Automated laser cuts variability

InTech, Apr 2004

A FULLY AUTOMATED, HIGH-POWER laser-cutting robot is now capable of continuously cutting metals up to 20 millimeters thick in two and three dimensions, officials said.

Up to now, laser-cutting systems have been on the market, but their use has not become widespread because of the extreme sensitivity of the process to external disturbances and the difficulties in controlling and tuning the variables of the laser-cutting process.

These variables make it difficult to predict and model the cutting trajectory that the laser beam should follow. Even very slight changes in the metal's chemical composition can halt the cutting process, bringing production to a standstill. Consequently the process has to be under constant supervision by human operators.

A key innovation in the new lasercutting robot is to simulate the cut first to guarantee accuracy, according to the partners in the project called EUROLASER PUBLICS, part of Europe's EUREKA network for market-oriented research and development. The system enables manufacturers to dispense with human supervision, as sensors automatically recognize and correct any anomalies in the cutting process.

The result is a robotic system that can expand the use of lasers beyond the current supervised, small-scale applications into highly automated high-volume manufacturing, and at much the same price as traditional laser-cutting systems.

"The two frontiers of laser-cutting machinery are quality and robustness, and our solution advances both of these," said Piero Chiabra of Italian lead partner Prima Industrie S.P.A., a European manufacturer of industrial robots for welding, cutting, and laser applications. "Industrial laser cutting will now have a higher presence worldwide and is expected over the next five to ten years . . . to achieve even better performances, to the point of eventually replacing existing punching machines in the thin metal sheet market." Prima Industrie will market the machines worldwide.

In addition to Prima, three other partners in the project are Dtu - Department of Manufacturing Engineering Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark; Optis S.A., France; and Gualini International S.A., Italy.