Laser Cut Polyimide Stencil/Kapton

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is the complete removal and separation of material from the top surface to the bottom surface along a designated path.

Polyimide films such as Kapton are easy to cut using Laser technology. The edges that result from laser cutting will show a very narrow strip of charred material and residue at the cut edge. In general, charring and residue generation are proportional to material thickness and inversely proportional to laser wattage. Most, if not all, of the decomposed material at the cut edge can be removed in a combination of solvent and ultrasonic bath or swab.

Laser cutting Kapton polyimide film is demonstrated in the example with a slotted square and round holes. The basic capability shown can be extended to nearly any shape, even complex and closely-spaced cuts.