Pulsed Laser Processing of Paper Materials

• Published in: Physics procedia Vol. 83; pp. 46 - 52
• Main Authors: Schechtel, Florian, Reg, Yvonne, Zimmermann, Maik, Stocker, Thomas, Knorr, Fabian, Mann, Vincent, Roth, Stephan, Schmidt, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2016
• Subjects: IR-wavelength; laser-based paper processing; ultra-short-pulses; IR-wavelength; laser-based paper processing; ultra-short-pulses
• ISSN: 1875-3892; 1875-3892
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phpro.2016.08.006

At present the trends in paper and packaging industries are the personalization of products and the use of novel high-tech materials. Laser processes as non-contact and flexible techniques seem to be the obvious choice to address those developments. In this paper we present a basic understanding of the occurring mechanisms of laser based engraving of different paper and paperboard materials, using a picosecond laser source at 1064nm. The influences on the beam-paper-interaction of grammage, the composition of the paper matrix, as well as the paper inherent cellulose fibers were investigated. Here the ablation threshold of commercially available paper was determined and a matrix ablation effect under the 1064nm radiation observed. These results were characterized and qualified mainly by means of laser scanning microscope (LSM) micrographs in combination with color-space analytics.