Page 28 - MetalForming November 2011

CO2 Lasers
Flexible and Reliable
The CO2 laser defends its leading position as an all-purpose cutting machine.
Brilliant solid-state lasers, regard- less of whether they use a disk, fiber or rod, have been widely discussed in recent months. Through- out, one thing that has remained clear: The CO2 laser is defending its enviable position as the all-purpose cutting machine.
“This workhorse, available with up to 7 kW of output power, can cut steel from 0.02 to 1.25 in. thick,” says Stefan Fickenscher, product manager, 2D laser machines, Trumpf Inc. “So while a solid-state laser may prove perfect for delicate work and in some cases can cut through thicker steel plate, it simply cannot attain comparable capability throughout the entire range of sheet and plate thickness as its CO2 coun- terpart. One reason is a simple lack of experience—20 yr. of knowledge accu- mulated in CO2 laser cutting provide a clear advantage over a modest body of experience and many unanswered
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
questions for newer laser types such as the fiber laser.”
Thin vs. Thick
For most fabricators, ever-chang- ing cutting patterns and short runs typify the everyday work. While the CO2 laser delivers superb results when fusion cutting thick and thin materials, the solid-state version looses its advan- tages of speed and cutting capacity even at modest sheetmetal gauges—0.2 in. and thicker.
However, solid-state lasers are becoming the technology of choice in certain segments, such as thin-sheet processing or for cutting highly reflec- tive materials such as copper and brass.
“Introduced to the market as early as 1995,” says Fickenscher, “more than 100 solid-state-laser cutting systems have been installed to date, including Trumpf’s recently introduced models using disk- laser technology. Users typically are
shops specializing in long production runs for thin sheetmetal, or companies already operating CO -laser machines in
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their daily business looking to diversify.”
Whether CO2 or solid state, laser- cutting machines run on information provided by an NC job order. “These programs,” adds Fickenscher, “called up with just a few mouse clicks, ensure high cut quality because they auto- matically deliver the most suitable pro- cessing parameters based on the mate- rial type and thickness, workpiece geometry, lens focal length and nozzle diameter. Stored in these programs are the appropriate laser output, cutting speed, nozzle spacing and focal length, as well as the required gas pressure for a given type of gas.”
New Technology, New Levels of Quality
Among the latest capabilities pres- ent in state-of-the-art laser-cutting