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THE CASE STUDY OF CUTTING OF THE POLYPROPYLENE AND ITS COMPOSITE WITH TALC WITH THE CO2 LASER USAGE

T. Więcek

Abstract

The article presents a case study of the laser cutting which is considered to be a modern and safe for natural environment method of machining. It is a method that has been replacing conventional cutting in recent years. This is due to the fact that modern lasers are economical due to the demand for electricity, enable the processing of various materials and are often more effective, the machining is precise, repeatable and the laser as a tool is more durable than conventional. In the experiment described in the article the plastics readily used in industry was used - Moplen HP500N polypropylene. It is used in the production of furniture, household goods, packaging. It may have contact with food. For the experiment, the material was used without fillers and its talcum composites (30%) used to reduce production costs and to color the products in white. The fillers, however, can change the properties of the main and native material, hence the knowledge of machining capabilities is important. The method of cutting the material with a CO2 laser was analyzed and the selected cutting parameters were presented. The cutting results were assessed visually (by microscopic observation) due to the quality of the material edges and comparing the size of the slit after cutting. The optimal cutting speed for the plates of thickness of 5 mm was determined mathematically and compared to the cutting effects in practice. The results of laser cutting were compared with the effects of traditional cut, not only the quality of the technological operation was assessed, but also its impact on the natural and human environment. Attention was paid to the amount and type of waste, emissions of toxic substances to the atmosphere and other environmental aspects related to the use of laser and plastics processing.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2018v/4.3/s06.047

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