Rofin-Sinar (Hamburg, Germany) delivered their 1000th fiber laser to the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology (IWS; Dresden, Germany) on March 21, 2016, together with machine builder Arnold (Ravensburg, Germany). Rofin's first high-power fiber laser was built in 2009. The 1000th in the series, a 1kW FL 010 C in the compact version, was delivered to Arnold at the end of 2015, and that company integrated it into the newly developed 3D laser processing system shipped to Fraunhofer IWS.
Arnold and Rofin have collaborated for many years: “We have always integrated Rofin lasers and are totally satisfied with the comprehensive package. From marking to CO2 and fiber lasers, all our customer requirements are covered. The long-term partnership has also created very good personal relationships between both parties,” comments Thomas Arnold, managing director of Maschinenfabrik Arnold.
At Fraunhofer IWS, the laser is now used in a research project where extremely thin wires are deposit-welded with the laser and filigree structures are brought to a cylinder. They are then modified by the laser in their form. The structures will be later used as a tool in printing machines.
To meet the demands of increasing fiber laser production, Rofin restructured to lean production and Kanban for material flow, allowing them to keep needs-based delivery times and to react flexibly to upcoming possible changes. The Rofin Macro Group, headquartered in Hamburg, delivers a wide range of high-power lasers, CO2 slab lasers, as well as fiber lasers with its high beam quality that are used worldwide by numerous machine builders in their cutting machines.