Conventional tools – blades, dies, rotary cutters – cannot reliably strip foil shields without damaging what lies beneath. The Odyssey-4
changes this completely.
The 355 ㎚ UV wavelength ablates metallic foil cleanly while leaving the polymer dielectric below structurally intact. A clean score line is all that is needed and the foil lifts away with fingertip force.
Foil thickness is typically 12–25 µm. The dielectric insulation starts immediately beneath. No mechanical tool can reliably set a cut depth with the precision required to sever the foil without contacting the dielectric — particularly at production throughput speeds.
The helical twist of the inner conductors creates a continuously changing crosssection along the cable. The outer diameter peaks when conductors are stacked; it is narrower when they sit sideby-side. A fixed cutting depth that works at one orientation will over-cut or under-cut just a few millimetres along the cable.
ADAS, EV powertrains and zonal vehicle architectures are driving rapid growth in shielded cable harness volumes. A process that relies on operator skill, frequent tool replacement or high rework rates is not viable for highvolume automotive assembly. The solution must be both precise and repeatable at scale.
UV laser processing is the only method that addresses all three problems simultaneously: the gap is irrelevant because there is no mechanical contact, the twist problem is handled by recipe and fixturing, and the process is fully recipe-controlled for production repeatability.
Consistent focus height: +0.5 mm tolerance
Angular orientation: conductors side-by-side
Multiple cables can be loaded in a single fixture - batch processing at no additional laser time
No blade, no die, no mechanical wear
Foil ablated cleanly at the cut line
Dielectric preserved - selectivity is inherent to UV physics
Dual-layer foils: process repeated for each layer
Foil section detaches with minimal force
Clean mechanical boundary prevents tearing or delamination
Automated slug pull off available with the Odyssey-4 OEM platform
The Odyssey-4 UV laser wire processing platform is designed for high-mix, high-volume manufacturing.
Trusted by automotive manufacturers globally.