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Lasers have become a universal tool in many manufacturing sectors. Lasers are routinely used when processing metals and other materials. Lasers are widely used for the following purposes: cutting, welding, soldering, surface treatment, marking, micromachining, pulsed laser deposition, lithography & alignment.
The global laser cutting machine market is expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 9.3% between 2016 to 2022.
Some of the key manufacturers of laser cutting machines include:
Laser techniques generally employ high optical intensities to a concentrated area on the processing material. The high energy levels result in intense heat (possibly evaporation) and plasma generation. The intense energy levels can be controlled to manipulate the process material resulting in cutting, etching, marking etc. The high spatial coherence of laser light can be precisely focused or pulsed to achieve accuracy when processing the target material.
Chillers play an essential role in laser applications. To ensure the laser operates reliably, several components must be cooled in the system. Failure to remove sufficient heat can diminish the accuracy of the cut and deform parts of the laser. In time this would also result in costly down-time and increased laser machine maintenance costs.
Laser beam welding (LBW) is a technique used to join multiple pieces of metal or thermoplastics together using a laser. LBW is a versatile process, capable of welding carbon steels, stainless steel, aluminium, and titanium. The process is frequently used for high volume automated manufacturing such as the automotive sector.
The laser beam generated by the LBW machine provides a concentrated heat source that facilitates narrow, deep welds and high welding rates.
The power density used in LBW is high and in the order of 1 MW / cm2. This concentration of energy results in a small heat-affected zone that can be focused onto the target material. Laser spot size varies between 0.2mm to 13mm with the depth of penetration being proportional to the supplied power.
A continuous or pulsed laser beam may be used depending upon the application: milliseconds long pulses are used to weld thin materials such as razor blades while continuous laser systems are employed for deep welds.
Laser cutting machines are used in many industrial manufacturing applications. They are used to cut a range of materials including: steel, stainless steel, copper, engineered plastics, ABS, acrylics & Teflon. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high powered laser at the material to affect a cut. The material either melts, burns, vaporises or it is blown away by a jet of gas leaving an edge with a high-quality surface finish. Industrial laser cutters are used to cut flat sheet material as well as structural and piping materials.
Laser cutters usually work much like a milling machine would for working a sheet in that the laser enters through the side of the sheet and cuts it through the axis of the beam. In order to be able to start cutting from somewhere else than the edge, a pierce is done before every cut. Piercing usually involves a high power pulsed laser beam which slowly makes a hole in the material (taking around 5-15 seconds for half-inch thick stainless steel).
These configurations refer to way the laser beam is moved over the material to be cut. The axes of motion are typically designated X and Y axis; if the cutting head may be controlled, it is designated as the Z-axis.
Water coolers play an essential role in removing the heat load form the resonator (laser source) and optic (lens). Provision of adequate cooling capacity helps to improve cut quality and prevent machine down-time.
The performance of high powered lasers depends on effective cooling. High powered lasers generate a significant amount of heat that must be removed from the laser system to avoid overheating critical components. Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, ion lasers, solid state lasers, and dye lasers all use liquid cooling to remove excess heat.
Liquid cooling can help accomplish three goals:
The beam source, beam path and the panel of laser systems must be kept at low temperatures. The necessary consistency of the supply temperature in most cases is ± 1K, but some laser systems even require a consistency level of ± 0.5K. The supply temperature is around 15-25oC. Other factors that must be considered include water quality, material selection and the conductivity of the cooling water. In cases where chillers are installed outside a water / glycol approach may be required.
The Parker chiller solution for industrial laser applications is equipped with:
To keep the water quality high and constant, avoiding contamination phenomena of the laser source and optics.
All parts that are directly in contact the water are manufactured from stainless steel (AISI304). Single or multiple impellers are employed to supply a high water pressure in order to counter pressure drops within the laser circuit.
All the working parameters of the chiller are controlled with “in house” software maintaining the outlet water temperature always between +/-0.5oC: differential even with variable loads, typical of industrial laser operation. This temperature consistency allows the laser to work with the optimal wavelength, with minimal power variations and an optimized beam quality, all aspects critical for laser system to achieve high productivity and quality.