FPCB magnetic micromirror for laser marking/engraving systems

The thesis presents the design and development of a novel, rotational micro mirror using Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (FPCB) for the applications in laser marking/engraving system. The use of the new material helps in reducing the overall cost of the laser scanning system when compared to other MEMS based scanners but with higher mirror surface quality. The device mainly caters to applications that require low powered laser (<1watt), small working area (< 20x20mm) and slow scanning speed (2 mm/sec). The scanner consists of two orthogonally positioned quasi static micromirrors which are driven by magnetic lorentz force. Based on the developed laser scanner, a complete laser marking/engraving system was developed which is capable of engraving materials such as leather, TPU smartphone cases, etc. Further, the thesis also addresses a new problem (drifting) associated with the polyimide material used as the substrate for FPCB actuators and a modified vector scanning methodology is proposed to overcome it.