Drilling and Flow Calibrating Small Holes Down to One Micron in Diameter

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Lenox Laser, Inc. drills and flow calibrates small holes from one micron in diameter to six thousand microns in diameter. After flow calibrating, these orifices have a flow diameter that can be used with simple fomulae to accurately predict flow rates through them for any gas or mixture of gases under various pressure and temperature conditions. The shape of the hole has no bearing on the flow diameter thus has no negative bearing on the degree of flow control accuracy.

Flow calibrated holes have found many customer uses over the last thirteen years. They have replaced many other flow control and measuring devices used by industry. They have proven to be less costly, trouble-free and more accurate in almost all cases. These holes are drilled into many different parts and materials, such as, VCR blind gaskets, tubes with a closed end, closed pipe nipples, set screws, and many other custom shapes. The majority of holes that are drilled are in stainless steel, however, many other materials, such as, plastic, glass, and most metals are also in demand.

Let Lenox Laser help you solve your flow control and other flow related problems in an economical and precise way. For more information and technical support call 410-592-3106 or visit our website at http://www.lenoxlaser.com/

Lenox Laser’s 30th Anniversary Year Brings More Industry Breakthroughs.

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We have been pretty busy this past year- here is a quick update on a little of what we have been doing!

Not only has Lenox Laser set the standard for sub-micron hole drilling repeatability, but we also do it fast. We can now produce over 1 million holes per hour, setting a new record in laser drilling . That may be more holes (total) than we have drilled in our 30 years of operation.

Exciting Breakthrough- 0.5 micron (500 nm) Exact Leaks!

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Lenox Laser has made exciting breakthroughs in the manufacturing processes of exact leaks!

Exact Leaks are calibrated microholes that are repeatedly and reliably generated in packages and/or other pharmaceutical and manufacturing goods.  These microholes are commonly used in integrity testing processes.

Lenox Laser’s new process allows the creation of 0.5 micron holes in a wide variety of materials; including plastics and metals.

Please visit here: Services- Calibrated Micro-Leaks  on our website for more information.

Laser Technology and Its Applications in Today’s Market

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Some of the most innovative companies in the DelMarVa area came together at Lenox Laser for a recent conference discussing the theme “Micro-to-Nano” technologies. The conference included talks on a range of topics, including Nanotechnology, Pharmaceutical research, Rapid Prototyping, and Laser Drilling.

John Bishop of Norsam Technologies addressed conference attendees on the topic of Ion Beam drilling. Visitors from Northrop Grumman and other local corporations reviewed digital presentations on Nanostructures, MEMS manufacturing, Advances in Laser Drilling, and Microlensing.

The wide overview of current techniques and new ideas provided an excellent forum for group discussions as innovators met manufacturers in this unique scientific environment. Lenox Laser plans to host future collaborative conferences focusing on subjects such as Rapid Prototyping and Micro-fluidics.

Hastelloy Tubes

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Lenox Laser, Inc. , the leader in precision microhole technology, laser drill holes a few microns in diameter into a variety of materials including Hastelloy. Hastelloy is becoming more commonly used for a wide range of applications where the environmental conditions are highly corrosive and where most metals are unable to withstand such extremes.

Whether they be discs, gaskets, or tubes, Lenox Laser can drill holes to meet custom requirements for your specific applications. Call 410-592-3106 or email quotes@lenoxlaser.com for more information or to receive a cost effective quote.

Precision Microhole Arrays

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If you have need for thousands of small holes (one micron and larger) drilled into 0.0625 stainless steel tubing or larger, Lenox Laser, Inc. has this and many other products readily available for you.

Of great interest to many, Lenox Laser has made precision microhole arrays with a density of 35,000 holes in a 0.25″ diameter disc. Custom orders are a specialty because Lenox Laser can produce virtually any array pattern in virtually any shaped part in many materials.

Testing Packaging Pinhole Leaks Integrity

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In today’s world, packaging integrity serves the highest purpose for any food or drug company. If they are unable to deliver their products safely without tampering to the public then they would not be able to sell anything. Consumers demand that their food and drugs must be guaranteed fresh, safe, and cost effective. Companies place the highest regard to the safety and integrity of their products packaging but in today’s changing environment this can be quite challenging. This is where Lenox Laser has the expertise and knowledge to help companies create standards that can be used to help test their packaging even in a production line.

Lenox Laser, Inc. has the unique ability to drill precise repeatable critical flow orifices in glass, vials, ampoules, lids, pouches, cans, containers, blister packs, skin packs, vacuumed sealed packs, bottle capping and advanced types of primary packaging for use in testing and a production environment. Our critical flow orifices can be drilled directly into your product’s packaging often allowing the company to replace expensive testing equipment ultimately saving thousands of dollars while increasing product safety. We also specialize in controlling product atmosphere’s flow rate using our orifice technologies and calculators. We can also help develop package integrity and tamper resistant technologies that can alert the consumer if the product has been compromised. Lenox Laser is ale to drill micro holes down to the half micron which allows the smallest of flow rates that can be used to test the seals of your package. Often customers use several of our drilled products to test their products packaging while they are being packaged which saves time, energy, and money while increasing quality.
Our orifices can help with both destructive and non-destructive packaging testing for whatever application you may need. Our orifces are often used in vaccum/pressure decay testing and direct gas leak detection testing methods where flow control and detection is critical down to the smallest micron. Our small calibrated orifices can also be used to detect if there are any leaks in the seal. The quality of the packaging integrity is only as good as the strength of its seal which is often the hardest to test. Using our pinhole detection technologies, manufacturers can easily test their packages for pinholes down to the half micron thus detecting microbial barrier’s to the smallest possible- as noted below the smaller the hole the harder for your packages integrity to be comprised.
130px_Glass_Vial_Leak_Standard

Recent research, such as Earl Hackett’s study explained in “How Pinholes Affect Packaging” in the July 2000 issue of PMP News, indicates that in flexible packages with breathable barrier materials, the nature of flow and the mobility of bacteria may in fact make penetration difficult with holes up to 50 µm. (According to Hackett, the data showed that essentially all particles that entered the hole exited on the far side. The flow through the entire package was split between the hole and the Tyvek or paper. The number of particles detected coming through the 100-mm diameter sample of barrier material was statistically the same with or without the hole until the hole reached a minimum diameter of 50 µm.)

Please E-mail drawings with hole size or flow rate with specific gas and up/down
stream pressures, we can calibrate your online production packaging equipment.
E-mail- quotes@lenoxlaser.com or call 410-592-3106 for more information.

Side Vent Applications and Products

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Lenox Laser has specialized in drilling microhole side vents for a wide variety of applications serving several markets. Some of the major products that use these vents include arterial syringe side vents, hydrogen release caps, vented containers, advanced plastic bags, catheters, suction canisters, ventilation, and hydrostatic vents. These side vents are commonly used in medical, biotechnology, chemical processing, and flow control applications.

Some of the side venting jobs that we have performed in the past –

  • MEMS application for micro vents used in semiconductors.
  • Cryogenic liquids application -a side vent in the transfer tube for increase in liquid transfer.
  • Medical application-a side vent in glass ,metal or plastic for micro management of liquid and gas.
  • Calibrated packaging leak testing -equalizing contents pressure without compromising integrity.

Lenox Laser can drill micro side vents in various sizes ranging from 1 to 1000 microns in a wide variety of materials including metals, glasses, and plastics for any application. We can either drill in an existing part or material or we can help you design an advanced system for your side venting applications. Our engineers are here to research, design, fabricate, and drill advanced components to help solve any problem.

Lenox Laser, Inc. new equipment and process development has made these products readily available to many industries for packaging integrity testing and calibration with NIST traceability.

The Leader in Small Hole Technology

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Lenox Laser specializes in drilling very small, very precise holes in virtually any material. Our laboratories contain state-of-the-art laser machining tools which we designed and built ourselves to supply a small but vital service to American industry.

Lenox Laser’s line of optical and flow components – apertures, slits, spatial filters, arrays, and critical flow orifice components – have become the industry standard. We are the leaders in small-hole technology.

We earn our leadership by:

  • Supplying a good, dependable product that performs as promised
  • Providing our customers with all the support they need
  • Maintaining and improving the quality of our products
  • Continuous research and development to refine and expand our product line while keeping costs under control

Please give us a call or visit our website http://www.lenoxlaser.com to see what we can do for you.

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