Laser PI Film Cutting

Precision PI Film Cutting

in Singapore

Burr-free laser cutting for polyimide film, Kapton, flexible PCB substrates, and multi-layer flex circuits. No mechanical stress, no delamination — tolerances from ±0.05 mm for the tightest flex electronics applications, all from our Singapore facility.

mm tolerance
± 0
min film thickness
0 mm
typical turnaround
0 h
film types
0 +

What We Do

Cutting Capabilities

Our UV and CO₂ laser systems are tuned for thin polymer films — delivering clean, burr-free cuts without the heat distortion, delamination, or micro-tears of mechanical die-cutting.

Cutting Tolerance

Tight positional accuracy maintained across roll-to-sheet and sheet formats. Critical for multi-layer flex alignment.

±0.05mm

standard; ±0.03mm for fine-pitch FPC on request

Max Sheet / Panel Size

Full-panel processing in one pass. Eliminates repositioning errors on large flex circuit panels.

600×600
mm per pass; roll-fed available on request
 

Film Thickness Range

From ultra-thin 10 μm single-layer PI to 0.5 mm multi-layer flex stacks with adhesive and coverlay.

0.01 – 0.5mm

single layer to multi-layer flex stack

Edge Quality

No burrs, no micro-tears, no carbonisation on cut edges. UV laser minimises HAZ on copper traces near cut lines.

Burr-free

clean polymer edge, no charring or melt-back

Laser Type

UV laser (355 nm) for fine-pitch FPC with copper traces; CO₂ for pure PI film and simple outlines. Both in-house.

UV 355nm

+ CO₂ 10.6 μm — dual capability

Fine Feature Size

Slots, via outlines, tab cuts, and registration holes as small as 0.1 mm wide. Ideal for FPC routing and coverlay trimming.

0.1mm

minimum slot / feature width

Materials

Film Types We Cut

8+ flexible and rigid-flex substrate types processed in-house. Each material has different laser absorption characteristics — our parameters are tuned per film type to prevent delamination, charring, and trace damage.

Working with a multi-layer stack or unusual substrate? Send us your stackup — we’ll advise on the right laser and confirm capability before you commit.

View Material →

PI Film (Kapton)

0.013 – 0.25mm

DuPont Kapton HN / EN. Pure polyimide for gaskets, insulation layers, flex heaters and circuit substrates.

Flexible PCB (FPC)

0.05 – 0.3mm

PI + copper + adhesive stack. UV laser preserves copper traces. Single, double-sided and multi-layer.

Coverlay (PI + Adhesive)

0.025 – 0.1mm

Acrylic or epoxy adhesive bonded PI. Precision window and pad opening cuts for FPC protection layers.

PET Film

0.025 – 0.25mm

Polyester film for membrane switches, label substrates, and low-cost flex circuits. CO₂ laser cutting.

LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer)

0.05 – 0.2mm

High-frequency flex substrate for 5G antennas and mmWave applications. Low dielectric loss, precise cutting needed.

PI + Stainless Steel (Rigid-Flex)

0.1 – 0.5mm

Stainless steel stiffener bonded to PI. Structural support for connector areas. UV laser cuts both layers clean.

FCCL (Copper-Clad PI)

0.05 – 0.15mm

Flexible copper-clad laminate before circuit patterning. Blanking and outline cuts for downstream processing.

PI Tape / Adhesive Film

0.01 – 0.08mm

Single or double-sided adhesive PI tape. Die-free custom shapes: gaskets, masks, protective film cuts.

Where PI Film Cutting is Used

PI film cutting is a core enabling process for flexible electronics — from wearable devices to satellite antennas and medical implants.

Wafer Tape & Process Film Cutting

Dicing tape rings, backgrinding film, and UV-release tape cut to wafer carrier dimensions. Precise outline and slot cuts with no adhesive bleed onto cut edges.
Dicing tape rings Backgrinding film UV-release tape

Flexible Circuit & Antenna Cutting

FPC outlines, NFC / RFID antenna blanks, wearable flex circuits. UV laser preserves copper traces right up to the cut edge — critical where trace clearance is under 0.2 mm.
FPC outlines NFC antenna blanks Wearable flex

Implantable & Diagnostic Flex Circuits

Thin PI flex circuits for catheter tips, neural probes, and diagnostic patches. Biocompatible materials, clean edges, and lot traceability available for regulated production.
Catheter flex Neural probes Diagnostic patches

High-Reliability Flex Assemblies

LCP and high-Tg PI substrates for avionics flex circuits and satellite communication antennas. Tight tolerances, full dimensional inspection reports on request.
Avionics flex Satellite antennas LCP substrates

Flex Heaters & Insulation Gaskets

Kapton flex heaters, thermal interface gaskets, and electrical insulation layer cuts. Custom shapes from DXF — no tooling or die setup required even for one-off jobs.
Flex heaters Insulation gaskets Thermal interface

Display FPC & Camera Flex Cables

ZIF connector flex tails, camera module flex cables, and touchscreen connector strips. Tight pitch, consistent length, and burr-free edges for automated assembly insertion.
ZIF flex tails Camera flex Touch connector

From Drawing to Delivery

Six steps, transparent at every stage. Most orders quote within 24 hours.

Upload Drawing

DXF, DWG, PDF, or STEP. We accept most 2D/3D formats.

Engineering Review

We check tolerances, material fit, and flag any DFM issues before quoting.

Quotation

Detailed quote within 24h — material, thickness, quantity, finish noted.

Production

Cutting run on our CO₂ laser. Parameters selected per glass type and thickness.

Quality Check

Dimensional verification. First-off approval for new jobs; batch sampling for repeats.

Delivery

Same-day dispatch for in-stock jobs. Local Singapore delivery or self-collect.

What Makes Our PI Film Cutting Different

Thin film cutting is unforgiving — the wrong laser or fixture causes delamination, trace damage, and dimensional shift. We’ve built the process specifically for flex substrates.

UV Laser for Copper-Bearing FPC

CO₂ lasers overheat copper traces near cut lines, causing delamination and discolouration. Our UV laser (355 nm) ablates the polymer cleanly without thermally loading copper — critical when trace clearance to the cut edge is under 0.3 mm.
 

UV Laser for Copper-Bearing FPC

CO₂ lasers overheat copper traces near cut lines, causing delamination and discolouration. Our UV laser (355 nm) ablates the polymer cleanly without thermally loading copper — critical when trace clearance to the cut edge is under 0.3 mm.
 

No-Tooling Custom Shapes — From 1 Piece

Die-cutting requires expensive hard tooling and minimum quantities. We cut any 2D outline directly from your DXF — no NRE charge, no MOQ. Ideal for design iterations, prototype builds, and low-volume production where tooling investment isn’t justified.
 

Multi-Layer Stack Capability

PI + adhesive + copper + coverlay stacks cut in a single pass without layer separation. We characterise each stackup before production to confirm the right power and speed settings — preventing adhesive bleed and inter-layer delamination at cut edges.
 
 

Multi-Layer Stack Capability

PI + adhesive + copper + coverlay stacks cut in a single pass without layer separation. We characterise each stackup before production to confirm the right power and speed settings — preventing adhesive bleed and inter-layer delamination at cut edges.
 
 

Semiconductor-Grade Cleanliness & Traceability

PI film cutting for semiconductor and medical customers requires particle-controlled handling and lot traceability. We offer clean-handling packaging, serialised job records, and first-article inspection reports — supporting your qualification and PPAP documentation requirements.

Laser Cutting vs Other PI Film Cutting Methods

Understand where laser cutting beats die-cutting and mechanical methods for flexible substrates.

Criterion Laser Cutting (Ours) Steel Rule Die CNC Router Mechanical Punch
Dimensional tolerance ±0.05mm ±0.1–0.3mm ±0.1mm ±0.05mm (with die)
Tooling / NRE cost
None
S$300–2000 per die
None
High (punch + die)
Min order quantity 1 piece 500–5000 pcs MOQ 1 piece 1000+ pcs typical
Copper trace damage
None (UV laser)
Edge crush possible
Heat / burr on traces
Shear stress on traces
Design change lead time
Same day (DXF update)
1–3 weeks (new die)
Same day
1–3 weeks (new punch)
Complex internal features
Yes — any shape
Limited by die design
Yes but slow
Simple shapes only

Dicing Tape Ring Cutting

UV-release tape · 200mm wafer · 5000 pcs/run

NFC Antenna Flex Blanks

FPC · 0.1mm · ±0.05mm · 2000 pcs

Diagnostic Patch Flex Circuit

Kapton 0.05mm · UV laser · Lot traceable

Featured Projects

PI Film Cutting Work We've Delivered

A selection of recent PI film and flex substrate cutting projects across semiconductor, medical, and consumer electronics.

Services That Work Well Together

PI film cutting is often one step in a broader flex assembly process. We handle what comes next.

Laser Engraving

Mark serial numbers, QR codes, and part IDs directly onto PI film surfaces without ink or labels.

Request Similar →

Glass Cutting

Cut glass substrates for display modules and optical assemblies alongside your PI film order.

Request Similar →

Non-Metal Cutting

Acrylic, PC, FR4, and composite substrates cut with the same precision and no tooling cost.

Request Similar →

Laser Cleaning

Remove oxide, adhesive residue, or contamination from flex substrates before bonding.

Request Similar →

FAQ

Common Questions

Answers to the questions we hear most often from new customers.

 
CO₂ laser (10.6 μm) works well for pure PI film and simple outlines where copper traces are not close to the cut line. UV laser (355 nm) is preferred for FPC with copper layers — its shorter wavelength ablates the polymer without thermally loading the copper, preventing trace discolouration, delamination, and adhesive bleed. For multi-layer flex with tight trace-to-edge clearances under 0.3 mm, UV is the correct choice.
 
Yes. We regularly cut multi-layer flex stacks in a single pass. Before production we run test cuts on a sample of your stackup to confirm the parameters produce clean inter-layer separation with no adhesive bleed at the cut edge. Please provide your full stackup spec (layer order, thicknesses, adhesive type) when requesting a quote.
 
Our UV laser can cut slots and features as small as 0.1 mm wide. For internal holes, the minimum diameter is approximately 0.2 mm. Practical minimum varies with film thickness — thicker multi-layer stacks require slightly larger minimum features due to kerf width and material relief. Include your tightest feature dimensions in your drawing and we’ll confirm feasibility at quoting stage.
 
Yes. For semiconductor and medical customers we provide serialised job records, first-article inspection (FAI) reports with dimensional measurements, and lot traceability documentation. If your application requires specific quality records for PPAP, IPC, or ISO 13485 submissions, please specify this when enquiring so we can confirm what documentation we can provide.
 
Roll-to-sheet cutting is available on request for standard PI and PET film rolls up to 300 mm wide. We unwind, flatten, and cut to your specified sheet dimensions before laser processing. For high-volume orders requiring continuous roll-fed laser cutting, please contact us to discuss production volume and setup requirements.
 
DXF is strongly preferred — it preserves your geometry at 1:1 scale with no PDF interpretation issues. For FPC outlines, please supply the board outline layer only (not copper, silkscreen or drill layers). Gerber RS-274X is also accepted for FPC board outlines. Ensure all lines are closed polylines with no gaps or overlapping segments, as open paths cause incomplete cuts.

Featured Projects

PI Film Cutting Work We've Delivered

Get Started

Get a Free Quote Today

Send your drawing or project requirement for review. We can discuss materials, related processing needs and a practical next step for your project.

 

Confidentiality Note

We understand the value of your design files. The information you submit will be used only for project evaluation, quotation and production communication. We take customer confidentiality, data security and intellectual property protection seriously.