Laser Micromachining features for small parts involve laser technologies capable of achieving high levels of accuracy.  Gateway Laser Services offers laser processing using Excimer, Yag and other laser technologies for micromachining small features capable of selective material ablation in single micron elements for medical and bio-medical devices or medical electronics. The high resolution process is “cold machining” leaving a clean edge without carbonization or heat affected zones.  Laser micromachining is non-contact and does not diminish the integrity of the material.   Examples of applications include: laser machining implants, needles, catheter hole drilling, biomedical filters, microfuidic channels, ophthalmic applications, nozzles, orifice for gas flow, flat or cylindrical tubing and hole arrays for medical electronics.  Hole diameters can be processed to as low as 5 microns using a variety of polymer materials.

Material types include: Most metals and alloys, ceramics, nitinol, polyimides, silicon, PEEK, and epoxy preforms. Plastic materials include:  polyimides, polyurethanes, PEEK, nylon, Pet, Silicones, Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, PEBA, PMMA, ABS and other thin films.

The diversity of new applications is a daily challenge.  Whether it is a new surgical blade, catheter, pacemaker or ophthalmic device, design engineers keep pushing the envelope making small parts even smaller and more compact.  Gateway Laser Services offers various types of laser micromachining and welding options capable of dealing with the ever evolving industry of high-tech manufacturing.

Gateway Laser Services specializes in laser micromachining, welding and laser etching prototypes as well as performing large production runs.   Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Gateway Laser Services operates out of a 22,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility large enough to accommodate substantial growth.

Our clientele is diverse as well as the markets they represent.  In addition to the medical industry, Gateway Laser Services performs a wide range of applications for electronics, aerospace and research industries.

Laser Micromachining is a process of choice for the medical industry. The miniaturization of devices for medical implantation, high reliability and accuracy, new materials used in medical devices, and the wide range of applications is what drives the requirements for new processes suitable for laser machining tasks. Laser micromachining in metals and ceramics is a thermal process that shaves small layers of material based on high ejection rates from localized areas within a very short period of time. Laser ablation of polymers has a different mechanism based on photochemical reaction causing the decomposition of organics. The ability to laser micromachine materials has revolutionized machining of the smallest parts with micron level accuracy. There are no limitations in material type (metals-alloys, ceramics, polymers-organics, composites, adhesives, etc.), in shape or form of parts (flat sheet, tubes of any shape, 3-d machining), as well as multilayered materials (removal of one material from another selectively). Another field of machining is to fuse various materials together using the  laser beam which is commonly known as laser welding.

Laser Micromachining is for those who must think small and very precise.  Whether you laser drill, cut or weld; using Yag and Eximer technologies should be considered as your method of choice for achieving the highest tolerance and precision when producing catheters, implants, filters, flow orifices, microholes, preforms, among others.

Lola - Director of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition

Lola is our four-legged furry friend – Australian Terrier Poodle “Aussie-Poo” – to be specific. She is the company greeter at the front door, our automatic vacuum, and brings a glowing personality to the lab.

We all know that having dogs in the workplace eases the mood and satiates the comfort you need while slaving away at your desk for 8+ hours each day. More and more companies are creating policies (or just bending the rules) to allow pups in the work environment. Numerous studies have shown that dogs in the workplace help to reduce stress and boost employee morale. While having a “bring-your-dog-to-work day” may be impossible or completely irrational for many of the companies out there, it may be more feasible to have a “company dog.” These dogs become sort of a mascot – if you will – for the organization.

In the midst of all of the excitement of having a little pup prancing around the workplace, we can’t forget to formally introduce Gateway’s recently acquired Laser Technician, Jeff Strecker.  Jeff was a 2011 graduate from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa where he earned an Associates of Applied Sciences in Laser/Electro Optics Technology.

“Knowing that I’m going to be doing something different every day and having the opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in the industry is what I enjoy most about Gateway,” Strecker said. “Working here has made me realize that I can wake up every day and enjoy going to work, which is a luxury I have never had until now.”

High Performance SemiCrystalline PEEK (polyetheretherketone) films are drawing interest within the industrial marketplace. PEEK has the characteristics of a versatile high performance film such as a high dielectric property, resistance to chemical corrosion, withstands higher operating temperatures and it’s one of the most thermally stable thermoplastics out on the market.

Filtration device made from PEEK film. Holes 100+/-5 microns

The material has a variety of uses and applications from fabrication of industrial machines, medical devices, medical implants, electronic devices, scientific instruments, chemical processing as well as oil and gas industries. In the biomedical field it is quickly closing in as a competitor to stainless steel in the use of implants where material strength and toughness prevents wear and tear inside the body with low potential risk.

PEEK Filters

Gateway Laser Services has a laser micromachining method for manufacturing small parts with extremely high precision. Filters which must function in high temperature or corrosive environments may be fabricated out of PEEK film as the material of choice. Such filters are often designed as small-hole arrays laser drilled in specific patterns as called for by design. The laser drilled apertures can be as small as just a few microns. PEEK filters display excellent edge quality without burring.

Seals & Gaskets

In the fabrication of seals and gaskets PEEK has become a material of choice as a high performance polymer for industrial applications. It’s superior combination of properties such as displays outstanding mechanical performance in high or low temperatures as well as water or steam, it is highly resistant to wear or fatigue, and great hydrolysis resistance makes it very attractive to industries.

The future for laser micromachining PEEK material for biomedical applications is very bright. PEEK competes with stainless steel and other metals as a material used for implants; its strength and toughness prevents wear and tear inside the body with low potential risk. Laser micromachining for medical implants is almost a must when dimensional accuracies are tightly tolerance.

Gateway Laser Services is St. Louis-based but they serve a clientele across the globe. We are  celebrating our 10th year in business in addition to a growth of new clients and unique projects.

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