FABTECH 2011: LASERS

Cutting speeds are determined by the laser size, material being cut and the desired edge quality. Straight line cutting will be faster than small intricate cut patterns.

Typical cutting speeds are from 6 ipm up to 600 ipm. Set the cutting speed and the laser power by line colors in the KCAM software to control the speed and depth of the cut.

The 7 in deep vacuum table along with the aluminum honeycomb tabletop will exhaust smoke and debris from the cut material. All standard full gantry systems have a top vacuum located on the safety shield mounted around the laser nozzle to exhaust the smoke and fumes while engraving.

Each laser cutter or laser engraving system is supplied with a vacuum blower to exhaust the fumes and smoke from the vacuum table chamber to the outside or through a customer supplied filter system. www.kernlasers.com

LOWER SHEET METAL CUTTING COSTS
Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) presents the METABEAM 1000, a turnkey, laser-based machining tool that enables cost effective cutting of sheet metal, including stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum and brass.

Using a 1000 W, completely sealed CO2 laser (Coherent Diamond E-1000), the METABEAM system offers substantially lower acquisition and operational costs when compared to legacy systems based on fast flow CO2 lasers.

The METABEAM 1000 delivers several advantages over cutting systems that utilize fiber lasers. Specifically, the long wave infrared CO2 laser output enables the system to work a wide range of metals, like fiber lasers, but also process organic materials such as wood and plastic.

“In general, our customers are looking for high performance and low cost of ownership, but with the flexibility to meet the changing material demands in their facilities,” said Stephen Lee of Coherent.

The METABEAM 1000 is available with either a 1220 mm x 1220 mm (4 ft x 4 ft ) or 1220 mm x 2440 mm (4 ft x 8 ft) cutting table, and will offer a cutting accuracy of ±25 μm (0.001 in) over its entire range.

The system utilizes a capacitive height sensor to maintain constant spacing between the cutting nozzle and metal surface, and comes standard with auto focus to deliver consistent clean cuts.

Additionally, the system has two independent, high pressure regulators to rapidly switch between assist gasses, thus enabling cutting of a variety of materials with minimal setup time. Various automation enhancement tools, such as pallet shuttles, are available to facilitate integration into a production environment and increase productivity.

The METABEAM 1000 offers cost effective processing of a wide range of metals and other materials for job shops, metal service centers and sheet metal fabrication shops.

Its ease of use and automation capabilities makes it attractive for in-house sheet metal cutting for manufacturers in a broad range of industries, including white goods (appliances), automobiles, aerospace and contract manufacturing. www.coherent.com

OPTICS FOR CUTTING STEEL, LENSES FOR ENGRAVING, MARKING
A full line of CO2 laser optics, featuring lenses and mirrors that are direct OEM replacements for popular high power steel cutting lasers, is available from Laser Research Optics (Providence, RI).

Laser Research High Power CO2 Optics for multi-kilowatt cutting lasers are optimized for 10.6 µm and offered in 1.5 in to 2.5 in diameter sizes. Featuring varying focal lengths from 3.5 in to 12 in, the lenses are A/R coated and exhibit <0.2 percent total absorption, while the silicon mirrors and reflectors provide >99.5 percent to 99.7 percent average reflectance at 10.6 µm and 45 deg AOI.

Suitable for Amada®, Bystronic®, Cincinnati®, Mazak®, Mitsubishi®, Prima®, Strippit® and Trumpf® lasers, these High Power CO2 Optics are all available for delivery within 24 hours. They include lenses in plano-convex and meniscus configurations, molybdenum mirrors for dirty environments, silicon mirrors, silicon with enhanced copper, silver, or DBMR dual band polarization controller reflectance coatings, and ZnSe output couplers.

A full line of CO2 lenses that feature a broad selection of focal lengths plus low absorption coatings for 100 Watt and up engraving and marking lasers is also available.

Laser Research CO2 lenses for engraving and marking lasers are optimized for 10.6 µm, are available in ½ in to 1½ in diameter sizes, with focal lengths from 1 in to 25 in, in ½ in increments, and feature <0.2 percent total absorption values.

Capable of maintaining sharper cuts with fewer passes, the low absorption coatings keep the lenses cooler and prolong their life, claims the firm.

Featuring 40-20 scratch-dig surface quality and <1/40^th wave sphericity at 10.6 µm, these lenses for engraving and marking lasers meet OEM and ISO-10110 specifications for optical elements. They are available for Camtech®, Emission®, Epilog®, Ferba®, GCC laser Pro®, Gravograph®, Jamieson®, Kern®, Pinnacle®, LST Lasers®, Synrad®, Trotec®, Universal® and Vytek® lasers.

Laser Research CO2 Laser Optics are priced according to type, configuration, and quantity. Literature and price quotations are available upon request. The CO2 Lenses for engraving and marking lasers are priced according to configuration and quantity, with delivery from stock. Price quotations are also available upon request. www.laserresearch.net