Content tagged with "laser-cutting"
Results: 79
Article
March 1, 2010
Upgrading your laser cutting equipment
To improve laser performance and increase capacity in their shops, sheet metal fabrication companies often consider acquiring new laser cutting equipment, which involves a large capital outlay. Many existing laser machines are in excellent working condition today but are limited by aging... Read more...
Article
February 23, 2010
Article
February 11, 2010
Waste not, want more
Figure 1 Finding enough room for a group photo is not that big of a deal at General MetalWorks, Mequon, Wis. Elimination of excess raw material inventory and racks of work-in-process hascleared plenty of floor space for such an event. Photos by Lila Aryan Photography.
Waste is not... Read more...
Article
January 8, 2010
On the cusp of recovery
During a conference presentation, Richard Kallage pointed to a slide depicting a simple timeline, something that perhaps drove so many to 2009's largest North American metal fabrication, forming, and welding tradeshow. The timeline showed the cash flow cycle, the time between getting an... Read more...
Article
January 8, 2010
The importance of focal positions in laser cutting
All children ultimately discover the combined power of sunlight and a magnifying glass. The ability to focus the sun's energy through the magnifying lens and set something afire absolutely fascinates them.
They discover that as they move the lens up and down, the spot it produces changes... Read more...
Article
December 4, 2009
Punching holes in aerospace manufacturing theories
Figure 1 A TRUMPF TruMatic 3000 punch-laser combination, like this one, is helping Unison Industries accomplish fabricating tasks, such as quickly making holes 0.125-in. thick in INCONEL, which wouldn't have been possible with the company's other tools. Tin banging is not a term commonly... Read more...
Article
December 3, 2009
Finishing off oxide layer problems
Figure 1 A laser operator runs parts through General Sheet Metal Works' oxide removal machine, which strips the oxide layer from the edges of laser-cut steel sheet metal. Photos courtesy of General Sheet Metal Works. The problem that General Sheet Metal Works, South Bend, Ind., faced was... Read more...
Spanish
November 12, 2009
Láser y chorro de agua: ¿amigos o enemigos?
Figura 1
Las partes de muestra en tres espesores y dos materiales demuestran las diferencias entre el corte con un láser (izquierda) y con un chorro de agua (derecha). Los espesores de las partes, de arriba a abajo, son 0.125 pulg., 0.5 pulg., y 0.75 pulg. Los materiales son acero... Read more...
Article
October 7, 2009
Raising the bar, one sink at a time
Figure 1 This made-to-order bar setup can be fabricated at Glastender in a matter of days. Driving much of Glastender's manufacturing and business strategy is, of all things, liquor licensing. Seriously. The Saginaw, Mich., manufacturer of high-end commercial food service products... Read more...
Article
August 1, 2009
Saying 'yes' when others can't
These days a shop manager may look at material handling towers, offloading stations, and other automated setups and think the technology might be good for healthier times, but not today. What good is automation when even manual machines aren't running full-out even for one shift, let alone... Read more...
Article
August 1, 2009
Beginning the lean manufacturing journey
The resume for LAI International, Scottsdale, Ariz., is an impressive read. The company boasts $60 million in annual sales; five manufacturing locations stretching from Scarborough, Maine, to Tucson, Ariz.; 250 employees; and a customer list that reads like a who"s who in the aerospace and... Read more...
Article
August 1, 2009
To think 'in tube'
Emerging from the plane at the new terminal of the Indianapolis Intl. Airport earlier this year, Michael Lee looked up and saw a sight: intersecting tubes carrying roof lines, supporting glass walls, opening space. "For a tube guy, it's an architectural masterpiece," Lee said. "It's a... Read more...
Spanish
July 21, 2009
Entendiendo las tecnologías de corte de metal
Nota del editor: este artículo fue desarrollado a partir de un Panel de Corte Comparativo llevado a cabo en la conferencia Metal Matters de la Fabricators & Manufacturers Association en Orlando, Fla., marzo 2008.
Es la pregunta escuchada en el mundo de la fabricación en metal.... Read more...
Article
July 6, 2009
Software evolves to take a humanlike approach
Some operators tend to tweak nests. Unfortunately, the time spent tweaking may affect throughput; why invest in automatic nesting if someone spends time to manually change it? Besides, an hour spent rearranging parts for 1 percent better material utilization costs more than using the original... Read more...
Article
July 6, 2009
The hidden costs of laser cutting gases
A well-designed and -installed lasing gas delivery system will ensure the gas remains pure when traveling from the cylinders, through the plumbing, and into the laser system. Operations managers are always on the line for costs. Whenever the economy takes a dip, the microscope comes out for... Read more...
Article
June 29, 2009
Venting on the subject of clean shop air
For a ventilation system connected to a thermal cutting machine to function properly, it is best that the equipment is placed away from open shop doors and standing fans. A moderate breeze can overpower the ventilation effort very quickly. However, another reality is that today's fabricating... Read more...
Article
June 23, 2009
Purging the plenum for better laser cutting
When a laser is used to cut a metal component in a manufacturing process, the effectiveness of the operation—achieving maximum throughput and cutting precision—depends on the intensity of the light.
In most instances, the light from the laser is transmitted through a plenum that contains... Read more...
Article
February 10, 2009
New dimension, familiar direction
H.W. Metals processes high-strength steel for many different applications, including transportation equipment manufacturing. H.W. Metals, Tualatin, Ore., processes high-strength steel for transportation equipment manufacturers and other applications. The company began operating in 1979 as... Read more...
Article
January 27, 2009
Bending outside the box
Ask 10 press brake operators how they would bend a particular part, and you're likely to get 10 different answers. But all would agree on parts that gave them major headaches, such as ones with different (and sometimes unwarranted) radii requiring tooling changes, or radii that cannot be... Read more...
Article
January 27, 2009
Laser and waterjet: friends or foes?
Fabrication has long been a cornerstone of U.S. manufacturing. It plays a central role, providing components and subassemblies to other manufacturing sectors, such as aerospace, appliance, and automotive. Significant advancements in metalworking equipment, materials, and applications have... Read more...
Article
January 13, 2009
Article
December 15, 2008
Laser cutting for the first time
For many shops in the metal fabricating world, laser cutting capability was never a prerequisite to success. M&L Industries, Rogers, Minn., knew that firsthand; it had been doing just fine without lasers for the last 30 years. The company had relied on its two turret machines for its metal... Read more...
Article
October 28, 2008
On the level: An introduction to part leveling
Figure 1 A hydraulic roller leveler works material to level parts. When metal is formed or cut, stresses occur. All thermal cutting processes, from oxyfuel and plasma cutting to advanced laser systems, put stress into metal. The processes generate an enormous temperature difference within... Read more...
Article
October 14, 2008
Article
October 14, 2008
Article
September 30, 2008
Automation helps ovenmaker cook up profits
The test kitchen at Wood Stone Corp., Bellingham, Wash., showcases most of the commercial kitchen appliances the company fabricates.
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Bellingham, that's automation. That slight variation of the old Dean Martin tune makes a lot of sense for Wood Stone... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Cycling through a business transition
Maybe it's the fact Lori calls her sister "Trace," short for Traci. Maybe it's because they complete each other's sentences. Or that they live a block apart. Or that they had their first children (both girls) within two weeks of each other. Or that they both first went into finance: Lori was... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Getting lean, job shop style
Most managers at Ace have been with the company for years. President Dale Ball joined the firm 21 years ago. CEO Jean Pitzo took the reins of her father's business in 1989.
Visit Ace Metal Crafts Co. in Franklin Park, Ill., a stone's throw away from landing lights at Chicago's O'Hare... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Ultrafabrication, ultraexpansion
Figure 1 Ultra employs more than 200 welders, all trained for heavy-plate fabrication. That sums up Ultra Machine & Fabrication, a small company just three years ago. Today it employs more than 375, and over the past 24 months, managers sank some serious money into capital equipment: two... Read more...
Article
August 26, 2008
Article
August 26, 2008
When does a punch/laser make sense?
Shops that process enough of the right parts can increase uptime and reduce secondary operations with a combination punch/laser machine. Photo courtesy of TRUMPF Inc.
Business growth led Hawkeye Industries President and CEO Bryan Hawkins to seek a machine that could punch and laser-cut... Read more...
Article
July 15, 2008
Laser optics: Special delivery
Figure 1
Advanced optical components are required in beam-shaping devices for high-powered lasers.
In CO 2 laser cutting and welding, optics is where the rubber hits the road. No matter how precise the motion control or the beam quality from the resonator is, a high-quality, highly... Read more...
Article
July 15, 2008
Making sense of metal cutting technologies
It's the question heard 'round the metal fabricating world: What metal cutting technology makes the most sense?
Unfortunately, the answer to the question cannot be covered in one simple statement. The answer depends on the metal being cut, the metal thickness, how the customer defines a... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
Lasers catch limelight at ALAW
Attendees take a networking break at the exhibit hall during this year's ALAW conference. The 2009 ALAW Conference is scheduled for May 12-14 at The Inn at St. John's, Plymouth, Mich.
Among all metal fabrication technologies, lasers stand apart. Within just a few decades, they've moved... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
One nesting software for all
Nests such as this are now possible for Maurer Manufacturing with ProNest software from MTC Software. The trailer fabricator uses the program to nest parts for both its Alltra plasma cutting table and Cincinnati laser cutting machine. "All for one, and one nesting software for all." That's... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
The dirt on laser lenses
Photo courtesy of NTC America, Novi, Mich./PRC Laser, Landing, N.J.
Who would think that a $400 laser lens could mean a great difference in the performance of a $1 million laser cutting machine? Unfortunately, not enough fabricators do. People who supply laser lenses to these metal... Read more...
Article
May 13, 2008
Driven to integrate
A Parkview Metal Products worker operates a stamping press at the company's facility in Lake Zurich, IL. Parkview produces components for the automotive industry, consumer electronics, and barbecue grills. Changes come often in the steel industry. An item manufactured in the U.S. today can... Read more...
Article
May 13, 2008
Evaluating a CAM system
Figure 1 Free-form nesting allows a fabricator to fit as many parts as possible on one sheet. Imagine this: You have a race car with the leanest, lightest chassis available and the world's fastest engine powering the vehicle, but instead of proper tires you have wheels from a shopping... Read more...
Article
April 15, 2008
Will tube and pipe industry have energy to continue expanding?
If you have been involved in the tube and pipe industry for more than a few months, you're well aware that this industry is in the midst of an unprecedented global expansion. It has undergone periods of active investment and rapid growth in the past, but never before has an expansion of this... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Machine shop sees the (laser) light
Figure 1 Laser-cut tube parts are given a close inspection after coming off the BLM- Adige LT712D laser tube cutting machine at MG Products Inc. Mark George, president of Elkhart, Ind.-based MG Products Inc., chuckled when asked whether his company is more of a machine shop or a tube... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Work flow goes virtual
Mid-West Metal Products Engineer Archie Adamisin views a customer's CAD file, which will follow the job through production. One look at Mid-West Metal Products' shop presents a gleaming example of metal fabrication automation. In the company's Sheet Metal Fabrication Division, material... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Nesting software: A tool for lean manufacturing
What Is Nesting Software? In general terms, nesting software automatically and efficiently arranges the required quantities of individual parts to be produced on sheets or plates of stock material. It does this by using part geometry from CAD files to output NC code that controls a... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2008
Nothing standard about this fab shop
After five years of working for a family-owned metal fabricating business in eastern Connecticut, Rob Marelli wanted to do things his way. He approached the president with an offer to buy the company from him, but he was soon gone with a handshake and a letter of recommendation. He eyed... Read more...
Article
January 15, 2008
Laser safety in the industrial workplace
Figure 1
Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) lasers are commonly used in laser welding applications. These types of lasers typically are operated inside Class I enclosures, which ensures that a user cannot gain access to the laser during normal operation. (Photos are... Read more...
Article
January 15, 2008
Shop perfects laser cutting brass, titanium
Parviz Shahriari, the director of engineering at GEMVIS , a Montreal-based contract manufacturer, doesn't give up easily. He hasn't followed conventional thinking but, instead, has pursued work others wouldn't touch. He's experimented, tweaked, and perfected unconventional processes,... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2007
Getting into the thick of high-powered lasers
Figure 1 High-powered resonators have made laser cutting a suitable technology choice for processing thick plate. Laser cutting originated for processing of sheet materials, but new, high-powered lasers, capable of processing heavier-gauge and plate materials, are moving lasers into the... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2007
Hyperactive fabrication
Clay Andrews wanted to jump right into competitive racing, so his company, Hype Manufacturing, bought the latest machine tools, including five-axis machining centers, tube bending equipment, a waterjet cutting system, and a 4,400-W laser cutting machine. Clay Andrews is a speed enthusiast.... Read more...
Article
October 23, 2007
Designing for laser cutting
A revolution is under way in the tube fabrication industry. The revolution is being driven by the need for manufacturers to fabricate tubular products faster, more accurately, at lower cost, and with shorter lead-times than before. The enemies in this fight are a shortage of skilled labor,... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2007
Article
October 9, 2007
Successful automation isn't automatic
Figure 1 The location of structural supports and electrical supplies influence the placement of a laser cutting cell and material handling automation in a plant. As with so many other ventures in life, successfully implementing a laser automation system rests on one key practice:... Read more...
Article
September 11, 2007
Fabrication in transition
Arcadia's five-axis waterjet cutting machine allowed the company to provide a service that other nearby metal supply houses didn't offer. As a result, the company developed a reputation as a fabricator of large, 3-D stainless steel and aluminum parts. Which comes first—the purchase... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2007
3 ways to get the most from your laser operation
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. —Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp. To say Mr. Gates lived his conviction successfully would be a vast understatement. To say following his... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2007
Tube fabricator, machine tool builder automates to accelerate
Stealth Manufacturing Inc. fabricated its own tube unloader for its cutoff line. Instead of relying on special Allen wrenches to adjust the unloader each time a different-sized tube is switched out, the operator just turns the hand cranks for quicker changeovers. Editor's Note: This feature... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2007
Laser cutting with less labor and less hassle
In February 2007 a four-man precision metal fabricating shop—with the help of two temporary employees—laser-cut more than 500 jobs comprising 73,863 metal pieces and weighing more than 315,000 pounds. That's good news for Chris Hollenback, president of Integrated Manufacturing... Read more...
Article
May 8, 2007
Making it in Mexico
More than 160 exhibitors showcased their metal fabricating equipment at TECMA 2007. Mexico and the U.S.—two countries that are separated by a river, but in some ways it can be an ocean. The metal fabricating industry is a good example of this gulf. Just consider TECMA 2007, held March... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2007
Flexible automation of laser cutting, material handling
Automated parts removal helps to eliminate the non-value-added aspects of laser cutting, but a closer look at nesting is necessary to get the most efficiency out of the automated operation.
In the world of sheet metal fabrication, intelligent fabricating with a laser cutting machine... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2007
Air cutting revisited
Oxygen and nitrogen, two standard assist gases used in laser cutting, create two different reactions at the laser head. Oxygen produces an exothermic reaction, and the laser burns the metal. Nitrogen fosters a melting process, and the laser heats the metal without a chemical reaction, with... Read more...
Article
February 13, 2007
Big shoulders, long strides
Jeff Hansen, Dave Hansen, Cathy Hansen, and Mike Hansen (left to right) are equal partners in Hansen Steel Services. About 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Hansen Steel Services employees wear T-shirts imprinted with the company's Viking logo—a... Read more...
Article
February 13, 2007
Cutting lead-times with lasers
Midwest Precision (MPI), Tulsa, Okla., has held onto its goal of remaining flexible since opening in 1973. Known as Miller Manufacturing back then, the only equipment in the garage were a drill press and a small hand former. In the beginning the company focused on military electronics. But... Read more...
Article
January 9, 2007
Article
December 12, 2006
Can your manufacturing software do this?
Software has changed the nature of fabricating. Most fabricating shops hammer out the manufacturing details of a job on their own computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software packages immediately upon receipt of the customer's engineering drawings. Some of the more aggressive fabricating shops... Read more...
Article
December 12, 2006
Think you have a challenging bend? Bring it on
You need a simple 4D bend in 2.125-inch carbon steel tube with a wall factor of 15? Come on—that's too easy. Four 3D bends in 2.125-in. steel tube with a wall factor of 20? You can do better than that. Two 2D bends and four variable-radius bends in two planes in 2.125-in. steel tube with... Read more...
Article
December 12, 2006
High-powered lasers take a bite out of plate
The "more is better" mentality has been ingrained into the American culture for many years now. Sometimes this is not a good thing. However, as it relates to laser cutting, the "more is better" mentality has proven to be a success.
Since 1958, when Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Using job shop habits for a custom project
Like any good businessman, Ed Sauvola wants to take his company in a successful direction. That's why this instructor-artist-welder-machinist was interested in the challenge of designing custom welding fixtures for a manufacturer in his area. Sauvola (see introductory photo) has plenty of... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
Older plasma and laser cutters having performance fits?
One of the most common and least expensive retrofits on a laser system is the cutting head. Upgrades expand plate cutting capabilities To stay competitive in today's marketplace, fabricators are constantly evaluating many variables in the areas of current and potential customer base,... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
Drawing on new experiences
Press operator Brandie Watkins wipes down a refrigerator door before conducting a quality check. Appliance manufacturing has been due for a makeover for some time. As thousands of U.S. households have rediscovered home entertaining, they have sunk their hard-earned dollars into... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
3 steps to better laser maintenance
Laser machine users know it, but often ignore it. Laser manufacturers swear by it, but often don't push it.
It's maintenance, and it should be the watchword of anyone who owns and operates a laser. With lead-times decreasing, margins thinning, and raw material prices always... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
Manufacturing evolution in the job shop
Because of their press brakes' dynamic crowning and springback compensation technology, Gardner Manufacturing operators can bend long parts without worrying about the material bowing or twisting. Bronze Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age—each period in civilization's history has led... Read more...
Article
September 12, 2006
Expanding upward and outward
The LVP LUS laser cutting machine not only is designed to be 50 percent faster than older models, but also features automatic lens focus and height adjustment. It's elementary for Watson. If Watson Engineering wanted to keep up with its customers in the heavy-duty equipment industry,... Read more...
Article
September 12, 2006
A trek in product design change and laser cutting
In Wisconsin farm country, not far from Madison, is the Waterloo headquarters and frame manufacturing plant for TREK bikes. Its 1,000 employees produce about 600 frames a day—300 metal (aluminum, titanium, or steel) and nearly that in carbon fiber. The frames then are sent to... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2006
A breath of fresh air
Ten years ago laser cutting offered a distinctive advantage to those who invested in the technology. For the most part, successful laser cutting required gas, optics, and patience. The decade has brought many changes to laser cutting, including higher power levels and faster drive... Read more...
Article
March 7, 2006
Optimizing CO2 laser use: Part II
Photo courtesy of TRUMPF Inc.
Part I of this series discussed the production of the CO 2 laser beam and the interaction of the gases required to produce a quality beam. This part discusses beam delivery to the workpiece and the gases used to process the... Read more...
Article
February 7, 2006
Simplicity 'n' press brakes
Low-volume products, such as this zero-turn-radius lawn tractor with a 21- or 23-HP engine, kept Simplicity Manufacturing's laser cell busy, but also created a bottleneck at the company's old press brake. For almost 70 years, Simplicity Manufacturing Inc. has worked to live up to its... Read more...
Article
January 10, 2006
Optimizing CO2 laser use: Part I
Although continuous improvements have been made to increase CO 2 laser cutting productivity, the basic parameters of the process have not changed in the last 20-plus years. A process's growth depends on how the technology and its ancillary components serve the user. New laser technology that... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2005
Fast-forward fabricating
The MV automated storage and retrieval system (in the background) supplies the correct metal sheet, whether it's light- or heavy-gauge material, to the appropriate machine in the fabricating cell. The material handling system also accepts work-in-process from the machines, temporarily... Read more...
Article
October 11, 2005
Laser cutting and welding with one tool
Today's laser sources have the power and beam quality needed to cut and join metal in an expeditious and repetitious manner. The market demands that type of flexible production, so those characteristics are basic requirements in modern laser devices.
Market demands also have... Read more...
Article
March 27, 2003
Will a robotic laser system cut it?
Robotic Laser Cutting Systems A typical robotic laser cutting system consists of a servo-controlled, multiaxis mechanical arm that has a laser cutting head mounted to the robot's faceplate. The cutting head has focusing optics for the laser light and often an integral height control... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2002
Science Nonfiction
Forty years ago no one would have thought it possible to cut plate steel with focused light. Over time it has not only become possible but common in manufacturing operations. However, making this science fiction into fact wasn't enough, and industrial lasers continue to evolve at an... Read more...
Article
May 15, 2001
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