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Steve Clarkson
12-16-2012, 11:20 PM
I just ran across a few websites for companies that strip wires with their laser. Does anyone do this? Who would want such a service and why?

Dan Hintz
12-17-2012, 6:11 AM
Steve,

You need to think in terms of big machines... laser strippers process HUGE amounts of wire/day, faster than you can see it fly by. This ain't your desktop Epilog being manually loaded (and if the sites you found are, I agree, it's kind of dumb).

Scott Challoner
12-17-2012, 8:08 AM
And don't forget that Teflon and PVC are often used to insulate wires.

Rachael Pugh
12-17-2012, 9:06 AM
Hi Steve, I actually work for a company that manufactures laser wire stripping equipment and there are many reasons why companies would use lasers over mechanical methods.

- The wavelength of a CO2 laser (the type of laser used for most wire insulation materials) is damages-free so when processing very fine wire/cable or wire with very thin insulation you can guarantee there will be absolutely no damage to the conductor - no nicks, no cuts, just a clean strip.
- Lasers can be highly accurate, so again for fine wire, or for precision critical applications such as in implantable medical devices, space systems or aircraft, they are much better suited.
- Lasers offer improved repeatability with no need for changing blades or re-calibrating when changing wire type or size
- There are no consumable items - blades have to be changed regularly.

So, in summary, there is no need to use a laser to strip wires you would find in your standard household wiring for examples, but for applications where accuracy and no damage are critical, then a laser is the ideal solution. We have sold over 1000 laser strippers to over 40 countries worldwide so as you can see, there is a market for this albeit a specialised one.

If you want to find out more have a look at this page on our website which explains our technology: http://www.spectrumtech.com/technology-applications/laser-wire-stripping-technology or just send me an email!

Mike Null
12-17-2012, 9:17 AM
Rachel

Welcome to SMC.. Very informative.

Neal Schlee
12-17-2012, 12:49 PM
I just ran across a few websites for companies that strip wires with their laser. Does anyone do this? Who would want such a service and why?

Steve,

I recently completed a large wall 2 panel Yahrzeit Board for a local Synagogue. It had to have a light next to each name plate that can be turned on and off independent of the other lights. On their previous Yahrzeit boards they used light bulbs and just loosened them to turn each on and off. I did not think this was a safe way to go especially with children having access to them. On the new Board I found a low voltage (6-12V) LED Annular push button light/switch on Ebay that fit the bill. Each L/S is spaced 3" a part so when it came time to wire 92 of them, instead of hand cutting and stripping the wire pcs. individually I made a simple jig and used the laser to strip the wires in long strips. It saved alot of time and made for much easier and cleaner solder assembly.

Here's some pics of the project, there were 2 of the large plate boards with L/S's and the Header was mounted above the plate boards. All parts were cut on our CNC, each name plate is black brass scratch engraved.


Neal

Scott Shepherd
12-17-2012, 1:12 PM
Okay, I'll ask the question.......why wouldn't you just buy bare wire instead of doing all that?

Tony Lenkic
12-17-2012, 4:08 PM
Scott,

It's because only the end of wire that goes into log/terminal needs to be stripped.
Picture a wire attached to circuit breaker at home.

Dan Hintz
12-17-2012, 7:33 PM
Sure, only that portion needs to be stripped, but is there any reason not to have the entire wire stripped, as Steve suggests? Seems like a lot of work for no gain... what are we missing?

Richard Rumancik
12-18-2012, 12:00 PM
I just ran across a few websites for companies that strip wires with their laser. Does anyone do this? Who would want such a service and why?

Steve, sometimes it is very difficult to strip small gage wires without damage to the conductors. The trend in electronics is to use finer wiring and smaller connectors, and as a result nipping one or two strands in a cable can render it useless. So the industries that are using laser stripping are often making circuit boards that go into into small and delicate assemblies.

I recently had an order for over a thousand cables for a medical product and I do not have a dedicated wire-stripping laser. I am showing an example part in the attached photo. The cable is a bit under 300 mm (around 12"). The ends to be cut are marked with the laser and cut manually with a nippers. The individual conductors are separated longitudinally by slitting with the laser. The bare areas are cut with the laser, leaving a small tubular piece that easily falls off the wire. The left end is laser-scribed from both sides; the customer pulls off the 3mm piece of insulation, tins the bare wires, and solders this end into a circuit board.

This would be very difficult to make using entirely manual methods.

The insulation is made of PVC and requires suitable ventilation and appropriate cleaning of the laser afterwards.

Although some people may think it is "dumb" to use an engraving-type laser for this, I am not sure why. I have done several orders and my customer is quite satisfied. The dedicated laser stripping machine might be the "right way" when making larger quantities of cables, but this might not be a suitable job for a dedicated machine because of quantity.

AL Ursich
12-18-2012, 12:21 PM
Rachel,

Great First Post !!!! WELCOME !!!!

How did you find us?

Excellent Laser Wire Projects.... Great Woodworking on the Signs too...

Being an Electronic Guy, I am Impressed....

AL