FOCUS ON PRECISION ENGINEERING
Taurus laser cutting machine and touch control .
Above : Examples of Esser ’ s project work .
environmental technology . They are based all over Germany , as well as in the Benelux countries , France , Poland , the Czech Republic and others .
In addition to the installed LVD machines , Esser ’ s machining capabilities include waterjetcutting machines of up to 3 x 10m , pressbrakes of up to 12m working length and 2,000- ton pressing force , as well as MIG , MAG and TIG welding facilities .
Investing for success
Esser ’ s managing director , Ludwig Esser , explained that the motivation for investing in these new LVD fibre laser cutting systems was to strengthen the company ’ s competitiveness by increasing productivity and adding new capabilities .
“ Compared to our previous CO₂ lasers , the fibre laser machines have significantly higher cutting speeds and hence much higher
productivity . We simply get more material cut at the same time ,” he said , adding that the two systems meet different requirements .
“ The Phoenix has 2 x 6m sheet capacity and we established that we cut a lot of material in this size range . We decided that this highly productive machine should be at least partially automated , so we specified it with an automated loading and unloading system . This allows it to run unmanned at night if we wish , but also gives us the flexibility to load single sheets onto it manually for one-offs and small batches ,” he added .
Large sheets and bevel cutting
“ The Taurus is a completely different concept . Rather than having a shuttle table , like the Phoenix , it has one big bed on which we can lay two 12 x 3m sheets . While we are working at one end of the machine , we can be
The large parts that we are cutting on the Taurus often go into welded fabrications so it cuts out a secondary operation if we can produce the weld edge preparation directly on the laser
unloading at the other end . The key factor for us was the ability to process sheets of this size to match the capabilities of our press brakes . The ability to add value using the machine ’ s bevel cutting capabilities was also important ,” outlined Ludwig Esser .
“ The large parts that we are cutting on the Taurus often go into welded fabrications so it cuts out a secondary operation if we can produce the weld edge preparation directly on the laser ,” he told ISMR .
The machine ’ s bevel head also has other applications for the German subcontractor .
“ We can cut contours using the 3D cutting head at any angle between plus and minus 45 °. This can be used , for example , to cut angled holes in the plate for pipe and tube intersections . We also use it for a customer in the bulk handling sector . We make big shafts for them that are made in two halves , and we contour both sides of the longitudinal seam where they fit together ,” Ludwig Esser explained .
Reducing its carbon footprint
Bevel cut example .
Euskirchen , where Ludwig Esser Metallbau is based , was at the heart of the recent disastrous flooding that hit Germany , so one
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