manufacturing can be performed. The powder bed processes are capable of process- ing most weldable engineering metals as well as a number of high-performance polymers. The move of this technology from rapid prototyping to true manu- facturing applications is accelerating in all major industrial fi elds, including aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, medical components and tooling.


Unlike subtractive manufacturing methods (i.e., drilling, machining) where one starts with a bulk material with known material properties, in additive manufacturing the material properties are formed during the additive process. This requires a detailed knowledge of the effects of the laser/material interac- tions as well as the thermal infl uences on material properties of both the heating and cooling cycles. This is a major area of current study to further understand the capabilities of this technology.


Laser Cutting By Richard Neff, Manager Market Develop- ment—Cincinnati Incorporated, and Gary Cican, Sales Engineer—Laser Mechanisms Inc.


Internal cavities and oil lines, Material: EOS StainlessSteel PH1 Courtesy of EOS of North America


For DMLS the developments in robust Yb:YAG


fi ber lasers has greatly advanced the capabilities of this manufacturing platform. Single-mode fi ber lasers ranging from 200 W to 1 kW combined with high- speed digital scanners are critical for the success of this technology. With layer thicknesses commonly as small as 20 microns, small laser spot sizes, precise laser power control and accurate high-speed scanner trajectories are critical. SLS is powered by sealed CO2 lasers for optimum laser absorption in the polymer materials. These maintenance-free lasers in the 50–100-W range are the perfect power source for precision melting of polymer powders used in the SLS process.


LF6 MfgEngMedia.com


It’s hard to imagine we might call laser cutting a mature technology. But thousands of laser cutting systems are now making great parts for companies large and small in every corner of the globe. Most are safe, reliable, productive, accurate, serviceable and easy to use. If you operate a modern laser, you will fi nd it is even better than a similar machine just a few years old. As we look back on laser technology, the fi rst in-


novation in the early 1980s was to strap a CO2 laser resonator and focusing lens on a punching machine to create a laser cutting machine. Dual pallet design machines then made lasers more productive. In the 1990s, higher power resonators increased the capac- ity of cutting systems. Upgraded drive systems with linear motors and improved beam quality boosted cutting speeds in light-gage material. Better program- ming software maximized material utilization, pro- ductivity and ease of use. In the 2000s, automation in both programming and material handling further improved machine utilization. The most recent innovations are the use of solid- state lasers that deliver the laser energy directly to


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208