Senior Editor
- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
PRC Laser opens fiber laser machine factory
Longtime maker of CO2 resonators enters the fiber laser arena
- By Tim Heston
- August 16, 2019
- Article
- Laser Cutting
The CO2 laser remains an industry workhorse. For many CO2 lasers in the field today, there’s a good chance the laser resonator was made by PRC Laser.
The brand hasn’t gone away. PRC is opening a new headquarters and manufacturing location in Charleston, S.C., ramping up operations throughout the fall. It will still service its existing CO2 cutting lasers, and it’s dedicating a portion of the plant toward CO2 laser resonators and systems, especially for laser welding, which has been a major focus for PRC in recent years. Now, however, the company is shifting gears, with most of the plant dedicated to the fastest-growing segment of the market—which, no surprise, is the fiber laser.
PRC Laser’s roots go back to the mid-1980s when a group of welding engineers were looking for a CO2 laser that could keep up with a continuously running production line. Over the years the company expanded into CO2 laser cutting, partnering with many well-known machine builders.
In 1996 PRC was bought by Dover Corp., which in 2004 sold the company to Rofin-Sinar, which has since been acquired by Coherent. In April 2018 PRC was acquired from Coherent through an effort led by a longtime executive of PRC, Walter Wilson.
“Walter was one of the primary designers of PRC’s CO2 resonator,” said Alain Porro, who joined PRC earlier this year as North American sales manager.
The company now is being led by Wilson and two partners: longtime machine designer Jan Muys as well as Guy Bauwens, based in Belgium. Wilson is president, Bauwens is general manager, and Muys is chief technology officer.
As Porro explained, the new owners plan to focus on operations looking for stand-alone fiber laser cutting machines. They’re also building a domestic supply chain, aiming to source, assemble, and fabricate as many components in the U.S. as possible.
“We’ll be offering an American-built machine,” he said, adding that the company has partnered with California-based Lumentum for the fiber laser source. PRC will also build its own controller for the machine.
The company also is building a motion system with a centered overhead carriage. According to Porro, "The design, under a centered X axis, is designed for ideal balance and dynamics of axis movement."
The company will be offering a standard 5- by 10-foot machine along with a smaller-form-factor, 4- by 4-ft. fiber laser cutting system intended for prototyping systems and job shops where shop floor space is limited. At least initially, Porro said, PRC will focus on stand-alone machines with dual shuttle tables, not on automated systems. The company is coming to market with systems having 4-kW and 8-kW Lumentum power sources. “We’ll also be offering lower-cost options in the lower-wattage market,” Porro said.
He added that PRC will not be offering a CO2 laser cutting option with the machine design, simply because the machine is designed around the fiber laser. That said, the company will continue to offer CO2 laser resonators as a component for both cutting and welding systems.
PRC also will be partnering with Deratech Group, based in Belgium, to offer press brakes. “This allows us to offer a turnkey package,” Porro said, adding that PRC will partner with Deratech on a punch/fiber laser combo.
So is there room in the market for another player in fiber laser cutting systems? “We think there is,” Porro said, adding that the company is focusing on fabricators with hands-on managers and operators, and who don’t have an immediate need for a large automated system.
“For instance, the new plant will have demonstration machines at the end of the production line,” Porro explained. “Again, it’ll be a hands-on approach. You’ll see the machine run, but you’ll also meet the people who build it.”
About the Author
Tim Heston
2135 Point Blvd
Elgin, IL 60123
815-381-1314
Tim Heston, The Fabricator's senior editor, has covered the metal fabrication industry since 1998, starting his career at the American Welding Society's Welding Journal. Since then he has covered the full range of metal fabrication processes, from stamping, bending, and cutting to grinding and polishing. He joined The Fabricator's staff in October 2007.
subscribe now
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
start your free subscription- Stay connected from anywhere
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Welder.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Tube and Pipe Journal.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of The Fabricator en Español.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/26/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:51
This week on The Fabricator Podcast, Jason Becker, host of the Arc Junkies Podcast and owner of Underground...
- Trending Articles
USS Midway’s tuition-free welding program a win-win
San Diego landmark becomes floating classroom for student welders
K&S celebrates 50 years in business
Guiding metal fabrication’s automation transformation
Increasing revenue by applying production concepts to sales and marketing
- Industry Events
Coil Processing Workshop & Tours
- April 2 - 3, 2024
- Corpus Christi, TX
GOLF4MFG South
- April 15, 2024
- Charlotte, NC
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY