SIENNA™ Scribers – for metal shield and braid cutting

Laser scribing has been developed primarily for the processing of micro- or pico- coax cable assemblies. This process uses a laser to cut the metal shield or braid to a pre-determined depth. There are two common methods of operation:

1. For larger cable types, AWG40 and bigger, the outer insulation is first stripped and removed using a SIENNA 200, 300 or 700 series system. The shield is dipped in solder and once an even layer of solder has been applied to the cable, the shield, impregnated with the solder, is scribed by the laser. The scribing process produces a very thin cut of around 20μm across the cable, allowing the shield to be mechanically snapped at this point and removed to expose the underlying dielectric.
2. For cables AWG42 and smaller, direct cutting of the shield without soldering is preferred. Careful selection of the laser parameters is required to cut completely through the shield without damaging the dielectric or inner conductor.

Spectrum offer a scriber version in two of their laser wire stripper families, details are below.

SIENNA 720SR

The SIENNA 700 series is the family of machines designed for high speed, high precision processing. Positional accuracy is +/- 0.1mm (0.004″) and processing speed is up to 250mm/s (10″ per second). The touch screen Human-Machine Interface makes programming easier than on the 200 and 300 series and a USB interface allows uploading and downloading of jobs from a laptop or PC.

The metal shield scribing model in the SIENNA 700 series is the SIENNA 720SR – with a 20 Watt laser power and dual axes of movement.  SIENNA 700 Dual Axis machines are designed and built so that they can be quickly and easily converted to AWH through the opening up of an inlet and outlet, the addition of some additional extraction components and a new tooling jig.  Automated laser scribing, measuring and cutting of coaxial cables may therefore be possible.

SIENNA 220SR

The scriber model in the SIENNA 200 series also contains a 20 Watt laser and can be configured in a single or dual axis motion system.

Air Extraction

To comply with health and safety requirements, air exhaust must be provided when using any laser wire stripper. If this is not available in your factory, Spectrum’s ACS-5 will remove all smoke, odors, particles and fumes from the laser stripping area and return clean air to the room.