Machinery World April 2017

LASER, PLASMA & WATER JET CUTTING
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
In further evidence that fibre laser
technology has taken over from CO2 when
cutting sheet metal and plate, Bystronic UK
has revealed that since August 2015 the
company has not sold a single CO2 laser
cutting machine in Britain or Ireland.
Conversely, fibre laser cutters have sold well.
In November and December 2016 alone,
orders for 14 were taken. Two of the
machines were 8kW, with a further five
equipped with a 10kW fibre laser source.
Among the latest takers is bicycle
aftermarket component manufacturer, Hope
Technology, based in Barnoldswick, which
has installed a 4kW BySprint Fiber 3015.
“We use relatively thin materials, such as
2mm stainless steel for brake discs and up to
6mm aluminium for some sprockets,”
explains production manager Lindley Pate.
“For thinner gauges, compared with an
equivalent CO2 source, the fibre laser
produces components three times faster. It
has made a fantastic difference in helping us
to meet growing order volumes.”
The machine is equally capable of
handling much thicker material. Hope often
processes 12mm thick aluminium tooling
plate to produce fixtures for other machines
on the shop floor.
A further advantage of fibre laser cutting,
according to Mr Pate, is the high quality of
cut using nitrogen as the cutting gas: “The asmachined
edges on stainless steel appear
polished, so brake discs, for example, need
no edge finishing. They go straight to heat
treatment.”
Elsewhere, Nottingham-based Goodman
Metal Works has recently taken delivery of
the UK’s first Prima Power 4 x 2m capacity
Laser Genius. The 6kW fibre laser cutter is
capable of processing 25mm thick mild steel
and 20mm stainless steel.
“With a tolerance accuracy of 0.03mm, our
new Laser Genius machine provides the
flexibility we need,” says managing director
Richard Goodman. “In addition, while the
quality of our output and the speed of our
production systems assists customers, it is
critical that we are able to quote competitive
prices. Compared with modern systems, our
previous laser cutting machine was proving
uneconomical in terms of its consumption of
electric and gas, while its maintenance costs
were continually rising. Now, the use of our
Prima Laser Genius machine has considerably
improved efficiencies in all of these areas.”
Clearly, fibre laser profiling technology is
in high demand, a fact also confirmed by
Yamazaki Mazak, which announced a record
year in 2016 for sales of laser machines in the
UK. Mazak says the growth has been
achieved across a variety of sectors, with
particularly strong performance in
construction and general subcontracting –
the company’s 6kW Optiplex 3015 Fiber II
has proved the stand-out performer.
This year, Mazak is looking to introduce a
number of new products, including Direct
Diode Laser (DDL) technology, the Super
Turbo-X 3015 Fiber and new laser
automation systems. With regard to the
latter, Mazak’s latest Quick Cell laser
automation technology is available in three
different specifications: six-pallet, 10-pallet
and 14-pallet. It offers loader/unloader
travelling speeds of 54m/min and an
elevating speed of 8m/min, along with a
sheet change time of circa 60 seconds
depending on sheet size.
Over at Amada, development efforts have
yielded the just-released LCG-AJ flat-bed
laser cutter, which can be equipped with the
company’s own 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9kW oscillators.
Most models incorporate an automatic
nozzle changer for uninterrupted processing,
and all are compatible with Amada’s Digital
Support System (ADSS), which facilitates the
delivery of service support and allows
customers to analyse and compare machine
performance. Furthermore, LCG-3015AJ
machines are fully compatible with Amada’s
latest part-picking system, the TK L.
LVD, too, has expanded its fibre laser
cutting machine portfolio with the
introduction of the Phoenix FL 4020 and
Phoenix FL 6020, which are designed to
handle sheet dimensions of 4000 x 2000mm
and 6000 x 2000mm respectively. Available
in 3, 4 and 6kW versions, the latest Phoenix
models are said to achieve superior cut
quality through a cutting-head design that
allows automatic adjustment of focus
position and focus diameter, known as ‘zoom
focus’. Additionally, to achieve the highest
speed on every material thickness, focus
position and diameter are automatically
controlled and adjusted by the CNC.
The increasing popularity of fibre lasers in
the UK market has led to a boom in business
for MSS Nitrogen’s Nitrocube Fiber nitrogen
generators, which are based on a modular,
plug and play design. Compressed air goes
into the system and high-purity nitrogen
comes out. Among the growing list of
customers is ES Solutions, based in Beeston.
Managing director Eric Seymour says: “We
purchased the very first MSS nitrogen
generator back in 2004. However, the new
Nitrocube Fiber is a fraction of the size, far
more efficient and saves us a significant
amount of money each month. Nitrogen
generation is definitely the way forward,
especially for fibre lasers.”
Of course, laser cutting is not the only
profiling technology performing strongly at
present; the demand for plasma cutters
continues apace. This is evidenced by
Ballymena-based Arcon Engineering, which
has recently invested in a RUR3500P machine
from Kerf Developments that features a
Lincoln Electric Spirit 400 Amp plasma unit
with Ultrasharp technology. Arcon says that
the machine is powerful enough to cut
through material far beyond the scope of a
laser. In addition, the system incorporates a
water reservoir that keeps the cutting torches
cool and extends the life of consumables.
Also featured is technology that is said to use
up to 78% less plasma gas than competitor
machines.
Elsewhere on the plasma front,
Hypertherm has just announced its most
significant advance in mechanised plasma
cutting ever, with the introduction of an
entirely new class of plasma called X-
Definition. This new plasma is available for
the first time in a 300 Amp system called the
XPR300.
Finally, from a waterjet perspective, Flow
has recently released Compass, a contourfollowing
and collision-sensing solution.
Compass automatically makes cutting-head
height adjustments in real time to allow
precision cutting, even if the raw material is
not truly flat; the cutting head always
maintains the correct stand-off height from
the material.
It seems whatever the profiling
requirement, there is today a host of fast,
precise and reliable technologies able to help
profiling and fabrication shops achieve
genuine competitive gain.
20 Machinery World, April 2017