Brackets and Shims

Micron Laser Technology provides a cost-effective solution for converting most any sheet or roll stock materials into custom brackets or shims. Custom brackets or shims are generally laid out to maximize part quantity on specific sheet size.

Fast delivery is one advantage to laser cut brackets and shims.  Expedited orders can be turned in 24 hours with an assortment of stocked materials.  Secondly, there is no requirement for expensive tooling or dies. This eliminates quality issues contributed to tooling wear. The first part will be produced with the same quality as the last.

Modifications to your bracket or shim designs can be easily changed on the fly that quickly enable first articles for testing or prototypes. With a cutting kerf of 20um and holding similar tolerances, your custom bracket or shim can be produced with features not possible with traditional machining or dies.

Laser Cut Brackets And Shims

Despite the raw materials format or size, our internal material prep processes can cut larger sheets into smaller form factors for efficient manufacturing. Material selection is critical for many application.  Our experienced technical sales staff is available to recommend materials based on cost, physical and performance properties, and producible edge quality.  Precision custom brackets and custom shims can be made from these materials to name a few:

Metals

UV, CO2, and Fiber lasers are ideal for cutting custom brackets and shims from many types of sheet metal – alloy steel, aluminum alloys, brass, carbon steel, molybdenum, stainless steel, titanium, platinum, and tool steel.  Laser cutting greatly simplifies the design and manufacturing process to produces intricate detail and very sharp corners.

Stainless steel and most alloys are considered ideal candidates for the laser cutting process.  High-power CO2, UV, and fiber lasers utilize assist gases to create dross-free edges without deburring.  The laser process minimizes the HAZ along the cut edge, thereby helping the material to maintain its corrosion resistance.

To view a more comprehensive listing of metals and metal alloys, click Laserable Metals.

Plastics

Laser machining thermoset plastics and thermoplastics are matched in edge quality, speed, flexibility, and low surface stress. Large aspect ratios of 10 to 1 (feature size to material thickness) and heat affected zone (melt and discoloration) can be over come by selecting the correct wavelengths and power control.  To view a more comprehensive listing of plastics, click Laserable Plastics.

Thermosets:

  • Polyimide
  • FR4/G10
  • Cirlex
  • Rubber

Thermoplastics:

  • Acrylic
  • Polycarbonate
  • ABS*
  • Polypropylene

CAD or Data Requirements

CAD system integration and custom file converters enable flexible, laser manufacturing from customer-provided data. If needed, MLT will take single part drawings and create optimized sheet layups to maximize your yield. Although most file types are accepted, the preferred file types are Gerber, DXF, or other 2D formats.

For more CAM/CAD guidelines and detailed requirements, click CAD Requirements.