FEATURE ON PROFILING

BLM Lasertube LT12: Cut for the future

BLM Group’s new Lasertube LT12 is a fibre laser cutting system for tubes and metal profiles that is capable of cutting tubes from 25 to 305 mm in diameter, representing an offer which was previously missing from the company’s machine portfolio.

It is possible to equip the LT12 with laser resonators of different power, with the machine capable of processing tubes up to 62 kg/m. The structure comprises of a mandrel at the tail and a steady rest that supports the tube in cut. Among the innovations here is‘interpenetration’, where the mandrel enters the steady rest to cut the end of the bar and thereby achieve minimal waste.

As with all BLM’s Lasertube machines, the tube is supported throughout the processing line, providing precise and fast laser cutting on both small diameter tubes and long, heavy tubes, maintaining this speed and precision over the entire range of diameters.The flexible system caters to multiple sectors, but is of particular interest to industries where it is common to find open and closed profiles up to 305 mm in diameter.

The new Lasertube system is modular in both loading and unloading lengths. In fact, two sizes for loading (8.5 and 12.5 m) and several sizes for unloading are available. The possibility of loading bar lengths up to 12.5 m was made to elevate processing through nesting, which optimally arranges each cut on the bar, so as to make the most of the material while minimising unused bar sections.

For further information www.blmgroup.com

New waterjet to Sweden’s largest growth region

In 2022, the Swedish government estimated there was a total of 40,000 new jobs in the Norrbotten and Västerbotten region, a northern territory of Sweden. Norrsken Metall has been a well-known contract manufacturer in the region for many years. The company has experience of waterjet cutting since 2000 butits existing machine was worn out with recurring operational problems, so it was time to switch to a new and more reliable solution. Patrik Flodin and Niklas Fällman, owners of Norrsken Metall, got in touch with Christian Svensson, regional sales manager at Water Jet Sweden, a man with more than 25 years of experience in waterjet cutting machines.

“Together with the customer, we developed a machine solution that provides both increased capacity and better reliability,” says Svensson.

The Water Jet Sweden Grand model is a robust and powerful system for machining all types of materials, as well as for handling large or odd dimensions. Thanks to Water Jet Sweden’s patent, the machine offers the same high precision regardless of its size. The 3.2 x 7.7 m working area is divided into two working zones, allowing loading and unloading while the machine is running.

“There are many improvements,”reveals Svensson. “For instance, the systems for abrasive supply and sludge handling are extra powerful to handle cutting without interruption, and the machine is equipped with a more powerful pump for faster cutting.”

Thanks to its new investment, Norrsken Metall has both capacity and reliability to meet growing demand for waterjet cutting in the region. In fact, the company is already seeing growth, receiving several assignments from the new battery factory undergoing construction in the neighbourhood.

For further information www.waterjetsweden.com

SpiTrex uses Flexxbotics for robot-driven marking

Flexxbotics reports that SpiTrex Orthopedics (SpiTrex), a specialist in global medical device contract manufacturing, has selected the Flexxbotics solution for robot-driven manufacturing with autonomous process control in its Foba laser marking workcells.

The Flexxbotics solution enables robots to communicate directly with the Foba laser marking system and change jobs in real-time and within sequence, reducing changeover time to 10 minutes, twice a week. The robots also connect with the vision system, verifying the laser marking on each part to sortautonomously based on the results, thus ensuring closed-loop quality for higher yields.

“Flexxbotics is the only robot machine-tending software solution we found capable of delivering the precision, cycle time and closed-loop compliance required,” says Brett Gopal, senior vice president of operations at SpiTrex Orthopedics. “We’re impressed with Flexxbotics’ autonomous process control using robots, and the ability to close-the-loop by alerting upstream and downstream workcells of quality problems based on automated inspection results, which is quite unique.”

Software by Flexxbotics directs the robots to use the Cognex camera images to determine the pass/fail status of each part, sending alerts with the images to pre- and post-process workcells upon detecting non-conformance issues that need correcting.

Flexxbotics changes jobs in real-time and within sequence, enabling job change-over at SpiTrex in less than 10 minutes, as opposed to requiring an hour or more of an engineer’s time to set-up the workcell for a new job.

“The autonomous changeover process, coupled with the closed feedback loop functionality, enables us to produce extremely high tolerance parts through continuous flow which reduces the overall lead time by over 20%,” says Gopal.

For further information www.flexxbotics.com

Gripple enjoys benefits of using Nukon laser

A Nukon 2D fibre laser machine from Nukon Lasers UK is bringing significant vertical integration, product development and sustainable manufacturing benefits to Gripple, a manufacturer of wire joining, tensioning and suspension systems.A little over 12 months since the installation of a new Nukon 2D fibre laser cutter at its recently opened, net-zero-certified Norfolk Bridge manufacturing site in Sheffield, Gripple reports considerable benefits from its purchase.

The machine, a European-built Nukon Eco 315 4kW model, was supplied by Nukon Lasers UK, the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Nukon’s 2D fibre laser, 3D fibre laser and fibre laser tube cutting technologies, and the sister company of UK-based tube bending machinery specialists, Unison Ltd.

After considering a number of fibre laser machine manufacturers, Gripple shortlisted Nukon and another leading brand. With the high levels of product quality and capability provided by Nukon machines never in doubt, it was the commitment shown by Nukon Lasers UK’s sales director, Steve Haddrell in fully understanding Gripple’s laser cutting requirements, which secured the sale.

“Following installation, our Nukon fibre laser machine quickly gained a key role in the cost-effective manufacture of our OSHPD OPA-2123-10 seismic bracing and blast protection systems – brackets developed for some of the most demanding environments in the world,” comments Claire Tunnard, production manager at Gripple’s 21,000 sq ft Norfolk Bridge site.

Furthermore, by cutting largely with compressed air rather than costly nitrogen gas, which looks set to remain at historically high prices, Gripple is benefiting from significant savings that also assist it in remaining competitive.

For further information www.nukonlasers.co.uk

Five-year warranty for Bodor laser components

Bodor Laser is releasing anexclusive service policy: five-year warranty care for a trio of core Bodor laser components: the BodorGenius laser head, BodorPower laser source and BodorThinker control system.

Supported by tens of thousands of trials, the integrated design of the core laser components demonstrates Bodor Laser’s holistic approach to tackling various industry challenges related to mismatched assembly.

“We came up with this integrated core laser components concept to assure customers of an effortless production process and excellent product quality,” says Adam Liu, CEO of Bodor Laser’s overseas marketing centre. “Problems such as connection failure, high maintenance costs and contamination risks have been bothering metal fabricators for a long time, but the integration of core laser components solves them once and for all.”

To provide the best user experience, Bodor Laser’s integrated design, production, testing, and delivery for the three core laser components reduces the failure rate, ensuring quality throughout transportation, delivery and maintenance.

With MTBF (mean time between failure) exceeding 45,000 hours in burn-in ageing tests, Bodor Laser says itreduces industry bottlenecks by designing an integrated technique for the three core laser components, ensuring compatibility and stable equipment running conditions for its users.

“Bodor Laser is committed to providing customers with the best solutions and services,” says Liu.“The integration of laser components results from our continuous R&D, and we’re confident it will bring a revolutionary service experience to clients. With the five-year warranty, we want to show our customers that we stand behind our products and value their trust and satisfaction.”

For further information www.bodor.com