NEWS
Packaging firm to increase capacity by 200 per cent
TCL Packaging has been working with Rofin-Baasel UK to develop a system for high-speed laser micro perforation and scribing of its printed packaging films. This system will be integrated into existing slitting TCL equipment early in 2014. The solution incorporates
three scanning heads each with Rofin two-axis technology, making it capable of generating perforations down to 0.1mm in size and in any pattern. Lasers operate along and across the web to facilitate fast, complex and flexible designs of micro perforations. This process creates films that maximise shelf-life for an increasing variety of fresh food products, each with unique respiration rates and storage conditions. The system also scribes
packaging films through just one layer of laminated films which is suitable for tear-off strips, offers and separate sections, while protecting the contents.
Systems developed to inspect 3D printing
An EU-funded research project, Intrapid, has developed a series of systems for rapid in-line inspection of laser powder deposited layers. The work, using non-destructive testing techniques, has important implications for the aerospace and automotive sectors, for example, where validation of components made using additive manufacturing techniques has until now been difficult to achieve. The team chose to use laser
ultrasonics, laser thermography and eddy current testing techniques in its system designs because each of these has a small inspection footprint – necessary to inspect a thin deposited layer. The systems comprised newly built specialist equipment together with a software suite, which included the data acquisition, display and analysis.
UK JOB SHOP UPS CUTTING CAPACITY
Andy Evans (left), sales director at SSC Laser, with the company’s MD Austin Jarrett
UK laser job shop, SSC Laser, has invested in a 6kW flat bed laser – which, according to Andy Evans, sales director at the company, will increase the job shop’s capacity by more than 100 hours per month. SSC Laser posted record sales of £7.3 million in the
2012/2013 financial year, meaning it was able to invest in the Bystronic ByAutonom laser system. Evans commented that the greater capacity at the
job shop is down to the increased cutting speeds of the laser system and the fact that the machine operates across all materials. ‘We already operate 24 hours a day, seven days a
week; however, the company is so busy we need to invest in machinery that will produce laser cut components quicker,’ he said. ‘In particular, the ByAutonom 6kW comes into its own on thicker materials. This means, in addition to our existing range of laser cutting capabilities, SSC Laser will now be in a position to cut up to 25mm in mild steel, 20mm in stainless steel and 15mm in aluminium.’ With manufacturing operations in Stafford and Derby
and sales divisions in Sunderland, Slough, Motherwell and Bristol, the company is planning to open a third manufacturing site in 2014.
Global solar installation growth to hit three-year high
Global photovoltaic (PV) installations will rise at the fastest pace in three years in 2014, despite continued cuts to government incentives in mature PV markets, according to analysis from IHS. The growth represents a turning point for Europe, which suffered a decline in solar installations in 2012 and is set for another drop in 2013. Annual solar installations are
predicted to expand at a rate of 18 per cent in 2014, reaching 41GW and marking the end of the solar industry’s two-year slowdown. PV installations in 2014 will rise by 17
per cent, representing an increase from 15 per cent in 2012 and 13 per cent in
2013. Next year will bring the highest rate of growth since the 35 per cent increase in 2011. The figures are taken from IHS’s quarterly PV Demand Market Tracker. Market revenue in 2014 will amount to just under $89 billion. ‘While PV installations will continue to
stagnate or fall in Europe’s established markets like Germany and Italy, growth is forecast in emerging countries such as Turkey, Poland, Ukraine and Russia,’ said Ash Sharma, senior research director for solar at IHS. ‘The growth in the developing PV nations will offset the poor conditions in the well-established solar markets.’ Although European installations will
return to growth in 2014, Europe’s share of global installations will continue to slide as it is outpaced by Asia and the Americas. Europe’s share will fall to 29 per cent next year, down from 57 per cent in 2012. Asia’s share will increase to 48 per cent, up from 29 per cent. The acceleration in demand has
already begun in 2013; IHS predicts that the fourth quarter of 2013 will close the year strongly, conforming to the industry’s seasonal pattern of a solid finish every year. China will be the primary driver of this
year-end rush, with more than 2GW of installations projected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2013.
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LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 21 • WINTER 2013
@lasersystemsmag |
www.lasersystemseurope.com
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