How to Maintain a Laser Machine

Businesses invest a huge amount on laser machines. To ensure this investment benefits your business for longer, you have to maintain it wisely. Routine maintenance benefits in many ways like always receiving the perfect cut quality and increasing the life of the machine. To increase ROI maintenance plays a vital role. There is not much required to do on a daily basis. You can set different routine patterns to ensure every part is maintained regularly. Here is the list of parts that requires maintenance and how you should do it.

Optics Maintenance

When the machine is on, there are dust particles released and if they are not cleaned, it can contaminate the lenses. The dust particles can pile up and can cause poor focus. This reduces the power of the laser. Furthermore, it will result in poor quality of cut or engraving.

If the dust particles on the lens are not cleaned regularly, it can lead to cracking or burning of the lens. If this ever happens the machines need to stop and the lenses should be replaced. You can prevent such incidents by regularly cleaning the lens with rubbing alcohol and cloth.

It is also a good practice to replace the lenses on regular intervals based on the usage of the machine. You can find good quality mitsubishi replacement parts, trumpf replacement parts, amada, prima, etc. online. You must always buy replacement parts from authorized dealers.

Water Chiller Maintenance

The laser machine heats up when in use. So, to maintain the temperature of the laser machine, water is circulated to save from overheating of the laser tube. If the water in the chiller is not circulating properly or the water is not changed regularly, it can result in failure of the laser tube due to heating. 

The repair can cost your business tons.

So, for maintaining the chiller properly, the water in it should be cleared of debris and it should be replaced every six months or earlier in case of heavy usage. Thus, with little attention that a water chiller needs, it can extend the life of your laser machine.

Rail and Track Maintenance

The parts that actually move while the machine is on needs to be clean in order to ensure that nothing interrupts the movement. Regular oiling is required, so that there is no friction while it moves. The X-axis rail needs regular oiling. The Y-axis of the rails consists of bearings so it requires lubrication to save it from premature failure. So, regular lubrication is required in the moving rails so that they can move freely and form beautiful clean cuts.

Cutting Head

The cutting head is from where the laser is emitted. It has a nozzle, and lens inside it. The nozzles get weared out after every use. So it is advisable to change them regularly. You can invest in good quality nozzles to ensure the quality of cuts. You can google “mitsubishi laser spare parts” or “trumpf laser spare parts” and you will find dealers selling those. Installation of the nozzle should be done by certified technicians only as they will know how to fix it properly. If the nozzle is not fixed properly it might damage the machine or the cutting sheet.

Some Maintenance Tips

You must have technicians who can design routine maintenance sheets based on the workload your laser machine has. There are some cleaning processes like cleaning the surroundings, lenses, etc. daily after every use. Also, keep in mind the manufacturer's direction for maintenance as different brands have their own way of dealing with the machine. If you work in shifts then the cleaning processes should be done after completing every shift.

Conclusion

To save laser machines for longer, the way you maintain it matters. The above article explains what parts require maintenance and how you can do it. Every machine has its own instruction manual which should be strictly followed. The maintenance routine depends on how long you will be using the machine. So customize your own maintenance routine from your technician and follow them religiously to keep your machine healthy.

Source: https://altpartsinc.wixsite.com/altpartsinc/single-post/how-to-maintain-a-laser-machine

Automated Laser Cutting: A Hit or Miss?

Automation has been a common factor in all the industries now. And the metal fabrication industry is just one of them. The common goals of a fabrication company include increased production speed and boosted capacity to meet the growing demand.

Can automation help you meet these requirements? Let’s find out.

Is Automation Right for Your Business?

It solely depends on your short-term and long-term needs. By applying laser automation, you get:

Speed: With automation in place, material loading speed accelerates up to 35%. 

Capacity: You can achieve the highest production results with your machine.

Consistency: With automated laser cutters, you can perform precisely and get everything (time between cycles, load and unload times) down.

Finding the Right Type

Loading/Unloading System: When you add such type of system with the existing machines, it enables them to function unattended for a longer period of time. You might see an increase in productivity by 2.8 times. It includes a single load and separates unload tables. It restricts you to one material type/thickness at a time, making it an ideal choice for batch productions where you require fewer changes.

Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS):

Such a system makes it possible to run a variety of material types and thicknesses without any assistance from an operator. FMS has multiple storage shelves that let you load materials into one or more laser cutting machines. These systems typically deliver a beam on-time of roughly 92% and 14.7 hours of cutting per day. They can be an ideal choice for small-batch productions and frequent material changes.

Your Initial Stage Configurations

The Types of Materials

With simple systems like the load/unload system, it uses a single table. With FMS systems, you can load a range of materials into different shelves.

The Number of Machines

A compact system can work well with the machines you already have. In the future, when you want to expand your business to a certain extent, a modular solution will be a more logical option. 

The key here is designing your system to handle a bit overcapacity. And you would not want to go overboard, as it might tie up too much operating capital.

The Considerations

Most systems have a maximum capacity of 1” sheet of the mild steel. You can design systems to run single sheets without using any transceiver which will give more flexibility. In case if you need parts automatically sorted, you can build some systems to cut parts from a skeleton, depositing them on a specific offload table or you can deposit them in a bin.

How would you like to control your automation system?

Load/Unload systems are typically simpler. They use a basic cell controller to load the program sequence-wise on your machine. An FMS will need a more sophisticated system which prioritizes tasks, manage inventories, provide data about the cuts, when, and more.

What type of material unloading system will you need?

There are so many options available which you can consider. It could be any of the following: fixed tables, scissor-lift tables, multiple offload tables, rail systems, and conveyors. Also, make sure you are using either Prima spare parts or Mitsubishi laser spare parts when converting to automated lasers.

The Challenges

Here are some of the challenges to keep an eye on:

• Labor: You will need highly skilled operators to monitor production if you want superior quality results.
• Morale: When your team supports the transition of production from manual to automation, it will help you become a greater success in the long run.
• Effects on Other Machines: If laser cutting is a bottleneck, it is important to make sure that operators and machines downstream are prepared to handle the increased production time, when your automated laser cutter is fully functional.
• Laser Parts: There are some medium quality parts available in the market which could seem like an economical choice but will hurt you in the long run. So, whenever doing the transition from manual to automation, make sure you are using Prima spare parts or Mitsubishi laser spare parts.

If you as a fabricator wish to accelerate the overall flow from automated laser cutting, it is important to choose the right laser machine with the right partner by your side to make this implementation a success for your business.