Page 34 - MetalForming February 2014

Highlights from FABTECH 2013
Fiber-Laser Cutting Machine Tackles Material Thick and Thin
Fiber-laser manufacturer JDSU, Milpitas, CA, partnered with Amada to introduce to FABTECH attendees Amada’s Ensis-3015AJ 2-kw fiber laser that performs like a 4-kw machine. Amada personnel explained that the machine is designed to cut thick (to 35 mm) and thin work simply by changing the beam configuration
electronically. With previous cutting systems, a condenser lens had to be manually changed in order to adjust the beam configuration to cut different types of materials. This versatility reportedly results from the advanced fiber-laser design co-developed by JDSU and Amada.
Speaking to trade-press editors, Amada president and CEO Mitsuo Okamoto noted that “around-the-clock productivity is extremely important to Amada’s manufacturing customers. Our newest fiber-laser innovation with JDSU provides customers with a major advantage because the flexibility of Ensis allows for virtually no down time during the manufacturing process, regardless of what
type of material needs to be cut.”
New Family of Inverter-based Welding Machines
Esab Welding & Cut- ting Products introduced its new trio of Heliarc inverter-based power supplies for AC/DC GTAW and SMAW weld- ing. Touted is the easy- to-achieve optimized arc settings that enable an operator to weld alu- minum using a pointed tungsten, improving arc starts and minimizing heat input.
www.amada.com
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www.metalformingmagazine.com
Heliarc’s fast-switch-
ing AC process removes the need for high frequency (used for arc starting) during welding, reducing electrical noise and the risk of interference to surrounding electronics. AC frequency control focuses the arc for narrow weld beads and faster travel speed. Used to power AC pulsed GTAW, fabricators will find the machine ideal for welding thin aluminum.
The product family comprises the Heliarc 281i, a 280-A unit for single-phase connections; the Heliarc 283i, a 280-A unit for three-phase connections; and the Heliarc 353i, a 350-A three-phase unit. www.esabna.com