There are a variety of different polyimide materials including Kapton ™ that BEST can laser machine. BEST has experience in laser micro machining these parts with over (10) years of applications experience in the military, medical and industrial markets. Some of the more common Kapton™ laser machining materials we routinely work with can be found in the list of materials below:

• Kapton™ FN
• Kapton™ HN
• Cirlex
• Kapton™ CR
• Kapton™ EN
• Kapton™ FCR
• Kapton™ HPP-ST
• Kapton™ PV

Kapton™ has very good high temperature characteristics, high dielectric strength as well as superior electrical resistance properties. All of these properties make it an ideal choice in electronics, medical, avionics and high heat environments. For the medical device industry we have been drilling 10um diameter and larger holes in Kapton™ for slots, via, holes , nozzles slots or orifices for OEMs-both for prototype development as well as for production.

In addition to standard Kapton™ films, BEST has experience in laser machining adhesive-backed Kapton™ and polyimide films. Some of these adhesives are designed for permanent high temperature usage and others are more repositionable in nature. Daily we are cutting out the Kapton™ film with a defined pattern and leaving the release lines and adhesive in place essentially creating high tech “stickers”. BEST Inc. has base material in 2 through 8 mil thicknesses in stock to get your Kapton™ laser machining project “out the door”.

Not only can BEST perform your Kapton™ laser machining but we can also perform assembly services for your project. Whether it is a prototype, initial order of a few pieces or several thousand, BEST can be your skilled hands in the assembly process as well as providing loigistical and DFM support. Other services that we have performed including packaging, testing, soldering, final assembly, marking of the enclosures and fulfillment.

BEST has a variety of laser machining sources in order to get the part you require Kapton™ laser machined. We have a variety of CO2 lasers which afford fast cutting times for less critical part dimensions on Kapton™ laser machining work. In addition, BEST has laser sources with much smaller spot sizes. Our 355nm source laser with a 5 um (.2 mils) spot size for highly precise Kapton™ laser machining can cut out tight-toleranced features for your parts. Features down to 1 mil (25 microns) can be laser drilled or cut within a precision of +/- 0.5 mils (10 microns). These tolerances can be held within a a 24 x 24 inch (600mm) square area.

Not only can BEST provide Kapton™ laser machining services, but we can also provide Kapton™ laser marking services. The advantages of laser marking include a high contrast print (i.e. readable), very low mechanical stresses on the part being printed, a high degree of printing accuracy, repeatability and resolution. BEST has printed serial numbers, part numbers, date codes and 2D and 3D bar codes on a variety of Kapton™ parts. If you have MIL-STD-130M or SEMI M12/M13 standards that need to be met, BEST is your choice for Kapton™ marking via a laser. Inks and chemicals are eliminated in the laser marking process.

Not only do we have the laser machining resources but our very seasoned staff has the ability to get the job done. Whether it is designing a part, giving you a feasibility indication for a design in terms of laser machining of the Kapton™ to your precise expectations-the BEST staff is here to assist.

BEST also has inspection tools for the precision work that you need completed. We have a variety of tools include precision, high magnification microscopes and high resolution video inspection scopes with resolution in the 2 micron range (depending on the object being measured). This will will insure that your FAI as well as parts thereafter meet the print tolerances for your Kapton™ laser machining work.

Finally, we are an ITAR-registered source for your Kapton™ laser micromachining projects requiring this registration. We are also an ISO-registered company, which can give you some assurances of the care that we will take in your work.

Kapton™ is a tradename from DuPont.