Technical Library

Technical papers and articles by Scott R. Sabreen and The Sabreen Group on laser marking and welding, surface pretreatment and adhesion bonding, inkjet printing, industrial coatings and anti-counterfeiting, grouped by topic.

Laser Marking

• MOPA Fibre Lasers for Marking Plastics – All Lasers are Not Created Equal!
  Why MOPA fibre lasers outperform Q-switched designs for plastics: waveform pulse control, beam quality M2 consistency, irradiance and fluence.
• Laser Marking of Glass-Filled Polymers – The Importance of Injection Moulding Operations
  Why injection moulding decides laser mark quality on glass-filled plastics: glass emergence, resin-rich surfaces, fill percentages and marking mechanisms.
• How Do You Mark Plastic With a Laser? Plastic Laser Marking With Laser Additives
  Laser marking nylon and polyamide explained: the three contrast mechanisms, smart additives, MOPA pulse width, and Grade A code verification.
• Laser Marking and Machine Vision Codes for Product Security and Traceability
  Direct part marking with 2D Data Matrix codes: how they compare to barcodes, MIL-STD-130M requirements, and under-hood automotive applications.
• Basic Material Science for Plastics Laser Marking
  The chemistry behind plastics laser marking: how polymers, laser additives and specific wavelengths interact, and when additives are actually required.
• Fibre Lasers: Selection and Additives
  Choosing a fibre laser for marking plastics: fixed-pulse versus MOPA, repetition rate limits, and how additives improve contrast and marking speed.
• Breakthrough Additives Enhance Plastics Laser Marking: Superior Contrast, Line Edge Detail and Speed
  Laser marking additives that deliver superior contrast, line edge detail and up to 25% faster marking on plastics previously difficult to mark.
• “Smart Additives” Enhance Plastics Laser Marking
  How laser marking smart additives achieve contrast, line edge detail and speed on plastics that were previously difficult or impossible to mark.
• FDA-Approved Additives Boost Inline Plastics Laser Marking
  FDA-approved laser additives bring jet-black and light contrast to inline plastics marking, replacing rotary gravure and pad printing at high speed.
• Fibre Laser Marking for Product Security, Identification and Anti-Counterfeiting
  Direct part marking with fibre lasers: Data Matrix versus barcode, MIL-STD-130 traceability, and why laser beats inkjet for machine vision codes.
• Fibre Laser Marking on Nylon (Polyamide) Plastics
  High-contrast laser marking on nylon: polyamide chemistry, smart additives, ytterbium fibre laser selection and the MOPA pulse range that works.
• Fibre Laser Enables Marking of Advanced Plastics
  FDA-approved laser additives and nanosecond ytterbium fibre lasers deliver jet-black and light contrast on clear and opaque polymers, on the fly.

Surface Pretreatments & Adhesion Bonding

• Plasma Surface Pretreatments of Polymers for Improved Adhesion Bonding
  How plasma pretreatment makes hydrophobic plastics bondable: contact angle, surface energy, corona, flame, atmospheric and Pyrosil methods compared.
• Flame Plasma Surface Modification of Polymers for Adhesion Bonding: Process Control, Equipment and Applications
  Flame treatment for adhesion bonding: combustion chemistry, the three laminar flame zones, burner selection, zero gas pressure regulators and control.
• Understanding the Science Behind Surface Pretreatments for Adhesion to Plastics – Adhesives, Coatings, and Inks
  Recorded webinar on surface pretreatment science for plastics: adhesion versus cohesion failure, selecting a process, diagnostics and case studies.
• UV/Ozone Surface Pretreatment to Improve Adhesion of Polymers
  UV/ozone photochemical oxidation for polymer adhesion: the 184.9 nm and 253.7 nm mechanism, applications, precleaning and treatment shelf life.
• Cold Gas Plasma Surface Modification – Optimise Plastics Bonding Adhesion
  Low-pressure cold gas plasma for tough-to-bond plastics: how it works, process parameters, PTFE treatment, and how it compares to atmospheric methods.
• Methods for Adhesion Bonding of Polyphenylene Sulfide
  Bonding polyphenylene sulfide: drying and mould temperature, solvent cleaning, plasma pretreatment, epoxy cure schedules and surface texture.
• The Science of Solving Plastics Adhesion Problems: Contact Angles – Surface Wetting – Chemical Activation
  Contact angles, surface wetting and chemical activation explained: why plastics resist bonding and how gas-phase oxidation makes surfaces bondable.
• Best Practices for Bonding Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastics
  Why semi-crystalline polymers resist bonding: amorphous versus crystalline morphology, solvent cleaning, pretreatment, adhesive selection and curing.
• Pyrosil® Treatment for Improving Polymer Adhesion – Advancements Broaden Applications for Low Surface Energy Plastics
  Pyrosil combustion CVD deposits a reactive SiO2 layer that outperforms plasma on PBT, PEEK and PPS. How it differs from ordinary flame treatment.

Inkjet Printing

• Single-Pass UV LED Inkjet Printing on 3D Plastics – Ink Chemistry and Polymer Surfaces
  Single-pass versus scanning inkjet on 3D plastic products: why single-pass is faster but harder, ink selection, colour bleed and polymer wetting.
• Answering Common Inkjet Printing Questions
  Continuous inkjet versus drop-on-demand explained, plus ink adhesion on plastics, curing choices and what determines print quality on 3D products.
• Innovating Inkjet Technologies for Plastic Products
  UV-curable inkjet on 3D plastics: ink chemistry and binders, pigment colour gamut limits, and the surface pretreatment that makes adhesion possible.
• Industrial Inkjet Printing Onto Wearables
  Direct-to-product inkjet printing on wearables: customisation demand, UV-curable ink chemistry, and the skin-contact certification the market now expects.
• Advancements in Inkjet UV LED Curing Technology
  UV LED curing for inkjet on plastics: wavelength selection at 365, 385 and 395 nm, thermal management options, and why LED now rivals mercury lamps.
• Surface Pretreatments and Custom Inks Advance Inkjet Printing of Plastics and Films
  Digital printing on plastics compared: piezoelectric UV LED inkjet versus fibre laser marking, ink-substrate compatibility and surface pretreatment.
• Inkjet Printing and Adhesion of Low Surface Energy Polymers
  Why inkjet inks fail on nylon, PPS, acetal and polyolefins: polymer selection, drying, mould temperature, surface texture and cleaning practices.
• Inkjet Printing for Flexible and Wearable Plastic
  UV LED flexible inks print vivid colour on stretchable wearables, nitrile and TPE without cracking. Ink certification, cure matching and adhesion.

Anti-counterfeiting

• A Single Breath Authenticates Covert Features in New Anti-Counterfeiting Technology
  Invisible submicron codes revealed by a single breath of warm vapour: how the covert technology works and why QR codes and holograms fall short.
• Application Uses of SNOWLEOPARD™
  Where SNOWLEOPARD covert optical security applies: substrates, code types, and authentication by vapour mist with no instruments required.
• Innovations in Plastics Products Security: Anticounterfeiting Technologies
  How authentication technologies protect plastic products: overt versus covert classification, ISO 12931, and innovations in optically variable devices.
• Brand Protection for Plastics Moulders: New Strategies for Anti-Counterfeit Security
  Anti-counterfeit security for moulders: layered overt, covert and forensic strategies, optically variable devices, taggants and ISO 12931 authentication.
• Breakthrough Anti-Counterfeit Technology for Plastics Products
  Three levels of authentication security for plastics: overt, covert and forensic. Optical security, security printing, nano laser marking and taggants.

Decorating & Finishing

• Techniques for Measuring Adhesion and Abrasion Durability of Coatings and Inks – Part 2
  Abrasion test methods for coatings and inks: Norman RCA abrader, Taber rotary and linear abrasers, applicable ASTM standards and fixturing.
• Techniques for Measuring Adhesion and Abrasion Durability of Coatings and Inks – Part 1
  Adhesion test methods for coatings and inks on plastics: ASTM D3359 tape test, ASTM D4541 pull-off testing, and where each method misleads.
• Advanced Technologies for Decorating Polyethylene
  Secondary processes for polyethylene: why PE resists decorating, plasma and Pyrosil pretreatment, single-pass UV LED inkjet, coatings and laser marking.

Industrial Coatings

• Industrial Liquid Coating of Polyolefin Products – Interior and Exterior Applications
  Liquid coating polypropylene and polyolefins: paint-polymer compatibility, PP chain structures, recycled rPP applications and coating technology options.
• Preparing Plastics for Painting
  How to prepare plastic parts for paint: cleaning, static control, mould release removal, surface roughening for adhesion, and accelerated age testing.

Laser Welding

• Dual-Purpose ‘Laser Additives’ Drive Marking and Welding of Polymers
  One additive package for both laser marking and through-transmission laser welding: chemistry, TTLW stages, weld advantages and FDA compliance.
• Carbon Black Selection for Successful Through Transmission Laser Welding and Joining
  How carbon black type affects through-transmission laser welding: particle aggregation, loading levels, surface texturing and laser travel direction.

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