Determining the influence of technological parameters of the laser processing of plastic cards edges on improving their wear resistance

The object of this study is plastic cards for various purposes, which are a multilayer structure. The main factors affecting the wear of cards are environmental influences, storage and use conditions, and equipment for reading our personalized information. During the operation of plastic cards, the most common defects are peeling of the top protective layer and violation of the integrity of the card structure. An increase in the frequency of such operational defects may be caused at the production stage by the peculiarities of a die-cutting process. The subject of the study is to determine the optimal technological parameters for laser processing of plastic cards in order to improve their quality characteristics, in particular, wear resistance. The process of card wear was simulated by exposure to chemical and mechanical factors. The study was conducted using a standard procedure. The new methodology includes a combination of classical tests: a combination of chemical and dynamic effects and the introduction of a washing test. To solve the existing problem, it was proposed to improve the technological process by introducing laser edge processing of plastic cards after die-cutting. A set of experimental studies on resistance to transverse, longitudinal bending and twisting revealed that the wear resistance of cards after laser edge treatment increased by 12 % compared to untreated cards. It was established that for cards made of polyvinylidene chloride, processing with a CO2 laser with a power of 25.5 W and a diameter of the laser beam of 1.5 mm is the most rational. It has been confirmed that this laser processing technique makes it possible to strengthen the chemical bonds between the layers of the body of a plastic card