Tulsa, OK—What would seem to be an easy operation, friction or hot wire cutting of synthetic rope, followed by cut-end sealing, is reduced to a simple one-step process using a CO2 laser system from Tulsa Power, LLC. Let's be honest: It's hard to beat a hot wire, unless the alternative is a non-contact thermal process that leaves no frayed ends and seals multi-strand fibers. And the laser process eliminates downtime associated with blade or wire replacement.
Recently a Tulsa Power customer asked for a system to clean cut, without any fraying, polyolefin synthetic rope of various diameters. Engineers at Tulsa Power proposed a variation of the company's automatic cut-to-length systems used for wire and cable. The rope cutting system integrated a Synrad Inc. (Mukilteo, WA) 60W, sealed-off CO2 laser coordinated with an Allen Bradley touchscreen and PLC, which allows the operator to pre-program desired cut lengths, total pieces to cut and all associated variables that affect length and process.
Synthetic ropes, up to 0.75-inch diameter, are laser cut at speeds up to 25 IPM using an air assist at 10 PSI. The Synrad Firestar laser fits nicely into a rope production line, and, because it requires minimal maintenance, it is perfect for use in this operation. The Tulsa Power system exceeds the customer's specifications for clean, fray-less ends and does it in a reduced cutting cycle time.
For more information on the Tulsa Power systems, contact Jim Miller at [email protected]. For Synrad information, contact Iyvind Hansen at [email protected].