LaserCoil Technologies LLC has released information on how its patented conveyor design contributes to the speed of the company's coil-fed laser cutting systems. The LaserCoil process relies on a series of dynamic profile conveyor lanes that independently and dynamically reposition to maintain a clear path below the moving laser head while also automatically shedding scrap during the cutting process. This multi-lane high speed conveying system is designed to adjust quickly and not limit the overall system's laser cutting speed, even in the direction of material flow.
With the LaserCoil approach, scrap falls to the bottom of the machine where it is conveyed to a scrap bin or shed to a scrap system. This delivers a high precision quality edge, ready-to-stack part at the end of the line without impacting production time.
The Impact of Scrap Handling
"Coil-fed laser blanking systems that do not remove scrap automatically during the laser blanking process require users to redesign blank shapes that utilize the entire coil strip, eliminating any scrap. This approach can potentially help speed production rates, but impacts the ability to design blanks that are optimized for the forming process. Alternatively, with systems that do not automatically shed scrap, if the blanks are not designed to use the entire coil strip, then an auxiliary scrap removal solution has to be incorporated into the line. This greatly slows down the production rate and adds tooling costs to the solution," said a company spokesperson.
With the LaserCoil design, users have the flexibility to configure blanks and use the system in a way that best meets their needs. For example, service centers might select to optimize material usage whereas OEMs can program the system to meet the highest production rates. This ability is enabled through the fact that scrap is gravity-shed automatically and, therefore, does not impact the system speed.
Additional Flexibility
LaserCoil systems come with lasers up to 8 kW in strength, available as single or multi-head systems, in a multitude of configurations, where each head can cut independently of the other, and which also allows an increase in flexibility as well as a decrease processing time for improved productivity. Additionally, the LaserCoil systems offer multi-mode capability where users can choose either Feed Index Mode (stop/start) or Continuous Mode for optimizing cutting parameters for each part configuration, increasing processing rates and enhancing quality.
By laser cutting direct from coil stock, LaserCoil systems provide a fast and flexible approach to blanking that is well-suited for production environments running multiple blank profiles and mixed material types. The systems can handle coil stock up to 2.1 m wide in any length, and can process aluminum, mild steel, advanced high-strength steels, materials for surface sensitive panels as well as structural components. With 8 kW systems, simple shapes in material thicknesses from 0.5 mm to 0.75 mm can be cut with speeds approaching 2.2 m/sec, making laser blanking a viable and competitive manufacturing choice for volumes of over 100,000 per year, in some cases.
For more information contact:
LaserCoil Technologies LLC
476 East Riverview
Napoleon, OH 43545
419-592-0050
www.lasercoil.com