FIBRE LASERS


IPG Photonics’ 15kW fibre laser measures 800mm3


brighter and more efficient. Stark added that the efficiency of fibre lasers


allows IPG to build compact, high power systems – IPG’s 15kW fibre laser has a footprint of 800mm2


and a height of 800mm. Te efficiency of fibre lasers is now well


established, and now machine tool manufactures are looking to fibre laser companies to give added value. Christen at Lumentum commented that fibre laser firms have to ‘provide novel and possibly dynamic laser characteristics that allow for enhanced ability to cut thin to thick materials more reliability and with less tool reconfiguration.’ He said that beam shaping to give more flexible systems will be one of the technological advances for fibre lasers. Lumentum’s Corelight fibre laser systems are available in 2kW, 4kW and 6kW options. Amada’s 3kW Ensis Rotary Index machine,


Amada’s Silky Cut technology is designed to give a high quality cut edge


power race. Automation is more important for how you keep up with these high-power fibre lasers, and if it’s best for your process or not.’ Tere are also regional average power


requirements, according to Christen at Lumentum. Wood gave an example that in Italy there is a strong demand of 2kW to 3kW fibre lasers because there’s a buoyant thin stainless steel market there. ‘Te power will plateau at 8kW to 10kW,’


Wood believes. ‘Above 10kW there won’t be much to gain, because then you’re getting into the thicker processing range and you move to plasma cutting. Generally we find that the


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market wants between 2kW and 6kW. A 6kW and a tower will eat through work compared to an old 4kW CO2


laser.’ Fast and efficient


Fibre lasers are taking over from their older CO2 counterparts in part because they are more efficient at turning electrical power into laser light. Stark quotes wall plug efficiencies for IPG’s fibre lasers as up to 50 per cent, which is a big difference compared to 10 per cent efficiency for a CO2


machine. Wood at Amada believes


efficiencies will continue to improve because the diodes that pump fibre lasers will become


which the company showed at Blechexpo, can process flat sheets as well as cutting different styles of tube, angle and channel. Te machine can move from flat sheet to angle or channel or round square rectangle tubes with a two- minute changeover, according to Wood. ‘It’s ideal for production of 25 per cent tubing and the rest sheet metal – any more than that and you’d need a tube laser,’ he said. Te mode of the beam can be changed with


the Ensis fibre laser, going from a conical mode to a doughnut shaped CO2


mode. Te benefit is


that a 2kW fibre laser can cut 25mm mild steel. Te company has also introduced its Silky Cut technology on its fibre lasers, which Wood said gives the same cut quality on 10mm stainless steel as a 4kW CO2


machine can produce. ‘People are asking for simple operation,’


Wood added. Te Ensis has an automatic nozzle changer so that engineers don’t have to do it manually.


ISSUE 37 • WINTER 2017 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE 19


Amada


IPG Photonics


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