Figure 1. Various test samples that have been laser welded in an applications lab (a) and a low-density polyethylene fluid container welded with a diode laser system (b). Direct welding of plastics is ...

Industrial lasers are used to process engineering plastics across many markets. Some examples of the common processes are shown in Figure 1, including laser marking, cutting, and welding.

A laser blast produces miniature diamonds from plain-old plastic. That’s right, the same kind used in soda bottles. When squeezed to about a million times Earth’s atmospheric pressure and heated to ...

The longevity of plastic is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it’s extremely durable, inexpensive, and easy to work with, but it also doesn’t biodegrade and lasts indefinitely in the ...

Plastic welding systems maker Dukane Corp. is expanding its equipment portfolio with the acquisition of Blackhawk Technology Group LLC, a contract manufacturer of laser plastic welding services and ...

Scientists have turned plastic into diamonds. Using high-powered lasers, the team zapped samples of PET, the common material used in plastic bottles, to produce intense heat and pressure to form tiny ...