Page 12 - MetalForming August 2017

Tech Update
New Laser-Cutting Processes Deliver Higher Speeds, Use Less Gas
Trumpf Inc., Farmington, CT, has intro- duced the Highspeed and Highspeed Eco, newly designed nozzles that boost feed rates by as much as 100 percent for solid- state laser-cutting machines that employ fusion cutting with nitrogen. With this new technology, according to Trumpf offi- cials, the piercing process is faster, and laser power does not need to be increased. The reported result: A nearly two-fold increase in sheet throughput as compared to standard cutting, with less cutting gas required. The Highspeed process requires 40 percent less nitrogen on average; High- speed Eco, 70 percent less.
reworked. The new Highspeed and High- speed Eco processes, by contrast, are faster and use less gas, which increases the cost-efficiency of fusion-cutting mild steel with nitrogen. In addition, the scope of applications is now broader for 8-kw lasers used in fusion cutting. The laser now can fusion cut sheets as thick as 0.5 in. instead of 0.4 in. as in the past.
In fusion cutting, gas, under relatively high pressure, blows molten material out of the kerf, incurring high operating costs,
according to Trumpf officials. Flame cutting using oxygen is commonly used for mild steel, especially for relatively thick sheets. The advantage of low gas costs is offset by oxidized cut edges that often must be
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What’s the secret? The Highspeed process makes use of a bi-flow nozzle. Some cutting gas passes through the center of this nozzle, as does the laser beam. The rest forms a secondary flow
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10 MetalForming/August 2017
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