CUTTING
4. An important secondary reason was the lower running cost and the lower power consumption, which was particularly important in companies at the top end of the electrical supply limit in their workshops.
Danny Fantom, Managing Director of Ilkeston based subcontractor, FC Laser, commented, ”We were advised by Bystronic’s managing director to complement our existing Bysprint Pro 4.4 kW CO2 laser with a 3 kW Fiber machine.
with its lower power, we put our trust in this recommendation. “The machine has been running alongside the CO2 machine now for two months and I can honestly say that in terms of speed and quality of cut, the machine has exceeded our wildest dreams! “The quality of cut is ultra-reliable without adjustment and the speed of the machine is typically twice that of our latest CO2 machine on most materials. It enables our growing company to maintain fast and reliable delivery times. “The ability to process copper and brass has also been extremely useful, as this is work we would not have quoted for in the past.”
The quality of cut is adjustment and the our latest CO2 machine on most materials. It times
Brattonsound Engineering, Sutton, replaced a three-year- old, 2.2kW CO2 laser with a 2kW Bysprint Fiber. The company cuts thin materials mainly up to 2 mm safes. In production, the machine exceeded expectations, with some nests of parts cut three times faster than on the older BySprint. Average improvement was a doubling of cutting speed. The overall quality of cut parts was as good, even with the faster cutting speeds, and more consistent quality was achieved across the entire sheet.
As predicted, running costs for
the machine have also reduced. Fiber power source, the electrical load has more than halved, dropping from 37kW to only 16kW. Furthermore, as the machine is cutting twice as fast, running costs per part produced have reduced by two-thirds, taking into account both electricity and cutting gas. A Bystronic 3kW, 3 metre by 1.5 metre capacity Fibre laser machine was installed in January 2013 at the Darwen, Lancashire factory of WEC savings. An on-going requirement to cut stainless steel sheet in the 1.5 mm to 4 mm thickness range was the main driver for investing in the machine. It was apparent to Gareth Taylor, Assistant General Manager of the Laser Division, who has over 20 years’ laser cutting experience, that big savings were possible using a Fibre laser to machine this type of material, compared with using one of their CO2 lasers. He said, “We are cutting up to 50 per cent quicker when using the Bystronic to process stainless steel, which is on the machine for about 70 per cent of the time, 24 hours a day. The material is ideal for extracting so the machine will pay for itself quickly.
www.internationalmetaltube.com
Conclusion
CO2 vs Fiber, so what are the conclusions to be drawn from this evaluation?
In summary, Bystronic UK’s experience so far is that the companies most likely to adopt either sub-contractors which specialise in cutting thin metal, such as for point-of-sale sheet metal work and white goods, or subcontractors using a Fiber machine’s strengths to complement CO2 laser machines cutting thicker grades of plate. David Larcombe does not see the death of CO2 laser cutting machines as a result technology, as was predicted. The two systems both have their advantages and disadvantages and Bystronic UK is happy to work with customers to ensure the best machine is proposed for individual requirements.
IMT December 2013/January 2014 25
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