What’s the secret?

Just 2kW of laser output from the integrated ENSIS oscillator is now enough to manufacture mild steel products that in the past could only be manufactured using a 4kW laser. Needless to say, the resulting savings in energy and running costs are significant. In an era when energy is one of the biggest business overheads, the potential impact on the bottom line is considerable.

Unveiled officially for the first time in Europe at EuroBLECH 2014 the secret behind the new innovation lies in the ability to modulate the laser beam (flexibly) as a function of sheet thickness, thus delivering efficient profiling operations with reduced power requirements. This is in marked contrast to conventional fibre laser cutting systems that require changing the focus lens in order to cut a range of material thicknesses.

Complete with high torque motor and helical rack drive in the X and Y axes, and a carriage with a low centre of gravity, the ENSIS 3015 AJ is designed purposely to deliver high-speed processing of both thin and thick sheet materials up to 25mm. Across a cutting range of 3,000mm x 1,500mm x 100mm in the X-, Y- and Z-axes, processing feed rates of up to 100m/minute are possible.

Featuring Amada's integrated AMNC-3i control, the machine also facilitates reduced set-up time via its nozzle change capability, while lens changing is not required. Ultimately, ENSIS allows for virtually no downtime during the manufacturing process, regardless of what type of material and thickness needs to be cut.

With a highly compact footprint, the machine is aimed at both OEMs and fast moving profiling and fabrication shops where every minute counts in the quest to outperform the competition. In particular, when used in combination with a high performance automation system such as Amada's ASF 3015 EU tower, the machine offers noticeable results in terms of both economy and ecology.

The ASF 3015 EU automation tower provides 10 shelves of storage (up to seven for material and three for product), accommodating 3,000mm by 1,500mm sheet from 0.8 to 25mm thick. The latest generation tower includes a number of design innovations intended to benefit the end user including: new lifter technology; reduced loading time based on MPF automatic load/unload technology; and the consumption of 50% less compressed air than the previous model.

Amada
www.amada.co.uk