CNC a die, place the top and bottom die in an arbor press and stamp out the adhesive stickers. Also it would be a lot easier to put the adhesive onto the insert first, then press the insert into the recess than trying to do it the other way round.
I'd make a fixture that has has a recess for the inlay and locating pins at the screw/pivot locations. The idea is that you could place inlay into recess, apply tape to inlay, take second backing off, flip scale over onto fixture, push down.
I do a lot of laser cutting on my 100w laser cutter doing acrylic signage. You have to be careful there is a type of VHB that is laser safe it doesn’t produce as much smoke it also doesn’t coat the laser with residue on laser nozzle and also coat the internal lenses in the laser. Good idea though there is a support email from 3M that you can email and request their engineers to give you the right product for your application. You can also request the laser safe SKU.
I think a vinyl cutter would work really well for cutting the VHB tape. My Summa cutter will perforate cut (cuts all the way through the material) I'm not sure if one of those small hobby Cricut cutters has that capability but would be worth checking out.
Great video! - as far as sourcing material goes, I see that Digikey, RS, Uline and other are frachised to support the 467MP series from 3M. You are probably very well connected with your machining distributors and tooling reps - encourage your team to leverage all your industrial distributors, especially those in Electronics/industrial automation to support some of these sourcing/process support activities. Distribution is hungry for orders, make them work for it!
Great video, it's always interesting to see the evolution of a process. I've had some projects that used the same tape, and I think I can contribute a bit to improve speed and efficiency. In one of the early ones where I had to attach a polycarbonate membrane to a case, I had the same idea of cutting and gluing it onto both parts. At the time, I used a vinyl sticker cutter that worked better than i expected, but the application on wasn't easy as it's very easy to stretch or position it incorrectly. It ended up working with a lot of care and a bit of adhesive tolerance. In another project where I had to attach various acrylic letters to a sign, I applied the tape to the plate before passing it through the CO2 laser cutter. The application was much easier in this case, but it requires the machine, and depending on the material, it leaves the edges burnt. I believe the diode laser you used is somewhat inadequate for this, but still, you deserve congratulations for safety (many people would use it without precautions). In general, for cutting materials that are sensitive and can catch fire, it's interesting to have a bit more power (enough to cut in one pass) and much more speed, as in the process you showed with the galvo and the roller. Another suggestion, but I haven't had experience with this, would be to machine the adhesive already integrated into the inlay. I hope this comment was useful to somewone!
Great video 👍 As other's have suggested a guide jig as used by OEM car manufacturers when sticking badges etc on to vehicles would help when sticking the inlays onto the knifes😊
I used 3M 467MP a lot with 25W and 50W CO2 lasers cutting on a honeycomb bed and always cut in one pass. I never had problems with fire. So I'm wondering if it's either the type of laser you have, or the surface on which you're cutting.
What about one of those Vinyl cutters where its using a sharp blade to do the cutting, I think that would be a better process for vhb. I don't think there even that expensive.
Was thinking the same thing. Bought an off brand, 24” wide vinyl cutter a decade ago. It’s been a reliable workhorse. Faster than a laser and much cheaper to run. Wonder if using the laser was recommended by 3M or an example of The Law of the Instrument.
@@GOAP68 The law if the instrument, I've never heard that term before, it's the if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like it should be cut with a laser 🤣👍🏻
Yeah, laser leaves a burnt edge even on that clear glue. with a vinyl cutter may work better as long as the glue doesn't stick to the blade and then drag along.
Since you have holes on the handle, can you laser cut matching holes into the tape and then put in locator pins/ needles into the holes to guide in the tape? That would prevent the problem of touching the tape in the wrong place and increase repeatability. Maybe a fixture to hold the tape with the glue face up and.then slide the handle down the pins.
You can use heat to remove VHB or Loctite 380, not enough to damage the handle anodizing or carbon but enough to soften the adhesive. Maybe 120C or so. It will soften enough to just lift right off. That VHB tape is similar to the stuff they use to bond phone screens and other parts to the chassis, and heat is the only way really to take those things apart.
There is probably a SKU of VHB tapes that has vinyl adhesive protection, instead of a paper one. I think that wouldn't catch fire while laser cutting. Another idea is that maybe you should create an arbor press with positioning plates for gluing in the inlays. So you can capture it and not let it slip 🎵
I use 3M VHB tape to bond Mylar seals on the ailerons elevator and rudder on sailplanes we replace them every three years the best product to remove the residue is 3M 100 Adhesive cleaner. It’s a Available in a 1 litre can.
John, it may not be necessary to laser cut the whole way through the VHB tape. Think of the address labels you can buy for your printer - they're die-cut through only the label itself, not the carrier sheet.
What you might try is making a 3d printed jig for the inlay alignment. (That is kinda like a book, a hinge on the side). One side holds the knife, other side holds the inlay. As you close the jig, it brings the inlay and the knife together perfectly. You can then put it through like a roll press or some other method of applying pressure. I would think this should increase the speed an accuracy of the process. With much less waste and cleanup. Since you already have the cad models for everything. I would think that it should be relatively simple to make such a 3d printed fixture.
Could you 3d print a guide of some sort that you sit on top of the handle, and it has a little lip around where the inlay should drop so that it lines up perfectly before actually hitting the handle?
What sort of laser are you guys running? I run a co2 one every now and then at work and I've cut 3m adhesive backed clear plastic (single sided) and it cut clean through at around 35mm/s in one pass. The materiel is was working with was around .012" total (paperback, adhesive, and plastic). That particular cut was done on a cheap Chinese K40 form factor laser which is only capable of 40W. We recently got a XTool P2 that is miles more capable, even though it is only slightly more powerful at 55w. If you guys are wanting to scale this a fair amount and not have it be a significant runtime per sheet it may be worth looking into a dedicated co2 reflector style machine. The P2 I mentioned is more of a hobbist grade machine and the support is hit or miss but it is extremely easy to run and allows for very quick runs to cut down on dial in time. It's also got some neat features on the software side.
We also use VHB very often and I've got a few tips for that. What you're doing with these inlays is the PERFECT application to use it. As some other comments have suggested using a jig to help apply the tape would greatly increase repeatability and most likely application time. I would highly recommend trying to apply the precut pieces to the inlay itself and then stick them into handle. Trying to place rather pliable and annoying tape into a recessed hole is just asking for weird misalignment or creeping up at the edges. Also to get the most out of your bond apply a significant amount of pressure for ~30min-1hour, most families of VHB like around 15 PSI of relatively even pressure to achieve full "wet-out." You can also look into heating them up to around 50 C to speed up the process but I don't feel that's strictly necessary for this application. As far as removal goes look into 3m's citrus based adhesive remover, its basically goo gone on crack, effectively melts the adhesive when given enough dwell time and your little peepholes should give just enough access to wick in there and set them free if the need arises. Hope this helps out and if you're ever concerned with longevity just know that this stuff has been used to create a IP67 seal on a 24", full aluminum monoblock display for military use.
To prevent glue squeeze out under the inlay, you could have previously cnced a grooved slightly inset under the inlay and it would catch any excess glue and not squeeze out perhaps
Process using the tape should, IMHO be to 1. cut through the upper paper and just into the backing sheet. 2. Remove the upper paper from each profile and position the inlay above, using registration marks on the sheet and a jig to hold the clean inlay clear until it sits perfectly. 3. Press down on the inlay and leave it attached to the sheet. Use masking tape to hold it if necessary! 4. Repeat until the sheet is full. 4a. On the complete sheet, rub down from the backing side to ensure proper bond with the inlays. 5. Cut sheet through, around each inlay. Straight rectangular cuts may work unless there's close nesting. 6. For each inlay now on its own piece of backing, clean and prime surface of knife. Locate in holding jig. 7. Pick up inlay using other part of alignment jig and peel off remaining backing sheet. 8. Align jigs and lower the inlay to the knife. 9. Repeat for all inlays on that side, using appropriate locating jigs. 10. etc. The locating and alignment jigs can be 3D printed for each style. NB when using volatile solvents to clean surfaces prior to bonding, allow ample time for the solvent to evaporate. Some residual solvent may react with unbonded adhesive and compromise the bond strength.
CNC a die, place the top and bottom die in an arbor press and stamp out the adhesive stickers. Also it would be a lot easier to put the adhesive onto the insert first, then press the insert into the recess than trying to do it the other way round.
I'd make a fixture that has has a recess for the inlay and locating pins at the screw/pivot locations. The idea is that you could place inlay into recess, apply tape to inlay, take second backing off, flip scale over onto fixture, push down.
I do a lot of laser cutting on my 100w laser cutter doing acrylic signage. You have to be careful there is a type of VHB that is laser safe it doesn’t produce as much smoke it also doesn’t coat the laser with residue on laser nozzle and also coat the internal lenses in the laser. Good idea though there is a support email from 3M that you can email and request their engineers to give you the right product for your application. You can also request the laser safe SKU.
I think a vinyl cutter would work really well for cutting the VHB tape. My Summa cutter will perforate cut (cuts all the way through the material) I'm not sure if one of those small hobby Cricut cutters has that capability but would be worth checking out.
Perforate doesn't mean all the way through.
Haven’t seen it suggested but a clicker press and a gasket type die may be you answer to very precise and quick production.
Great video! - as far as sourcing material goes, I see that Digikey, RS, Uline and other are frachised to support the 467MP series from 3M. You are probably very well connected with your machining distributors and tooling reps - encourage your team to leverage all your industrial distributors, especially those in Electronics/industrial automation to support some of these sourcing/process support activities. Distribution is hungry for orders, make them work for it!
Great video, it's always interesting to see the evolution of a process. I've had some projects that used the same tape, and I think I can contribute a bit to improve speed and efficiency. In one of the early ones where I had to attach a polycarbonate membrane to a case, I had the same idea of cutting and gluing it onto both parts. At the time, I used a vinyl sticker cutter that worked better than i expected, but the application on wasn't easy as it's very easy to stretch or position it incorrectly. It ended up working with a lot of care and a bit of adhesive tolerance.
In another project where I had to attach various acrylic letters to a sign, I applied the tape to the plate before passing it through the CO2 laser cutter. The application was much easier in this case, but it requires the machine, and depending on the material, it leaves the edges burnt. I believe the diode laser you used is somewhat inadequate for this, but still, you deserve congratulations for safety (many people would use it without precautions). In general, for cutting materials that are sensitive and can catch fire, it's interesting to have a bit more power (enough to cut in one pass) and much more speed, as in the process you showed with the galvo and the roller.
Another suggestion, but I haven't had experience with this, would be to machine the adhesive already integrated into the inlay.
I hope this comment was useful to somewone!
You can release the VHB with heat if you need to remove them in the future.
Great video 👍 As other's have suggested a guide jig as used by OEM car manufacturers when sticking badges etc on to vehicles would help when sticking the inlays onto the knifes😊
I wonder if a vinyl cutter of some kind would work? It obviously wouldn't burn but the adhesive might stick to the blade unless it's cold enough.
Love to see a deep dive on the Avid, clearpath, masso setup
I used 3M 467MP a lot with 25W and 50W CO2 lasers cutting on a honeycomb bed and always cut in one pass. I never had problems with fire. So I'm wondering if it's either the type of laser you have, or the surface on which you're cutting.
What about one of those Vinyl cutters where its using a sharp blade to do the cutting,
I think that would be a better process for vhb.
I don't think there even that expensive.
Was thinking the same thing. Bought an off brand, 24” wide vinyl cutter a decade ago. It’s been a reliable workhorse. Faster than a laser and much cheaper to run. Wonder if using the laser was recommended by 3M or an example of The Law of the Instrument.
@@GOAP68 The law if the instrument, I've never heard that term before, it's the if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like it should be cut with a laser 🤣👍🏻
Yeah, laser leaves a burnt edge even on that clear glue. with a vinyl cutter may work better as long as the glue doesn't stick to the blade and then drag along.
@@human2761 with the vacuum chuck it would probably be fine.
Removing 3M tape - heat gun from the back. Works.
Since you have holes on the handle, can you laser cut matching holes into the tape and then put in locator pins/ needles into the holes to guide in the tape? That would prevent the problem of touching the tape in the wrong place and increase repeatability. Maybe a fixture to hold the tape with the glue face up and.then slide the handle down the pins.
You can use heat to remove VHB or Loctite 380, not enough to damage the handle anodizing or carbon but enough to soften the adhesive. Maybe 120C or so. It will soften enough to just lift right off. That VHB tape is similar to the stuff they use to bond phone screens and other parts to the chassis, and heat is the only way really to take those things apart.
There is probably a SKU of VHB tapes that has vinyl adhesive protection, instead of a paper one. I think that wouldn't catch fire while laser cutting.
Another idea is that maybe you should create an arbor press with positioning plates for gluing in the inlays. So you can capture it and not let it slip 🎵
You could 3d print a placement jig that holds the inlay in the exact spot above the tape for you
I use 3M VHB tape to bond Mylar seals on the ailerons elevator and rudder on sailplanes we replace them every three years the best product to remove the residue is 3M 100 Adhesive cleaner. It’s a Available in a 1 litre can.
John, it may not be necessary to laser cut the whole way through the VHB tape. Think of the address labels you can buy for your printer - they're die-cut through only the label itself, not the carrier sheet.
What you might try is making a 3d printed jig for the inlay alignment. (That is kinda like a book, a hinge on the side). One side holds the knife, other side holds the inlay. As you close the jig, it brings the inlay and the knife together perfectly. You can then put it through like a roll press or some other method of applying pressure. I would think this should increase the speed an accuracy of the process. With much less waste and cleanup. Since you already have the cad models for everything. I would think that it should be relatively simple to make such a 3d printed fixture.
Could you 3d print a guide of some sort that you sit on top of the handle, and it has a little lip around where the inlay should drop so that it lines up perfectly before actually hitting the handle?
What sort of laser are you guys running? I run a co2 one every now and then at work and I've cut 3m adhesive backed clear plastic (single sided) and it cut clean through at around 35mm/s in one pass. The materiel is was working with was around .012" total (paperback, adhesive, and plastic). That particular cut was done on a cheap Chinese K40 form factor laser which is only capable of 40W. We recently got a XTool P2 that is miles more capable, even though it is only slightly more powerful at 55w. If you guys are wanting to scale this a fair amount and not have it be a significant runtime per sheet it may be worth looking into a dedicated co2 reflector style machine. The P2 I mentioned is more of a hobbist grade machine and the support is hit or miss but it is extremely easy to run and allows for very quick runs to cut down on dial in time. It's also got some neat features on the software side.
We also use VHB very often and I've got a few tips for that. What you're doing with these inlays is the PERFECT application to use it. As some other comments have suggested using a jig to help apply the tape would greatly increase repeatability and most likely application time. I would highly recommend trying to apply the precut pieces to the inlay itself and then stick them into handle. Trying to place rather pliable and annoying tape into a recessed hole is just asking for weird misalignment or creeping up at the edges. Also to get the most out of your bond apply a significant amount of pressure for ~30min-1hour, most families of VHB like around 15 PSI of relatively even pressure to achieve full "wet-out." You can also look into heating them up to around 50 C to speed up the process but I don't feel that's strictly necessary for this application. As far as removal goes look into 3m's citrus based adhesive remover, its basically goo gone on crack, effectively melts the adhesive when given enough dwell time and your little peepholes should give just enough access to wick in there and set them free if the need arises. Hope this helps out and if you're ever concerned with longevity just know that this stuff has been used to create a IP67 seal on a 24", full aluminum monoblock display for military use.
Are there ones without lockbar? Just asking as locking in knifes are basically forbidden.
Could flushing the lasernozle with co2 or Argon help with the fire hazard?
Nitrogen is dirt cheap.
The one where it roles through is where they use a Mopa fiber laser
I had to remove vhb several times : moderate heat, insert a lever and apply constant but not excessive force. Glue will slowly fail and give out.
time for a jig to press the inlay onto the VHB tape, then remove the paper from the other side and press the inlay into the handle
I am not an expert in this department however wouldn’t heat work to remove the VHB if one would need to do so?
Could try a Vinyl cutter?
To prevent glue squeeze out under the inlay, you could have previously cnced a grooved slightly inset under the inlay and it would catch any excess glue and not squeeze out perhaps
Vhb tape is used to glue windows on in high rise buildings
John, which laser do you have? Looks like a laser on a cnc router setup - is it?
Drag knife sounds safer to cut paper, I wonder if it would cut vhb. Otherwise I guess you could look at making a die to cut them?
Why do you talk about the adhesive as being VHB, but you are showing and provided a link for 3M 467MB? They are two different adhesives.
If the color of the plexiglass is to prevent the laser escaping, why can you see the laser when filming from outside the enclosure?
It just blocks the harmful wavelengths
Should use a circuit for cutting the adhesive, laser is overkill maybe
Wouldn't it be possible to use a foil cutter instead? Cheaper and safer I think.
Process using the tape should, IMHO be to
1. cut through the upper paper and just into the backing sheet.
2. Remove the upper paper from each profile and position the inlay above, using registration marks on the sheet and a jig to hold the clean inlay clear until it sits perfectly.
3. Press down on the inlay and leave it attached to the sheet. Use masking tape to hold it if necessary!
4. Repeat until the sheet is full.
4a. On the complete sheet, rub down from the backing side to ensure proper bond with the inlays.
5. Cut sheet through, around each inlay. Straight rectangular cuts may work unless there's close nesting.
6. For each inlay now on its own piece of backing, clean and prime surface of knife. Locate in holding jig.
7. Pick up inlay using other part of alignment jig and peel off remaining backing sheet.
8. Align jigs and lower the inlay to the knife.
9. Repeat for all inlays on that side, using appropriate locating jigs.
10. etc.
The locating and alignment jigs can be 3D printed for each style.
NB when using volatile solvents to clean surfaces prior to bonding, allow ample time for the solvent to evaporate. Some residual solvent may react with unbonded adhesive and compromise the bond strength.
Why not use punch set instead? Simple, accurate, faster
hot air heat gun will release the bond from the inlay very easy
Stick it to the bottom of the material then cut the insert and paper at one time? Easy peazy
Please send me a hat for my great idea
3D printed VHB sticker jig done
Would you capture it, or just let it slip? 😊😂 I see what you did there
Your line thickness is to wide. That's why it does 3 passes one way and then 3 passes the other direction. And that's why the cut is so wide as well.
Its obvious. Flood the thing with nitrogen, and cut fast. Since you already have argon, try that first, but its more expensive.
⭐🙂👍