Applying Metal onto Glass via Fiber Laser Process
Garage Hacks: Exploring Metal Deposition with a Fiber Laser 🔧💡
Want to give your DIY game a metallic edge? This tutorial's for you! If you're fortunate enough to own a fiber laser, you might wanna check out this ingenious method from [Breaking Taps] for depositing thin films of metals on glass. Lookie here! 👇
The technique's elementary. Simply sandwish a metal shim or foil between two bits of glass, then train your laser on the metal. The laser's power melts off metal, producing a film on the glass. [Breaking Taps]' electron microscopy reveals that molten metal droplets splash up onto the glass, rather than this being a plasma process like sputtering. Remarkably, silver seems to work best among all the materials tested. But let's not forget that copper works too – albeit less conductive. [Breaking Taps] suggests electroplating a thicker layer on copper before soldering, nevertheless, demonstrates soldering to it successfully.
Imagine the potential for artistic glass-substrate PCBs! More tests needed to see if it's worth the effort over simply gluing copper foil to glass – a method tried and true. [Breaking Taps] suspects his process would thrive better under an inert atmosphere, and we couldn't agree more. We'd love to see it attempted!
It's noteworthy that this method is tricky with alloys. The 'blast little drops off' process can cause them to demix on the glass surface. [Breaking Taps] also posits that a larger area of metal could be printed onto the glass first, then etched off for a more reliable technique. Fancy a go with your fiber laser?
Speaking of fiber lasers, you ain't got one? Maybe it's high time you whip one up yourself. 💪
Insights and Enrichment:Depositing Metal Films with a Fiber Laser
Method:1. Prep: Sandwich metal shim or foil between two panes of glass.2. Laser Up: Focus your fiber laser on the metal within this setup.3. Process: High energy from the laser blasts off metal droplets that adhere to the glass, forming a thin film.
Comparison with Gluing Copper Foil to Glass: **- Adhesion: Laser deposition forms a more durable bond due to thermal and mechanical interactions, contrasted to adhesive-based bonding in the traditional method.- Resolution: Laser deposition offers higher resolution and precision over larger, less intricate designs due to its focusing capabilities.- Cost: Traditional method is simpler and less costly due to not requiring specialized equipment like fiber lasers.- Oxidation**: Laser deposition causes minimal oxidation issues due to brief process time and localized heating, while traditional method does not involve such heating and risks oxidation.
Artistic Applications:Both methods are suitable for artistic applications. Laser deposition allows for greater design complexity and precision, making it ideal for artistic glass-substrate PCBs. However, the choice depends on specific design requirements and available resources.
This DIY method using a fiber laser can deposit thin films of metals on glass, making it potentially useful for artistic glass-substrate Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). In comparison to gluing copper foil to glass, laser deposition forms a more durable bond due to thermal and mechanical interactions, offers higher resolution and precision, and causes minimal oxidation issues. With fiber lasers becoming more accessible, there's an opportunity for hobbyists to create their own devices to explore this technique further. This process is particularly interesting for data-and-cloud-computing technology, as well as medical-conditions research, where precise metallic film deposition on certain substrates could be beneficial.
