Remote laser cutting of sheet metal with highly brilliant beam sources

Aachen, Germany – Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) will show, at the April Hannover Fair, a flexible system concept for laser cutting, welding, structuring and inscribing processes. Because of its high flexibility with regard to component geometry this system is suitable for the production of prototypes and small production runs.

At the show ILT engineers will demonstrate cutting 0.2 mm-thick steel sheets in seconds using a 1 kW single mode fiber laser and a mirror scanner. This unit can also machine components in the millimeter range at cycle times of less than 100 ms, a processing time achieved by eliminating mechanical movement axes with beam movement performed by mirrors mounted on high dynamic galvanometer drives. Cuts of 20 µm are achieved with suitable optical systems, so that precision parts, such as stator sheets for electric motors, can be processed rapidly and accurately.

Remote laser fine cutting is a means to save costs in the production of prototypes and small series, because it offers greater flexibility and freedom with regard to component geometry than conventional methods such as milling or punching and expensive tool changes are not required.