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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