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Articles tagged with "laser"
Results: 43
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Mechanized plasma cutting for HVAC applications: How equipment has progressed and what it offers today's fabricatorsJust 20 years ago most heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) ductwork was cut by hand with snips and shears. Cutting out HVAC fittings was slow and labor-intensive. It took an experienced tinsmith with strong hands to slice through galvanized steel all day. It took even more skill to get the cuts and bends just right to coax flat panels of sheet metal into precise 3-D forms.
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Plasma pleases plentyTechnological developments in lasers are positioning them as an attractive alternative to plasma. But fabricators are still sticking with plasma cutting for many applications where speed and cost-effective operation are concerns.
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Putting a spark into cutting productivity: Exploring the friction alternativeThere are many ways to cut sheet, plate, tubing, and structural shapes, ranging from a hand hacksaw to power shears and lasers.
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Exploring complementary cutting methods: Comparing capabilities of laser, plasma, EDM to waterjet technologyThe various cutting methods available to fabrication shops today can be both a little daunting and very beneficial. Choice is good--learn how to make the most of the diversity all your choices offer to you.
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Roll formers look for a win: Industry players hope to score with customization, better technology |
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Safety Fundementals for Today's Industrial Lasers: As Laser Use Increases, So Does the Importance of SafetyAddressing laser beam hazards, safety regulations for laser use, and methods to improve laser safety should be foremost in the mind of every laser machine operator.
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Working safety with metalworking fluids: How to protect workers from their harmful effectsThis article examines the hazards associated with metalworking fluids. Health effects, including skin and respiratory disorders and cancer, are addressed. A look at engineering and administrative controls that can be implemented to ensure the safe use of metalworking fluids is included.
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Venting on the subject of clean shop air: If your company plasma or laser cuts, take a long, hard look at its ventilation practicesA shop owner should want the best ventilating technology for its thermal cutting operations. It keeps employees safe and protects the company from potential liability situations. With that in mind, the feature poses five questions that every shop should ask itself about its ventilating efforts as it regards thermal cutting operations.
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Improving the bottom line in automotive applications: How to reduce the total cost of weld qualityThe automotive industry is under extreme pressure to improve the productivity and quality of its operations. Tier 1 suppliers especially are being squeezed by a combination of very competitive upfront bidding for contracts and yearly price reductions. One area ripe for savings in most automotive companies is the total cost associated with welding quality.
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Pinpointing future laser welding marketsAficionados of laser welding technology at times must feel a little like telephone vendors beamed back to 1603. They know almost everyone is going to use them in the future, but getting buy-in today can be like hawking loans at 25 percent-lots of interest and few takers.
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Installing and maintaining coil cradles and reelsThe installation procedures that can help to prolong the life of coil cradles and reels are outlined in this article. Specific steps to maintain cradles and reels are also included.
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Troubleshooting your stamping operationA common thread runs through all effective troubleshooting approaches: the skill of observation. Learn to use it to your advantage.
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Incorporating available technology into die design: Tools of the trade are evolvingDesigning progressive dies has increasingly become a high-tech process. The more able an operation is to use computer technology, the more able it is to use the latest advances in the field in its own designs.
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Focusing on tube cutting lasers: Tube fabricators, producers see the lightState-of-the-art laser technology for cutting metal tubes includes capabilities for cutoff, beveling, and cutting an infinite variety of shapes such as holes, slots, and notches. In this article, manufacturers of laser cutting equipment discuss the state of advancements such as automated loading and unloading of parts; simplified programming; automatedinspection of finished parts; and lights-out operation.
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Using a gel-type tube lube: Manufacturer decreases waste, improves lubrication |
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Thinking about an equipment upgrade?: Laser systems offer flexibility from prototyping to productionProducts change, and so do manufacturing methods used to make products. In the tube and pipe industry, however, manufacturing changes have been few and infrequent over the past few decades.
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Selecting a tube cutting process: Methods and applications, pros and consTube fabricators use a variety of methods—sawing, lathe cutting, rotary cutting, supported shear cutting, dual-blade shear cutting, and laser cutting—to cut tubing from mill lengths into shorter pieces for use in final fabrication. No single method is optimal for cutting the broad range of tubular materials and tubular shapes produced by this industry.
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Producing quality ASTM A249 and ASME SA 249 pressure tubesDetails are everything when you're manufacturing stainless steel pipe to exacting specifications.
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Laser welding of stainless pressure tubesNot all laser welded tubes are created equal. Know what to look for in the final product to ensure that you're buying quality and not just an imposter.
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Six-axis tube laser adds new dimension to job shopSince its founding in 1988 as a stamping job shop, the Kooima Co.'s equipment and services have evolved to meet the changing demands of its customers—always with the goal of providing them with one-stop shopping for all their primary metal fabricating needs.
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Laser tube processing: Ten out-of-the-box techniques save money, spur innovationThe introduction of lasers to the manufacturing process has changed the fabrication of tubing. Today, many manual processes can be replaced with laser processing techniques. Using the flexibility afforded by lasers, a bundle of raw tubing can be loaded into a laser tube cutter; parts can be cut with high accuracy, quality, and speed; and then finished parts from the machine can be sent directly to the final assembly.
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Welding aluminum tailored blanks with Nd:YAG lasers for automotive applicationsThe increased average power at the workpiece delivered by a 4-kilowatt, continuous-wave Nd:YAG laser source can be used for tailored blank welding of aluminum alloys
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Get the most out of your laser: Applying commonsense gas supply tipsTo be competitive in today's market, a laser user must be sure that equipment is operating at an optimum level. Maintaining your gas source and gas distribution system, installing properly sized pipe, and choosing the right gas supply system are some practical steps to take that can help develop the right gas supply system for a laser.
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Welding exhaust system components: Laser technology may aid this traditionally high-volume applicationIn the field of automobile exhaust systems, such components as manifolds, pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are joined either by the car manufacturer or by a subcontractor to form a subassembly ready for attachment.
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Supporting the defense: Manufacturer uses direct diode laser to weld missile canisters |
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Producing side-impact profiles: Automotive body part combines roll forming, punching, laser weldingThe ramming machine bores into the side of the new automobile at a speed of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour. Within a fraction of a second, sensors situated all over the test dummy signal details of the stress load. Shortly afterward the overall results of the Euro-NCAP crash test will appear in all the specialized automobile magazines.
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Lifestyle trends expand use of lasers, ALAW presenters sayALAW 2007 was held April 17 to 19, in Plymouth, Mich. The second two days of the conference focused on laser technology in automotive research and applications and were geared mostly to manufacturing, production, product design, and R&D engineers.Societal demands driving greater dependence on laser technology are energy and environmental concerns, as well as customization.
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Design tips for sheet metal: Bend relief, small holes, hole distortion near bends, and minimum flange widthsThe article discusses making small holes and when to use a punch or laser cutter, inside radius measurements and how they differ depending on whether you are coining or air bending on a press brake, and adding bend relief to prevent tearing material.
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In search of the perfect bend: Advancements in press brake angle measurement and bend springback systemsPress brake manufacturers have made tremendous advances in the art of machine design and manufacturing.
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Adaptive bending: Achieving accurate first-piece bending resultsAdaptive bending allows press brake operators to measure a bend angle during the forming process and feed the information to the numerical control. The article discusses springback and how to determine it and the fact that when air bending, 90 percent of problems result during initial setup, and only 10 percent result from springback. It also discusses using an angle control system, methods of measuring angles, and requirements for angle measurement systems.
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The challenges of laser cutting: Overcoming some common obstaclesLasers can be used to process expensive alloys as well as traditional materials such as stainless steel. However, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of laser processing is the key to determining whether or not a laser is the right choice for cutting.
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Testing new waters Down Under: Australian auto industry looks to benefit from lasers, information sharingCapitalizing on the latest laser and information sharing technology, theAustralian auto industry is working to achieve critical mass within itsdomestic market and to take advantage of the opportunities offered bye-commerce.
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Predicting the outcomes of laser thermal forming: How process simulation brought this technology to industry |
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Turning up the power: Using lasers to cut thick plateThe most common power levels ranged between 1,500 and 2,000 watts. However, a statistical survey conducted by the AMT Laser System Product Group indicates a steady increase during the last 12 months of installations for high-power 3,000- to 4,000-watt laser systems and a decline in sales of lasers with power levels less than 2,000 watts.
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Monitoring laser beam performance: How beam focusability helps evaluate beam quality onlineThis article discusses online laser beam monitoring and its alternatives, with emphasis on beam quality and focusability.
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Agriculture equipment manufacturer cultivates productivity improvements with laser technologyBourgault Industries specializes in seeding and tillage equipment, and other agricultural products including sprayers, grain carts, and heavy harrows. The company performs all fabrication involved in manufacturing the equipment from sheet or plate to finished product. It examined its operating costs and found that setup times in several parts factored significantly in the overall cost of the part.
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Cutting through five myths about modern lasers: The truth behind laser cutting technologyWhether you're operating a 10-year-old laser machine or evaluating the purchase of a new one, staying up-to-date on current laser cutting technology and techniques can be the key to maintaining a competitive edge.
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Laser cell system gives job shop the home field advantageContract manufacturer CGI Automated Manufacturing Inc., Cicero, Ill., fabricates parts as an outsource resource for vertical manufacturers. The company started out as a stamping operation, then added other fabrication technologies, including welding, press brake forming, drilling, punching, rolling, shearing, and cutting.
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Laser-gas delivery systems for all applications, including 24/7 operation: A comprehensive look at the optionsWhen laser gases are used in significant volumes or in an around-the-clock operation, a centralized gas delivery system is a practical necessity. A well-conceived delivery system reduces operating costs, increases productivity, and enhances safety.
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3 pasos para mejorar el mantenimiento de los láser: Ponga atención en el ambiente, en el equipo, Y en los siempre necesarios consumiblesLos usuarios de mquinas lser saben que necesitan tener un programa de mantenimiento adecuado, pero con frecuencia lo ignoran al tratar de minimizar el tiempo improductivo. Sin embargo, con los tiempos de entrega y los mrgenes reducindose, y los costos de las materias primas siempre impredecibles, el mantenimiento adecuado de una mquina puede ahorrar a un taller muchos dolores de cabeza en la recta final de una entrega.
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Laser optics: Special delivery: Lens coatings, adaptive optics make laser cutting more efficientNot only can today's laser optics handle more power, they also enhance beam quality, reduce maintenance, increase power delivered to the cutting head, and improve mode stability.
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Laser and waterjet: friends or foes?: Capabilities make these technologies complements, not competitorsKnowing the capabilities and drawbacks of laser and waterjet machines is the key in determining which is best for a particular application.
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Láser y chorro de agua: ¿amigos o enemigos?: Sus capacidades hacen que estas tecnologías se complementen y no que compitan entre sí |
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