Our visit to the Bonding Process Center at 3M in Neuss
The experts at the 3M Bonding Process Center support manufacturers in developing and planning automated bonding solutions. The advantage here is that various processes can be tested. These include along with sandblasting and plasma technology also the laser process. A cleanCELL 2220 with 100 watts laser power provided by Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH is available for cleaning and pre-treatment of metallic components.
Visitors who come to the Neuss laboratory usually fear high costs and deeply burned holes in their workpieces when they first hear about laser technology. Yet their eyes become all the wider when they learn how low the running costs actually are and how precisely and gently the laser process works. Many are also positively surprised by the achievable cycle time and the reproducibility of the cleanCELL.
During a visit of Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH to 3M, it became apparent in conversation how important the exchange of experience is. Therefore, the laser producers would like to transfer their know-how to 3M in order to find the optimal parameters for each application and thus optimize the intensity of the laser beam as well as the pulse frequency depending on the surface topology and alloy. This also includes occasional tests with samples at the application center of Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH in Herzogenrath near Aachen. After all, the aim is to find the appropriate solution for each customer.
The bonding experts at 3M aim to help manufacturers find customized process solutions to complex bonding problems, improving productivity and quality. Automation at the same time reduces unit costs and minimizes the dependence on manpower.
The cleanLASERs are suitable for both residue-free cleaning and adhesive pre-treatment of metallic components. The laser process enables the adhesion properties and bond strengths to be significantly increased. Structural pre-treatment that has proven to be corrosion-resistant in the long term is also possible. The targeted modification of the structure can, for example, reduce the electrochemical corrosion potential of aluminum and thus enable permanent adhesive strength even for structures subjected to crash loads.
https://www.3mdeutschland.de/3M/de_DE/kleben-und-verbinden/
Learn more about bonding with cleanLASER