5 Ways to Improve your Flow of Laser-cut Parts

Being a fabricator is not an easy job. One of the hardest tasks you might have is to maintain the efficiency of your laser cut machine. And you can do so by following adequate steps to improve the flow of laser-cut parts through a fabrication shop. Using quality parts like Bystronic laser parts, Mazak laser parts will benefit you for a streamlined flow. Here is how you can speed up your laser production by maintaining the flow of laser cut parts.

1. Shop Layout

From all the areas of concern, it is most important that the layout you are working is efficient. Your shop’s layout can make or break even the most versatile production plan. A point to note is that the more time your parts spend in transit or waiting for delivery, your overall efficiency will reduce and can affect the production and overall the plant.

In the ideal scenario, the incoming material should load directly into or nearby the main machinery and all the secondary operations should happen near the laser output area. You must be wondering this is such an obvious thing. But sometimes fabricators do not pay much attention to the layout while installing the laser machine. To overcome this layout mistake, usually, fabricators or owners use a patchwork approach. And when a patchwork approach to shop is inefficient, the entire shop layout would need a redesign.

Any layout’s basic objective is ensuring the smooth flow of work, material, parts, and information through a system. When you understand the overall flow of the shop, it can help the material move efficiently. 

2. Proper Maintenance

It is important to consider that maintenance is an equally important part when it comes to laser machinery. To be honest, some fabricators don’t pay much attention to the maintenance of their parts. Unless they experience some problems in the speed or accuracy, they will not feel obligated to maintain their lasers or their quality Amada parts. 

It is important to stay on top of the recommended maintenance activities. Because once a problem occurs, the equipment operator won’t be that much more productive. You don’t have to pay much attention because today’s manufactured lasers come with enhanced options that make it easier to practice healthy maintenance. You can schedule and set a regime that allows you to stay on top of your maintenance schedule.

3. Programming

It becomes crucial to program automated material and part handling, majorly for maintaining efficiency. In the production industry, it has become a necessity to have automation. It yields double or triple results. A shop that upholds a manual sheet can vastly have different outputs than a shop that has a completely automated system.

To help avoid downtime, it is necessary to optimize your plant layout, maintaining your equipment on a schedule, programming, and automation, monitoring your production.

In the past years, program software developers used such algorithms that homed parts with as little waste as possible. This saves you more money which means more money left in the pocket of the manufacturer. It is important to maintain integrity in laser nests while unloading them automatically so that they can render at various locations. It is true in cases where high-capacity carts are in use. Because a stack of cut sheets can become a tangle of parts and scrap.

4. Automation

Technology never stops providing better tools for increased efficiency in the workflow. After optimizing your shop layout, performing maintenance and programming, it is important to set out to stride toward laser automation.

If you can operate your industrial laser with 50 percent efficiency then it is pretty much good! The most common beam-on times for an average mix of materials have hovered between 30 and 40 percent historically. But your laser could be capable of more than that. If you add a very basic load and unload automation system, it can increase your beam-on time to more than 80 percent.

If you use standard cart unloading, it might create denoting bottlenecks which can delay the arrival of parts downstream. Conveyors are popular as they allow denesting to occur at the same rate as production. It enables you to react more quickly to production issues. It gives you more time to downstream operations.

5. Monitoring the Production

To make some revolutionary improvements to your laser-cut-part flow, it is important to understand and track all the jobs. When you get statistics like beam-on-time, transit delays, maintenance schedules, and process bottlenecks, it can help you in achieving continuous improvement.

There some laser cutting equipment that comes with a production monitoring option. When there are robust production monitoring and support system intact, you can design and provide transparency to your machine process anytime. it will enable you to achieve real-time access to an extensive amount of data through your desktop or mobile device. To find quality laser parts you can go for Bystronic laser parts and Mazak laser parts for the quality outputs.

Fiber Laser: An Economical & Effective Choice for A Perfect Edge

In the laser cutting, there are two main types of lasers used in producing exceptional machinery parts. CO2 lasers and fiber lasers. While CO2 lasers have the advantage of producing superior edge quality, Fiber lasers are rising as innovative cutters in the industry. They are beneficial in metal cutting due to their non-reflecting beam. They cut quicker than their alternatives.

One of the major benefits of using fiber lasers is the clean, oxide-free edge you get as an end result. You can obtain it with nitrogen assist gas. As there will be no oxidation, it improves the downstream processes such as welding and powder coating which in turn helps achieve better adhesion and weldability.

You can further improve Fiber Laser's cut edge by making optimal changes in the assist gases and nozzle technologies.

Here is how to start!

Nitrogen Purity

Purity levels play a major role in the quality of edge and other parts. If you want to buy new ones, try searching for Amada Parts or Fanuc Parts online for quality products. If you know and understand what kind of expectations to set from purity levels, it can help achieve the desired quality for any part and other end goals. If you are working for industries such as medical and food-grade equipment which require a bright silver finish, then you need to set the purity levels to 99.9 percent.

If your targeted market is agricultural implements and powder coat adhesion in which your main focus areas include producing parts per day, then a lower nitrogen purity level between 98 to 99 percent will suffice the requirement. It is important to understand what you need in terms of level. This helps in sizing your nitrogen generator properly, at the beginning itself, to avoid edge quality glitches which later affects the overall performance. Moreover, using quality laser parts like Amada parts would also benefit in the longer run. You can also search for Fanuc parts online which fall into the same quality parts category.

Nitrogen Consumption and Costs

While operating any laser cutting machine, be it fiber or CO2, the consumption of nitrogen is always high. Several factors cause this issue. With the fiber’s upgraded technology, you have higher wattage ratings available which can easily process most of the materials. It might have been possible that your CO2 laser had a limitation in cutting mild steel with nitrogen assist gas at 3/16-inch-thick, or 7-gauge material. For example, A 4-kilowatt CO2 laser may have used 1700 SCFH (standard cubic feet per hour) to cut 3/16-in-thick or 7-ga. mild steel. And to cut ⅜ in-thick material, the gas consumption will double to 3,400 SCFH.

And with the Fiber’s technology, this limitation will no longer be a limitation as it can help expand the mild steel nitrogen procession range.

Nitrogen Consumption & Cut Edge

Nitrogen-generation systems reduce the cost of nitrogen and eliminate gas supply contracts. If you purchase your own nitrogen-generation system, it becomes easier for you to take advantage of the capital equipment depreciation which accelerates your ROI.

You can generate nitrogen by separating air into argon, oxygen, nitrogen, and CO2. It might come as a surprise, but the air we breathe contains only 21% of oxygen, a whopping 78% of nitrogen, 0.9% argon and some traces of Carbon dioxide & other gases.

Here are the most commonly used gas separation systems: Pressure swing adsorption, cryogenic fractional distillation (used to separate liquid air), and membranes.

1. Adsorption system is the best method when higher delivery pressures and flow rates are a necessity. This system uses a carbon molecular sieve to absorb the oxygen molecules and produce the desired nitrogen assist gas. It can deliver higher gas pressure as well as higher SCFH flow rates.
2. In the process of cryogenic fractional distillation of liquid air, the separation of gases takes place by cooling the air until it liquefies. These are the bulk tank systems that provide assist gases to the lasers and can deliver high purity levels. But these are usually energy-intensive.
3. The membrane system contains hollow fiber membranes for creating a mechanical process to separate the air. It is possible because of the molecular-sized variance of the nitrogen and oxygen molecules. The structure of the membrane polymer allows the fast-moving water vapor and oxygen molecules to distribute through the membrane. And then captures the nitrogen as the product gas.

 Generating your own nitrogen may accelerate your ROI. In most cases, you can achieve the ROI in less than two years. For the manufacturing units using multiple machines or running multiple shifts, achieving such ROI will be in less than 2 years. And once the company achieves ROI, they will be saving a lot on delivery fees, equipment rental fees, etc.

Not only an economical choice but for better results also, Fiber Lasers have it all. Also, using Amada Parts for your machines would maximize its productivity. There are cost advantages, superior quality and are safer than CO2 lasers.

Glass vs. Metal CO2 Laser Tubes: Which one to Choose?

When looking to buy a CO2 laser machine, it is important to consider a number of primary attributes. One of the primary attributes that bifurcate the type of laser tube which machine uses is its laser source.  There are major two options including water-cooled glass tubes and air-cooled metal tubes. Let’s look at the differences between glass and metal laser tubes. 

Metal Laser Tubes

Metal laser tubes use radio frequency to fire a fast pulsing laser with quick repeatability. Most of the metal tubes use air cooling system excluding higher wattages. They perform the engraving process with ultra-fine detail as they have a smaller laser spot size. They have a longer life span of 10-12 years, given they have premium parts like bystronic parts or prima spare parts, before the need for the refurbishing of gas arises. Its turnaround time in some cases can be quite long.

Glass Laser Tubes

Glass laser tubes come at a lower cost. They produce laser with the direct current. It produces good-quality beams which work well for laser cutting. However, here are some of its drawbacks.

There are some safety issues as it operates with a water-cooling system. The DC power supply excite the CO2 gas in a glass laser tube. It needs high voltages for the operations. And combining such levels of voltage with a water-cooling system, it might create some safety hazards.

Glass tubes need water-cooled temperatures as it is a poor thermal conductor. Hence, in order to remove the heat from the system, it is important to keep water circulating. If there is no water-cooling system in place, a glass laser tube would overheat and become inoperable. It might increase your production cost. It also introduces other points which can come as your maintenance cost.

The DC process limits the rate at which the laser tube can work. While the laser engraving process is running in progress, it doesn’t fire in one continuous burst. Rather, it “pulses” while moving and working across the material. When DC-excited laser tubes work on the piece, they tend to pulsate less. It significantly reduces engraving speeds and lowers quality.

Plus, there will be concerns over the lifetime of DC-excited glass tubes if they don’t have premium parts like bystronic parts or prima spare parts. Glass is naturally a fragile element. After a period of time, DC-excitation process can bombard a tube’s optics and electrodes with ions. It increases the chance of deterioration over time. Most of them come with a 6-month warranty. At the time of system failures, you will have to purchase a brand-new laser tube, which will increase your costs and waste. 

Here’s the one-on-one comparison between two:

Cost: DC laser tubes are cheaper than metal tubes. This cost difference is a result of lower technology and manufacturing cost.

Cutting Performance: To be realistic, both laser tubes are appropriate at their place. However, because the RF lasers work on a pulse base, these materials show a slightly rough edge. With that difference, the quality of the final results is hardly noticeable to most of the users. 

Performance: Metal laser tubes generate a smaller spot size out of the output window of the laser. For high precision engraving, this smaller spot size would make a difference. There are various applications where this advantage would be clearly visible. 

Longevity: RF lasers last 4-5 times longer compared to DC lasers. Its longevity can help offset the initial higher cost of the RF laser. Due to its capacity of refilling, the process can be more expensive than the replacement cost of a new DC laser.

Comparing the overall results, both of these tubes are perfect at their own place. Understand their use cases, their making, their parts like bystronic parts, and choose which is more perfect for your business model.

Types of Major Laser Cutting Methods and Laser Cutters

Laser cutting is a process which uses a computer-administered process. It cuts the material with a computing process which generates a beam. The interface integration cuts the material along with the directions. Any of the material which comes in between the route will vaporize, burned, melted, to produce high-quality surface finish material. These machines are efficient as they reduce the production cost and provides with the quality material.

Here are the major 5 types of Laser Cutting Machines available in the market:

Rotary Laser Cutting: It is mainly good to perform cutting activities of steel tubes and pipes. Drilling, sawing, milling, etc. were the major conventional ways to process pipes in the past. Nowadays, you can process the cutting of pipes using updated rotary laser cutting machine at substantially reduced production cost. It helps to process ellipse tube, round tube, rectangular tube, and D-type tube materials. Manufacturers extend Rotary machines to process high speed, accurate, and precise laser work. These machines usually have premium Mazak parts and Fanuc parts.

5 Axis Laser Cutting: It is helpful to those who want to perform three-dimensional profile cutting and cutting of two-dimensional metal sheets. It yields highly effective and inexpensive outputs as compared to the conventional means. It helps you reach areas which would be difficult to cut using other conventional methods.

Robotic Laser Cutting: It is a modern-day 3D laser cutting innovation. It extends outstanding flexibility and provides great power control. You can monitor this process and access it from anywhere. It involves high precision with a specialized cutting head which has advanced autofocus sensors. The cutting system manufacturers provide robotic laser cutting machines which give effective outputs with a multi-axis mechanical arm.

Small Format Laser Cutting: It is majorly useful for metals and nonmetals. It has adjustable z-axis to cut through thick materials with high accuracy. You can adjust the height to maintain the focal length for high-quality material. With fewer maintenance requirements when compared to the conventional methods, it produces perfectly finished outputs.

Large Format Laser Cutting: Large Format Laser Cutting Systems provides 2D large format profile laser cutter. They are mainly good to yield a high level of efficiency required for Automotive, Aerospace, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Ship Building, and other materials. They provide accurate and efficient results.

Types of Laser Cutters:

1. The CO2 laser – For engraving, cutting and boring.
2. Fiber lasers – It belongs to the solid-state group.
3. Neodymium (Nd) laser and Neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser – Best when required high energy and low repetition. Also used for boring. When it comes to style, Nd-YAG is best for boring and engraving with high power.

CO2 Lasers:

The CO2 laser is best for industrial cutting of various materials such as wood, glass, acrylic, leather, wax, plastics, wood, and other fabrics. It uses a carbon dioxide gas mixture stimulated by electricity. The most popular CO2 lasers are those which uses the radio frequency excited tube.

CO2 lasers are gas-based made with parts like Mazak parts and Fanuc parts. Nd and Nd-YAG lasers are crystal lasers. They are important for cutting materials, and ceramics since they are more powerful. Pumped by diodes, they contain expensive parts like Mazak parts or Fanuc parts which replace minimum 8000 to maximum 15000 hours of use.

Fiber lasers

They generate a laser beam with the so-called seed laser and amplify it is glass fibers. With a wavelength of 1.064 micrometers, fiber lasers can produce small focal diameter. As a result, its intensity is up to 100 times higher than that of CO2 lasers. They are suitable for metal marking by way of annealing, metal engraving, and high-contrast plastic markings.

MOPA laser is a special type of fiber laser. Its pulse durations are adjustable. That’s why it is one of the most flexible lasers suitable for many applications.

Nd-YAG

These crystal lasers belong to the solid-state lasers. Pumped with diodes they are crystal laser machines. The names of Nd and Nd-YAG laser is after doping element neodymium and the carrier crystal. Unlike fiber lasers, these include expensive pump diodes, which are wearing parts. The crystal ones  also have a shorter service life than a fiber laser.

A Guide to Maintaining Press Brakes

If you work in the metal fabrication industry, you must be knowing that Press brakes are an important part of any equipment. Thin sheets of metal and sheet metals made to particular specifications using CD/CAM are widely in use in the construction and manufacturing industries. Press brakes help bend these sheets of metal in a number of different ways.

If you are just starting in the industry, here’s all you will need to know:

Types of Press Brakes

Mainly there are three different forms of Press Brakes. Hydraulic, mechanical, and pneumatic. In the market, a hydraulic press is a superior quality press brake providing best quality results. Because of the difference in trigger mechanisms. There are different types of parts in Amada press brake including precitec parts. Each part refers to a different use. In the mechanical brakes, it uses a spring-loaded trigger. Pneumatic brakes use an air trigger. When you press the trigger in these brakes, the machine will start working.

With the hydraulic press brake, you can stop it at any point even after its stroke. In this case, the operator will have a greater degree of control over what they are doing. Thus, it helps in achieving more precise results. You can also operate Hydraulic presses at a slower pace. It gives the operator time to fine-tune the piece to their liking. 

Bends and Dies

You can change the parts of the press brake. You can take them out and replace it with precitec nozzles or any other required part. Just as you changing the function and capabilities of a drill by changing the type of drill bit, changing the bends and dies in the press brake will change what it is supposed to be doing.

Precision Control

In order to run the press brake efficiently, a skilled operator is a must-have. When it comes to CAD and CAM, they have their made place in manufacturing and construction. But even when you implement them in your system, you will need a skilled operator to monitor the work and make sure that there is no defect in the final outcome.

Maintenance

If you as a fabricator are considering to buy your own press brake, it is important to understand the steps of maintenance. The good thing is, the maintenance is not that complicated compared to other machinery. Make sure to follow the manuals and keep checking the machinery on a regular interval, you might not get many issues.

Regularly clean the press brake. Make sure to remove any oil and dust which might have made their place. Doing it on a weekly basis is a great thing. All the oil filters will need changing on a yearly basis at least.

Make Sure to Take Precautions

Before performing any operations using press brake, it is necessary to support the ram of the machine. You can place the ram on two equal size wooden blocks. You can also lower the ram by the tooling. 

Review it Mechanically

It is important to review piston bolts, chain sprockets, precitec nozzles, and guides of the press brake. Make sure to check the connection between the pistons and ram on a regular base. Also, to calibrate or realign the back gauge and stops.

Lubrication at a minimum number of points in modern press brake is also important. Keep moving components such as back gauge, guiding systems, and ball screws clean. Don’t forget to grease them to extend the press brake’s function and life.

Here are the components which require weekly lubrication:

• Ram guiding system
• Ball screws
• Guide encoders, encoder guiding system
• Gear segment
• Rack and pinion system
• Guides and rails

Press brakes are a simple piece of machinery. In order to maintain it and leverage the functionality over a long period, follow the right steps to maintain it. Even the highest quality press brakes like Amada press brake need maintenance on a regular basis. It is a common equipment for a variety of reasons. It soon will be working with materials like graphene and other synthetic metamaterials. Make sure you make it an excellent investment for your metal projects.

Should Manufacturers Consider Buying Laser Cutter?

What do you do when you need a promotional logo for an event in under two weeks. You must be paying high rush rates and hefty shipping charges to a promo company. But how about firing up your own laser and make 100 pieces quickly? Isn’t the second option more convenient? Now, you must be thinking about costing.

Back in the day, most small to medium-sized businesses outsourced laser engraving. With the largely spread development in technology in the market, it removed the economic barrier for the in-house capabilities of laser engraving and cutting.

Laser cutting and engraving is making a buzz in the market for many reasons. With the increasing volume of outsourcing, there comes a point when the monthly spend on custom laser services is not cost-effective.

Sometimes it can stretch your production schedule and can lead to delays. If you are a manufacturer then installing laser equipment having Amada replacement parts or Trumpf spare parts in your own factory can be a cost-friendly option. You won’t be having any delivery time pressure. Plus, whenever you have to satisfy unpredictable customer demands, you can minimize the cost by taking control of laser cutting and having those resources on-premise.

When there is a development in the technology, there are many features available in large-scale cutting and engraving machines you can find on smaller desktop models. Today’s laser cutters provide speed, productivity, and efficiency for improved output and reduced scrap rates. Due to constant improvement in design and manufacturing process, there are systems which became more durable and requires less maintenance than the older models.

Major Benefits of having an in-house laser cutter:

• The laser marking process produces a crisp, detailed design which allows you to engrave images up to 1000-1200 dots per inch.
• It also provides an extremely fast way to customize products. You can easily engrave multiple pieces at once.
• This makes it easier for a laser system allowing users to create a quick jig to hold items in place and engrave as many pieces as per the area capacity in the laser’s work area.

While there might be some manufacturers concerned about the availability of in-house expertise to develop a particular laser job configurations and engineering. Bringing an in-house laser system allows manufacturers to brand their own promotional products. They can craft their own clothing, laptops, mobile phones, and so on. They can also design their own internal/external signage and other products as employee recognition products. Engraving custom graphics on MP3 players, iPods, iPads, and cell phones is an incredibly popular application which helps deter theft.

Hence, the next time when you are facing such deadlines to customize your products, having your in-house laser cutting systems having Amada replacement parts or Trumpf spare parts could help you deliver results on time.

Some of the useful tips to help you before you place your first order:

Material: Make sure that the materials you use involve steel tubes. Also, if your materials contain high reflective metals, aluminum, red copper, etc. then choose a laser cutter which is suitable for processing of such metals.

Size: It is key to the fiber laser cutting selection. Be careful while taking a measurement on them and decide the size of the work table.

Thickness: To achieve cutting effect with efficiency, it is important to consider the thickness of materials with the wattage of fiber laser cutting machine. Plus, it will help you choose the most effective solution.

The Finance Factor

While some manufacturers pay cash for a laser, the majority of them would use the finance method. Other than the bank sources you have OEM with their own financing plans. Also, make sure you are not compromising on quality while investing in the laser cutter to save money. Higher quality parts like Amada replacement parts will not only increase the lifecycle of the cutter but will also need lesser maintenance. 

But in order to get full services, you need to get a successful delivery and installation. Decide what type of foundation you will require. After that, it is important for a laser cutting machine to be in the right place with a facility away from harsh environmental areas. Also, make sure that you choose an efficient flow of laser-cut banks to downstream manufacturing process.

5 Avoidable Mistakes of in Laser Engraving

Utilizing heavy machinery demands its proper usage to avoid pitfalls. Whether a novice or an experienced engineer, it is important to learn how you can avoid common mistakes while operating heavy machinery like Laser engraving. It may harm its sensitive parts as not all the parts come with a great resistance power except for Mitsubishi spare parts and Fanuc spare parts.

When issues occur, you might end up just guessing what went wrong while using it. So, to help you we have come up with common mistakes you might be making.

1. Using Wrong Fabrics

Using laser on a fabric which cannot withstand with it will end up burning. Research and understand which fabrics can combat high power settings during the process. Denim, leather, canvas can resist high power settings. When you use delicate fabrics, set your settings at high speed and gradually lower the power to 5%-10%. And to avoid wasting any material, test a small piece, in the beginning, to see if the fabric can withstand. Adjust the power until you get the results.

While attempting direct-to-garment engraving, lower the DPI (dots per inch). Engraving at a lower DPI will ensure the laser vaporizes the top layer and doesn’t burn entirely through the fabric. General engravings work best at 150 to 300 DPI.

2)Using the Wrong Acrylic

There are two types of acrylic used in laser engraving.

1. Liquid Acrylic
2. Extruded Acrylic

Liquid acrylic is best when producing cast acrylic sheets and objects. You pour it into the molds to set into various shapes and sizes. It is the perfect type of acrylic for engraving as it turns frosty white color while engraving. It won’t give your projects flame-polished edges on cutting it with the laser.

Another type of acrylic used for engraving is Extruded acrylic. A machine turns extruded acrylic in sheet format. And because of the high-volume manufacturing technique, it is less expensive.  It cuts clean with smooth outputs and produces a flame-polished edge. And when used for engraving, it provides you with clear engraving. So, if you want a frosted white finish, do your engraving project with liquid acrylic.

3) Inconsistent Glass Engraving

While you are using laser engraving on glass, sometimes it does not get through it properly. As a result, it fractures the surface. Eventually, it will produce the fractured glass surface with a frosted appearance. Rough and chipped.

To avoid that and produce a smooth frosted finish, here are some tips to help you:

• User lower resolution. Up to 300 DPI. As you separate the dots you are engraving, it will produce better results.
• A DIY tip: Apply a thin, wet sheer of newspaper or a paper towel to the area to help with the heat dissipation. It improves the overall process. Make sure the paper you are applying is flat and not wrinkled.
• You can also try changing the color black in your graphic to 80 percent black.
• Polish the area with a non-scratch scouring pad.
• User better laser parts. Mitsubishi spare parts, Fanuc spare parts will increase the efficiency of your machine.
• Apply a thin layer of liquid dish soap in the area.

4) Not Getting Same Results while Wood Engraving

We see maximum engraving happening on the wood. It is one of the most laser-friendly materials available out there. As woods have different types, they might react differently to laser engraving. For example, if you make a large square from a piece of cherry, it would have a uniform appearance. If the same piece was made out of oak, it might vary in height with a non-uniform appearance.

• To smoke and debris, try engraving from the bottom up.
• Wipe off the surface of the wood with a damp cloth when engraving the stained wood.

5) Lack of Efficiency in the Engraver

When it comes to maintenance, it is important to clean the machine on a regular base. You get the manuals along with your machine. It is also important to inspect the optics on a weekly base when needed. Notice when your optics look smudgy. Because that’s when you have to clean them.

Conclusion

These are the most common mistakes you could be making. If you are a manufacturer, designer, or a layman, avoid these mistakes and increase the efficiency of your laser machine.