FACE TO FACE
A demonstration of the TruLaser 5030 at INTECH.
Image: TRUMPF.
With TRUMPF green lasers, cable and connector manufacturers can weld copper contacts and lay the industrial foundation for high-speed data transmission in AI applications.
Machine safety, artificial intelligence( AI), data centres and robotics all came under the spotlight.
Despite the economic downturn, geopolitical challenges and resulting uncertainty in the market, Hagen Zimer highlighted TRUMPF’ s ongoing efforts to improve the safety, quality and utility of its products.
The new TruLaser Tube 7000.
“ To differentiate ourselves from competition, we have developed products that offer higher productivity, quality and utility for our customers. This is where we find our niche. We also aim to continuously launch new innovations into the market. Innovation is key: we need to be offering products that others do not yet have,” he said.
Stephan Mayer agreed and emphasised TRUMPF’ s focus on its customers.“ We aim to make our customers successful. It is important that the equipment we offer them proves what it promises in terms of output and uptime. Service is very important- rapid response, spare parts availability and our ability to monitor the equipment performance in the field. AI brings us additional capabilities to ensure the maximum uptime and productivity of TRUMPF machines. Connected service solutions ensures efficient maintenance of the machines. That means a lower cost per part, which is crucial for our customers. This is how we differentiate ourselves,” he explained.
TRUMPF uses AI internally for repetitive company tasks and processes( e. g. automation of admin, spare parts orders, translation of operator manuals etc.). This has considerably accelerated processes and, confirmed Hagen Zimer, freed TRUMPF’ s workforce for“ more creative tasks.” It also uses AI in its products and software for applications such as vision and recognition( e. g. for sheet metal part sorting), predictive maintenance and machine service. At INTECH, the company demonstrated its robotic AI vision system for sorting laser-cut sheet metal parts.
AI, said Mayer,“ is a tool to help us solve problems, become more efficient and increase the uptime of our customers’ machines.” TRUMPF now gives its service engineers an AI‘ assistant’ to help them check the database for similar issues and quickly diagnose any machine issues. AI also performs predictive maintenance to eliminate bottlenecks or machine breakdowns e. g. by deciding when oil needs to be changed in a TRUMPF machine. Data monitoring and cloud connectivity in machinery is crucial for this.
“ There are also downsides to AI, of course. The upsides, however, are objectivity; infinite memory; the ability to manage highcomplexity tasks on the shop floor and high speed,” commented Hagen Zimer.“ AI can be fast, quick and precise and we need to use it wherever we can to produce our next generation of products and improve our portfolio. AI can also help us to become more competitive by automating and taking over key tasks such as IT and programming. In a climate of labour shortages, especially as more experienced personnel retire, AI can keep that vital knowledge and skills base intact. The technology is here to stay.”
Stephan Mayer’ s vision for sheetmetal is the lights-out factory
The heart of the new laser solution is a new cutting nozzle.
Reducing hot forming costs
Live at INTECH, TRUMPF also showcased how to take laser cutting efficiency to the next level.
“ By combining a new cutting nozzle, a new generation of fibre lasers and proven beam shaping technology, we enable efficient laser cutting of hotformed parts, making our customers even more competitive,” explained Ralf Kohllöffel, responsible for product management of 3D systems at TRUMPF.
The design of the new X-Blast 2.0 nozzle allows the nozzle-to-sheet distance to be increased to several millimetres, minimising collision risk during cutting with a TruLaser Cell 8030. Customers, said TRUMPF, can reduce their cutting costs by 75 per cent by using compressed air instead of nitrogen. Supported by TRUMPF’ s BrightLine Speed beam-shaping process, this combination helps to reduce part costs without major additional investment.
It now enables the industrial use of compressed air, even in 24 / 7 operation of high-productivity 3D laser cutting machines when cutting hot-formed components in the automotive industry. TRUMPF is reportedly reducing component costs by up to 20 per cent when cutting hot-formed components for safety-critical body structures, with the new laser technology solution.
“ Energy costs, expensive cutting gas and unplanned downtime are driving up component prices in hot forming. We now offer a solution that addresses this issue,” the company told ISMR.
Image: TRUMPF.
ISMR May 2026 | ismr. net | 27