Page 28 - MetalForming January/February 2022

Fabrication: Light-Gauge Laser Tube Cutting
“we had one particularly large, recur- ring job with an office-furniture man- ufacturer that required us to mill oval slots into some 3000 tube sections/ week. These were 40-in.-long rectan- gular sections, 0.049-in. wall thickness, each with six slots and four holes. When the customer redesigned the sections to require rectangular slots rather than oval, we had to send the job out to a local laser shop. The time and cost to get that work done outside convinced us to consider adding tube laser cutting as a core process.”
This one job alone, Charon recalls, accounted for 15 hr./week of laser cut- ting time. Not to mention the logistics required to move the material back and forth. “We felt strongly that we had to gain control of the job and reduce lead times for our customer,” he says.
On the hunt for an affordable laser- cutting solution, Charon, after some preliminary investigating, set course for FABTECH 2018 in Chicago, where he met with the team at Kern Laser
Systems, Wadena, MN, and took a close look at its OptiFlex CO2 laser cutting machine. Quickly convinced that the machine would fit the bill, VanRon ordered a 400-W Kern model OPF60120 with a 5 by 10-ft. worktable, equipped with an optional rotary-chuck attach- ment for tube work. Driven by a high- resolution servo motor to provide smooth, accurate cutting, the lathe chuck firmly secures each tubular workpiece in place. A tailstock pushes up against the opposite end to keep the workpiece rotating on center as the laser cuts. The tailstock can be adjusted on a rail for different lengths, and adjustments to the rotary chuck accommodate tube to 6-in. dia.
“We took delivery of the cutting machine early in 2019, and it has served as a great entry into laser cutting for us,” Charon shares. “It fits us like a glove. Much of the work we cut is very thin- walled, typically 1⁄4 in. and thinner. We get great cut quality as well as through- put from the machine, whether cutting
with air assist or, in some cases, oxygen for cutting tube thicker than 0.065 in.”
Navigating the Learning Curve
Noting that at the time the goal was to move into laser cutting without mak- ing a huge investment, “we did look at plasma cutting as well,” Charon says. “However, we felt that the added cut quality, and the opportunity to com- pete for precision laser cutting work in this area, would quickly allow us to cost-justify the investment. Once we navigated the learning curve and got up to speed on the equipment—with help from Kern—we brought that office-furniture job inhouse and then started fielding quotes from several other customers. Now, we’re running the machine 12 hr./day, and honestly could run it even more if we could keep it staffed with an operator.”
Navigating the learning curve, Charon points to learning to use the Kern programming software, under- standing how to vary laser power as
26 MetalForming/January-February 2022
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