ProByLas

ProByLas – modular laser plastic welding

ProByLas is a Swiss manufacturer of advanced laser technology used to weld thermoplastic material in industrial operations where high-quality standards are required. It is commonly used in laboratories and production sites to manufacture medical devices and many other applications as automotive, sensors & electronics, appliances, or textiles.

As a specialist in the field, we are committed with our customers to support their application from concept to full scale manufacturing. We focus our resources to excel in this field and by listening our customers’ needs, it allows us to develop solutions that can meet and exceed their expectations.

Thanks to the modularity of our technology geared to provide a flexible, reliable, and still cost-effective solution to process thermoplastic materials, all our machines and optic components can be easily configured to fit the most challenging applications and the following welding processes available in the market today.

- Contour process with a Spot Optic, which can optionally be equipped with a pyrometer for non-contact temperature measurement. For foils, textiles, or thin plates, Ball or Roller Optics are used to compress the material layers without a clamping unit
- Quasi-simultaneous process with galvo Scanner and sensors on clamping unit to measure the collapse during welding
- Simultaneous process by special optics shaping the laser beam to the geometry of the weld seam as e.g., Ring, Line, Area, Radial, or Diffractive Optics (DOE)
- Circumferential welding process by Radial Optics or by rotating the parts under a spot laser beam.
- Mask welding with Line Optics, which is passed over a shadow mask above the parts to weld only those areas illuminated by the laser.

ProByLas has an extensive product portfolio from the stand-alone Turnkey S and Turnkey M welding systems to the Modula key components for special machine building and Modula Assembly configurations. They all fulfill the needs of the most demanding plastic welding applications in the industry today.

We support our customers with the migration process of their current assembly technology to laser welding (i.e., sonic welding, hot-plate welding, heat-seal and staking, vibration welding, spin welding, high-frequency welding, infrared welding, or if they use screws, rivets, snap-fits, adhesives, solvents, or glues to assemble their products).

We also welcome the opportunity to partner with research institutes, machine integrators, molders, extruders, resin suppliers and compounders on the development of new applications. We firmly recognize that the success of a company is based on the trust we earn from our customers, employees, suppliers, and other companies over time, as we consistently deliver positive results and build long-term partnerships.

ProByLas AG
Technopark Luzern, Platz 4
CH-6039 Root D4.
Switzerland

T: +41 41 541 91 70
Email: info@probylas.com
URL: www.probylas.com/en

ProByLas USA, Inc.
info.usa@probylas.com
T: +1 224 856 9000

Videos

Leak-proof and Membrane-safe Sealing Technology.

Turnkey S – Complete Laser Plastic Welding System.

Laser Plastic Welding – Contour Welding in Turnkey S with X, Y servo control.

Laser Plastic Welding – Fast Contour Welding in Turnkey S.

Laser Plastic Welding of same color parts on a “Modula Assembly Lab”.

Quasi-simultaneous Process – Laser Plastic Welding with Scanner Optic.

Testing Cartridge Technology for Covid-19.

Products & services

Turnkey S – Compact and Modular table-top machine.

The Turnkey S is unique in its size and flexibility on the market. Despite its compact design, this machine can incorporate all Modula Optics to set up the different welding processes. The control system, laser, and cooling are installed inside an electrical cabinet on the backside of the machine. A pneumatic safety door (electric and manual also available) on the front allows access to the welding area. Additionally, a complete lift-gated cover gives access to the end-user for application setup or maintenance activities. A rotary table is available in manual, pneumatic, and electric versions for higher volume operations and machine cycle optimization.

Turnkey M – Workstation for larger plastic parts

The Turnkey M is based on the same modular design framework as the Turnkey S, just upscaled to fit more significant parts. All the Modula Optics and laser modules with different power capacities can be integrated into this larger platform to meet the requirements of most welding applications today. With X, Y servo-axis motion controls, parts up to 470x470 mm can be welded in Contour Process and with a Scanner Optic instead, up to 350x350 mm for Quasi-simultaneous Process.

Modula components for customized machine integration

For custom machine building, all the essential components are available separately. For example, if parts are too large to fit into one of the stand-alone machines, Turnkey S or Turnkey M, or if the welding operation requires full automation with a short cycle time and no intervention by operators. The custom machine builder may add custom-specific modules from third parties to handle parts (robots or transfer systems) or supplement unique process and quality analysis devices leading to a tailor-made, unique production system.

Modula Optics: Spot, Line, Areal, Ring, and DOE Optics

Every plastic welding application is different, and it is worth determining the best process type and appropriate optics. The design of the parts must be considered, material, cycle time, and quality requirements for the product. When these concepts are evaluated early in the project, the laser technology may result in significant savings once it gets into production.

Ball and Roller Optics for foils, textiles, and thin plates

ProByLas comprehensive technology has also considered those plastic applications where the size, weight, and complexity to clamp the material during welding is impossible or simply the cost for tooling is price prohibited. The thought behind the Ball and Roller Optic development was a simple and effective concept to address these applications and deliver laser energy simultaneously.

Radial Optics for circumferential welding

Welding parts on the circumference is not possible with most welding techniques. Spin friction welding is an option but creates an excessive number of particles. However, it is also possible to weld cylindrical parts on the circumference cleanly and precisely with laser. Either by rotating the parts or by using the special Radial Optics.

Scanner optics for quasi-simultaneous welding

The flexibility of the Scanner Optic to create any welding trajectory at high speeds without separate motion control has given it some recognition in the industry. Inside the Scanner, two pivoting mirrors deflect the laser beam in X and Y direction to follow a pre-defined path programmed in G-code. The adapted focusing lens (f-theta) determines the size of the working area, the diameter of the laser spot created, and the focal distance. The three most common lenses used with the Scanner provide an operating field of 100x100 mm, 240x240 mm, and 350x350 mm.

Quality and process control by pyrometry

In pyrometry, a remote sensing thermometer retrieves infrared radiation from the melting area during the weld. In principle, the sensor focused on the interface detects the infrared wavelengths transmitted by the upper part. Because the weld occurs between the two layers, the reading quality will depend on how transmissive the upper part is. Thus, the signal collected can then be analyzed and compared to a known value for quality control (open-loop), or the incident laser power is adjusted for temperature control (closed-loop).

Compact solution for rotary tables and transfer systems

The Modula Assembly Inline is a complete and compact solution that includes the necessary safety and controls to operate as a subsystem for high production environments. It consists of two main components, the Modula Control unit and the Modula Inline process cell. The Modula Control unit allows the operator to create the welding program, monitor the process, and interface with other components in the machine. The Modula Inline process cell comprises a Scanner Optic, a particular clamping unit, and housing that isolates the built-in pneumatic controls from the processing section.

Support from lab trials to after sales

When proper considerations like material selection, part design, and laser process are taken at the first stages of the project, it is possible to predict positive and consistent welding results. Sometimes, this step is overlooked by the people involved in design and engineering, resulting in costly consequences.

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ProByLas – modular laser plastic welding