b'Notable Developments of a throughput difference that aaddition to allowing thicker cuts, he In addition to working solo, laserssignificant boost in laser power cansaid a mixed-gas process improves from IPG Photonics are being usedmake, he pointed out that the cut- cut quality and bumps up cutting to create hybrid machining systems.ting speed of 6.35 mm (0.25") stain- speeds about 20% over the base ni-For example, Marubeni Citizen-Cin- less steel with a 4-kW laser is abouttrogen feed rate.com Inc. in Allendale, New Jersey,3.56 m per min. (140 ipm), but theAlthough lasers can cut thicker will add an IPG Photonics fiber laserspeed jumps to 35.56 m per min.metals today, he isnt sure that lasers system to the lathes and turning(1,400 ipm) with a 30-kW laser. should be used for that purpose due centers that it sells to its customers,He said 30-kW laser systems doto the cost of the high-power systems who are engaged mainly in mak- a good job cutting steels up to 76.2required for the job. For example, he ing small medical components frommm (3") thick while 40-kW laserspointed out that a 40-kW or 50-kW steel tubing. This allows users to donow can handle steel thicknesseslaser offers thickness-cutting perfor-both conventional and laser machin- up to 101.6 mm (4"). mance similar to that of a plasma cut-ing on the same platform to reduceBecause of their ultrahigh pro- ter but costs five or six times as much.part handling and improve accuracy. ductivity and increased thicknessIf Im cutting thin to mid-thick Sarrafi said more good news forcapabilities, Sarrafi said, lasersmaterials, theres nothing that will laser users is the huge increase inwith 12-kW power and more arecompare with a laser in throughput, feasible laser-cutting throughputreplacing plasma cutters in somequality or cost per part, Thomp-over the past five years comparedapplications. son said. But as the material gets with other profile-cutting processes,Another development that hasthicker, its benefit over other pro-such as plasma, waterjet and EDM.boosted the thickness of steels thatcesses starts to diminish a bit. So I This trend, he said, has been drivena laser can cut is widespread use ofthink theres an upper limit where a primarily by the availability of high- what Thompson calls a mixed-gaslaser starts to become maybe not power (10-kW-plus) fiber lasers at aprocess, in which a small amountthe best solution from a practical lower cost. To illustrate how muchof oxygen is added to nitrogen. Inperspective.CTEctemag.com/cteguide.com21LaserMachining.indd 21 9/19/22 11:36 AM'