is quickly advanced to the next step in your process. That is the reality of NanoBonding with automation. Lasers can easily be positioned and controlled on an assembly line.
- It is non-contact:
Since we are on the topic of mass production, one of the other advantages to using optics to activate NanoFoil® is that the light can be focused onto the reactive foil without contact. NanoFoil® reaches around 1,200°C during reaction, so any tooling used to activate the foil will have a longer lifespan and less maintenance if it is not in direct contact.
- It works with tight clearances and flush NanoFoil®:
Many other methods of activation require an extra tab of NanoFoil® to protrude from the assembly for contact. With laser activation, the light can be directed between mating parts, or through an activation port in one of the bonding materials. This is especially helpful for smaller component attachment applications such as those we have seen for concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) or light emitting diodes (LEDs).
*This post is part of the NanoBond® Process series