FIBRE LASERS


Amada’s 3kW Ensis Rotary Index machine operates with a 3kW single-diode module meaning it has no beam combiner


‘One thing we’re focused on is having


higher-power individual modules within a fibre laser engine,’ Wood said. Five years ago, Amada was combining 600W modules for its fibre lasers. In 2014, the company moved to 2kW modules, and now it uses 3kW modules. ‘Tat will be an ongoing thing,’ Wood continued. ‘We’ll look to go to higher power single modules to remove things like the combiner. Whenever you can remove something from the machine, it not only removes the cost of that part but any potential unreliability. It’s going to be about streamlining the fibre laser engines themselves.’ SPI Lasers has added process monitoring to


its fibre lasers, using the back-reflected light for pierce detection in cutting. ‘Te fibre laser becomes more of a smart tool, adding value to processing through signal capture,’ explained Gabzdyl. ‘We have a technique in our beam delivery optic that strips out the back-reflected light. By monitoring this light, it can tell you when you’ve pierced into the material so you can initiate the cutting process.’ Given the act of piercing can take up to 10-15 per cent of the cutting process time, efficient detection of the pierce can significantly increase production rates.


Christen at Lumentum commented: ‘Laser


manufactures will absolutely continue hardware consolidation and optimisation to improve costs, but the expectation is those companies successfully executing vertical integration strategies will benefit the most in the area of costs.’ He said that there will be interesting market dynamics as the industry consolidates, adding that Chinese fibre laser manufacturers are now coming online and that diode packaging houses are merging with local fibre laser firms. IPG’s vertically integrated


thicker stainless steel and aluminium compared to CO2


. Te other is the amount of


nitrogen fibre lasers get through compared to CO2


gas used can be higher.’ Amada is investigating ways to reduce the


business model means it can work on optimising each component that goes into its fibre lasers. Stark said: ‘Fewer components with higher efficiency is reducing the cost [of fibre lasers].’ IPG has also been developing its ultrashort


still four or five years of people converting from CO2


There are fibre lasers


pulsed fibre lasers, launching a two picosecond laser with an all-in-one fibre design and an average power of 50W. Te laser is designed for dark marking stainless steel or processing glass. SPI Lasers has shown that its nanosecond


fibre laser can weld dissimilar metals of around 0.5mm thickness, such as copper to aluminium. Te success of the welding process is down to the ability to tune the beam parameters of the laser.


Lumentum’s Corelight fibre laser engines are available in 2kW, 4kW and 6kW options


20 LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 37 • WINTER 2017


Cutting on gas ‘Tere have always been two main problems with fibre lasers,’ commented Wood. ‘One is the quality of the cut edge when working with


machines to


amount of gas consumed during cutting and, at Blechexpo, showed a preview of technology on its 9kW fibre laser to do that. Wood said Amada plans to introduce this technology early in 2018. Another option that is becoming


more popular is to use compressed air instead of nitrogen. Te cut edge has a slight yellow oxidised tint to it when cutting with air, but if the part is going to be sprayed then air cutting is a good way to


reduce the cost of processing. ‘Tere are still four or five years of people machines to fibre lasers,’


converting from CO2


Wood commented. ‘Tere are still an awful lot of CO2


machines out in the field and a lot of


people are still perfectly happy with them.’ He added that fibre lasers will occupy the


domain up to 20mm to 25mm thick metal, but when thicknesses get up to 50mm the quality of a fibre laser cut isn’t as good compared to plasma cutting or water jet cutting. Wood concluded: ‘A mid- to high-power


fibre laser can replace two lower powered old CO2


companies replacing two 2.5kW CO2 machines. In four or five years’ time the


majority of laser cutting companies will have moved to fibre lasers.’


@lasersystemsmag | www.lasersystemseurope.com machines. We’ve sold a 4kW fibre laser to . You are cutting faster, but the amount of


Lumentum


Amada


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