Top 5 in 365—Articles about laser cutting

Even though fiber laser cutting technology (left) was introduced to the metal fabricating market for the first time in 2008, it has managed to emerge as the laser technology of choice for most fabricators. CO2 technology (right), which dominated the market for many years, still is attractive for some applications, but it represents only a small fraction of laser cutting equipment sold today.

Laser cutting is an important process in many fabricating shops. Here are the top five most popular articles about laser cutting posted on thefabricator.com in the last 365 days.

5. Not another equipment showroom
TRUMPF welcomes fabricators to its “smart” factory
Instead of just building a new showroom in the Chicagoland area, TRUMPF has erected a facility where fabricators can see just how digitization can transform the way they make metal parts.

4. The need to automate
The FABRICATOR’s Technology Summit shows what automation means to Cleveland fabricators
If a metal fabricator wants to reduce its cost per part, it should look at automation. Attendees of The FABRICATOR’s Technology Summit got to see this in action during seven tours spread over Oct. 3-4, 2017, in Cleveland. Attendee Kirk McCauley, owner of American Engineering and Metalworking (AEM) in North Canton, Ohio, was thinking about the movie “City Slickers” after the first day of touring. Here’s the story.

3. Technology Spotlight: New laser cutting technology means newfound productivity
Automakers working with high-strength steel could benefit
A suite of hardware, software, and control capabilities from Prima Power Laserdyne are designed to improve productivity and quality in laser processing, which should prove to be attractive to those in the automotive industry looking for productive and cost-effective fabricating equipment.

2. CO₂ laser machine maintenance: Keep it clean, save money
Good maintenance requires a detailed eye and a lot of common sense
Brent Donner has some stories to tell when it comes to CO2 laser cutting machine maintenance: dirty optics, burned resonator tubes, clogged filters, gunk on the gaskets over the cutting head—you name it, he’s seen it. No wonder the machines aren’t cutting like they used to.

1. A guide for finding the right laser cutting machine
This type of capital equipment expenditure is a big deal, so fabricators should know what to ask to find the right fit
How would you go about purchasing a laser cutting machine? That's not an everyday task, and as a result, some shops aren't sure where to start. This guide can help fabricators ask the right questions when making this important purchase.

Next up? Arc welding.