Selective laser-cutting for sheet-to-sheet manufacturing process of dielectric elastomer transducers

Dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers consist of thin elastomer films and compliant conductive electrodes on each side. Several DE-based systems, e. g. DE stack transducers, loudspeakers or sensors, have a great potential in industrial applications. Using a sheet-to-sheet film handling process enables laminating thin, pre-fabricated elastomer sheets which are characterized by reproducible and homogeneous properties. In combination with a droplet-based electrode application process, multilayer DE transducers can be manufactured. For successfully integrating DE transducers into higher-level processing systems, manufactured large-scale DE laminates must be precisely cut into smaller DE units. Moreover, the electric contact points need to be advantageously designed to enable a reliable electrical interlayer connection and low contact resistance for external electrical bonding. For this purpose, an alternative laser-cutting concept is presented which comprises the selective cutting of each laminated elastomer layer and its integration into the DE manufacturing process. Based on theoretical preliminary considerations, an 18W CO₂-laser is selected and test on cutting 50 μm thin Wacker Elastosil 2030 films are carried out. Using one elastomer film on a PET liner suitable laser parameters for cutting the elastomer without significantly damaging the layer below are determined experimentally. By integrating laser-cutting into the DE manufacturing process, a DE laminate is produced and the cut edges are visually inspected. The results show that the presented concept works in general.