SYLADEC: Development of a tunable, ultrafast, production laser system for the multicolour and photographic laser decoration and customer specific finishes on polymeric products

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 97.0505

Key words (English)

Laser; writing; decoration; multicolour; polymers

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: BRPR-CT96-0253

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 2.1 Industrial and materials technologies

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

DSM(NL), Lambda Physik (D), Kurz (D), ORGA (D) Ciba SC (CH)

Abstract (English)

In the past six months, Ciba SC has been intensifying its activities on the Pigment Bleaching approach, refocusing the Latent Pigment requirements for each industrial partner and trying to understand and optimise the system based on colour formers and latent acids.

It was established by Ciba SC that the latent pigments requirements for DSM's laser decoration purposes are different from those set by Kurz' and ORGA's . Therefore parallel sampling to DSM on one hand and to Kurz/ORGA on the other hand was found more appropriate and efficient. Because of polymer processing temperatures, DSM requires high decomposition temperature Latent Pigments, whereas Kurz and ORGA are satisfied with lower decomposition temperature Latent Pigments.
DSM make coloured polymers for laser decoration, KURZ make hot stamping foils and laminates and ORGA makes security cards.

n Pigment Bleaching

All industrial partners DSM, ORGA and KURZ show the same interest and requirements for laser bleachable Cyan, Yellow and Magenta pigments. DSM are interested in the whole colour spectrum.
Significant progress was achieved, as Ciba SC developed a proprietary micronised bleachable Cyan pigment VG 857K; excellent bleaching results and laser writing experiments based on the crude non-micronised pigment were indeed presented at the technical meeting held in Basel (CH) on March 17th, 2000.

n Latent Pigment approach

A series of proprietary Latent Pigments was tested in parallel by DSM and Kurz/Orga.
Latent Violet VG-354 gave remarkable results, with laser marks in either PC cards or LLDPE.
Latent Black AG-90, which is a proprietary mix of several Latent Pigments, could be laser bleached at various wavelengths, thereby generating different colours depending on the chosen irradiating wavelength.
Latent Red ZH-1426 was also laser marked in PC cards and LLDPE.

n Colour former approach

The initial good results observed with the colour formers were repeated. The system involving the colour former and latent acid (AP051) appears to work well especially going from colourless to blue image or orange image. Interestingly the images produced using the Orga laser are still visible whereas those produced at DSM have faded somewhat with time. Plastic chips containing the colour former and latent acid system are currently in preparation. These chips will then be used to investigate the light stability of this system.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 97.0505