FACE TO FACE
Mazak OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO . laser-cutting system for tube ). ISMR also saw a 10kW version of the OPTIPLEX 3015 in its workshop at Worcester . A 15kW version of the machine was displayed at the EuroBLECH exhibition in Germany recently . The new FG-400 NEO fibre laser tube-cutting machine handles large sizes ( up to 406mm diameter for round tube and 305 x 305mm for square tube ).
“ In terms of energy prices , moving from CO₂ to fibre-based lasers means that users are already lowering their electricity costs and can be more productive . Key concerns of our customers are reducing their energy consumption and carbon footprint ,” outlined Alan Mucklow .
Fibre lasers emit lower CO₂ emissions than CO₂ lasers and consume lower energy and gas consumption levels . Crucially , fibre lasers are equipped with much better focusing capability , due to their ability to evaporate material at pinpoint and make a much smaller spot diameter , in comparison to CO₂ lasers . This makes for an accurate and stable cut ,
Ian White , General Sales Manager , Laser Products ( foreground ) and Craig Letty from Mate Tooling Solutions UK ( left ).
particularly when working with thinner materials .
Mazak ’ s OPTIPLEX 3015 FIBER lasercutting machine uses fibre laser technology to channel increased beam density and laser energy into the cut , with a significantly shorter beam wavelength — approximately 90 per cent shorter than a CO₂ laser beam . Beam shaping offers high-quality cutting with laser powers ranging from 3-15kW . Beam shape , density and other aspects can be adjusted depending upon the
Tooling from Mate Precision Technologies . thickness of material to be processed .
“ The result is significantly faster penetration of the material and the potential to increase productivity by more than 30 per cent . In addition , a fibre machine can also cut highly reflective
The OPTIPLEX 3015 with Laser K compact automation ( single tower ).
materials , such as brass , copper or aluminium , which could potentially damage the optics in a CO₂ machine . In addition to highly reflective material , fibre lasers are also well suited to other exotic materials such as hastelloy , Inconel and titanium ,” Mazak told ISMR .
“ The OPTIPLEX 3015 NEO ’ s MCT3 cutting head offers nozzle centring capability and a 24-station nozzle changer is available for larger FMS systems . It can achieve an average of 80 % quicker piercing and reduce assist gases by 75 % on average ,” continued Ian White , General Sales Manager , Laser Products , Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd . “ Its new MAZATROL SmoothLX CNC control features built-in RADAN CAD / CAM software and a dual monitor with built-in cameras to check the position of the sheet in the machine etc .”
The 10kW version of the machine in Mazak ’ s workshop featured Laser K compact automation ( single tower ) for , according to Ian White , 75 % mean-time efficiency for cut parts and a 58-second sheet-changeover time . The automation system is customisable to the exact height and layout of a factory and can be expanded after machine purchase .
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ismr . net | ISMR December 2022 / January 2023