Champlin, Minnesota--Countering a weak manufacturing economy, Prima North America Laserdyne Systems announces three orders in June for its Laserdyne 795 multi-axis laser systems.
"With a total value over $3 million, these orders coupled with strong sales in the months of May and June prove that manufacturers are upgrading their processing capability, when they see a clear cut advantage, in anticipation of improved manufacturing conditions," reports Terry L. VanderWert, president of Prima North America. "All three system orders will be used in aerospace applications, evidence again that Laserdyne's technology continues to be the standard for this industry."
One of the orders is for a Laserdyne 795 XL system to be equipped with a CO2 laser, and the S94P controller, the company's powerful control system that integrates all laser commands, motion, and process sensing through its unique design of hardware and software. The buyer of this system plans to laser etch chemical milling maskant that is used to fabricate very large, complex, and shaped aerospace components. For these applications, the system has speeds up to 800 inches per minute with accuracies to 0.001 inch versus much slower hand-scribed etching with tolerances of just ±0.015. An integrated camera inspection system facilitates overall processing efficiency by creating a record verifying the etch accuracy on the finished part. This system will be used to scribe and perform inspection on what the end user describes as the largest part ever chemically milled. Laserdyne has been the leading supplier of systems for chemical milling maskant applications for over 15 years.
A second order calls for a Laserdyne 795 XS system equipped with a 1.5 kW fiber laser to be used for cutting aerospace materials. Tests show there is an advantage over the customer's existing CO2 system. While the cost of the fiber system may be slightly higher than an equivalent CO2 system the advantage in speed and promised lower long-term total cost make this combination attractive. Welding experiments are also planned. This is an area of growing interest to turbine engine manufactures.
The third order calls for a Laserdyne 795 XS with CL50k laser system to be used in the drilling of effusion cooling holes in aerospace components. Of interest is the unique capability to produce shaped holes with a single laser configuration. In fact, the same system that is to be used for "conventional" holes will be used for shaped hole production. Shaped holes when used in properly designed components result in fewer holes to accomplish a superior result. Fewer holes mean shorter production cycle times, lower production costs, and a lower cooling air requirement.
For more information on Laserdyne Systems products, call 763-433-3700, visit www.prima-na.com, or E-mail [email protected].