12kW fibre laser turns on the power  

The most powerful flat-bed laser profiling centre ever to be installed in the UK for processing sheetmetal has started operation according to Rotherham-based subcontractor ESP Laser Cutting which specialises in producing components from 3m x 1.5m sheet in a wide array of materials to a thickness of 30mm.


The laser profiling machine in question follows the development of a 12kW fibre laser source by Swiss manufacturer Bystronic whose Coventry subsidiary delivered the machine, a ByStar Fiber 3015, in April 2019 to the contract machinist's factory.

The increase in productivity has been remarkable. Delivering one-fifth more energy to the metal sheet than the previous most powerful fibre laser (10kW), the new source was expected to be 20% faster at cutting. What ESP's joint owners Steve McMillan and Paul Short have actually experienced is a typical productivity increase of one-third. This is partly down to the higher power, but also due to the provision of a newly designed cutting head.

Also contributing to the higher than expected efficiency is a cutting plan algorithm running in Bystronic's latest BySoft 7 nesting and control software that executes the most efficient route around the nest. It also minimises the risk of cut parts tilting, protruding from the material surface and interfering with the nozzle, avoiding the need to use micro joints and saving even more time when the sheet exits the machine by making shaking-out of the parts easier.

For processing one particular job, profiling chain links from 10mm mild steel sheet, an exceptional threefold productivity improvement was gained on the 12kW machine. When formerly profiling the parts on the ByStar Fiber 10kW machine that is still in use at the Rotherham facility, 200 components per hour was the maximum output, as there was not sufficient laser power to employ nitrogen as the assist gas. Oxygen had to be used, requiring the cutting speed to be reduced so that acceptable edge quality could be achieved.

Faster and smoother


By contrast, the 12kW machine produces 600 parts per hour, as the higher power allows the use of nitrogen and hence full profiling speed. There is the added advantage that cut edges are better, especially on the underside of the sheet, than when formerly using 'active' oxygen, as 'inert' nitrogen does not react with the sheet material. ESP employs a profiling speed of 6,900mm/minute when producing the chain links, although the machine is capable of 150m/minute on thin gauges and accelerates at 2.5g to minimise non-cutting time.

ESP joint owner Steve McMillan comments: "We started ESP 25 years ago with a 1.2kW CO₂ laser cutter, buying a second, 1.5kW model four years later. We were early adopters of the technology and have been using it constantly over the years, witnessing its progression.

"During that time we have repeatedly part exchanged our two machines, buying a total of 10, of which the last eight were from Bystronic. The three most recent models have been fibre lasers, which have now almost completely replaced CO₂ in our industry.

"We noticed a hike in productivity when the 6kW fibre arrived in 2013 and another when the 10kW version was installed three years later, which at the time was the first in the UK. However, the 12kW laser cutter is the best machine ever.

"We simply plugged it in and it ran from day one. It is unbelievably quick, so you can make money even on jobs where you have to pare back prices to win work – and you can guarantee short delivery lead-times as well."

Paul Short (left) and Steve McMillan, joint owners of ESP Laser Cutting, inspecting a control panel part that has been laser cut from 1.5mm mild steel sheet on their new 12kW ByStar Fiber 3015

Co-owner Paul Short adds: "Every increase in power delivers a cleaner cut edge, especially on mild steel which forms the majority of our throughput. The BeamShaper functionality in BySoft 7 optimises the shape of the laser beam when cutting heavier gauge materials on the 12kW machine and produces a finish that is second to none on materials above 15mm thick.

"Fibre technology reduces running costs considerably as there are no expensive optics to replace and there is no need to spend a lot of time and thousands of pounds on maintaining a CO₂ machine and its resonator.

"At the same time, power consumption is dramatically reduced. In 2013 when we were running a 6kW CO₂ machine alongside a fibre model of the same power, the former was drawing 100kVA while the latter consumed 33kVA.

"Three years later when we went all fibre, we were saving £4,000 per quarter in electricity costs. It started to make a big difference to our profitability as the cost of power comes straight off the margin you make on a job."

Flexible capability


Both owners confirmed the traditionally quoted benefits of fibre laser cutting compared with CO₂, including three times faster processing of thin material and an ability to process reflective metals like copper, brass and aluminium without back reflections causing damage to optics.

Accuracy of cut is down to ±0.1mm and laser power is infinitely adjustable. So at one end of the scale a 2mm diameter hole can be pierced through 30mm thick stainless steel, while at the other, thin materials can be engraved safely.

Summarising the impact that Bystronic equipment has made on their business, Messrs Short and McMillan offered the following insight. Back in the mid-90s, during what they term ‘phase one’, they bought two second-hand laser cutters to generate profit so they could save enough money to buy their first new Bystronic machine in 2001.

That was the start of ‘phase two’, moving them into the top flight of laser cutting, and coincided with the company’s move into its current premises on the Centurion Business Park in Rotherham and double the size of the previous unit.

In their opinion, the reputation of Bystronic machines was at the outset, and still is, exemplary both in terms of the quality of the machines and the service back-up provided. When asked what the future holds for ESP, they simply say that it depends on what Bystronic introduces next.

Bystronic www.bystronic.com

ESP Laser Cutting www.esplaser.com

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