Small movements - high effects - Fraunhofer IWS Dresden at LASER World of PHOTONICS in Munich 2009

Press release (Nr. VIII) /

Fast laser cutting with highly dynamical additional axes
© Fraunhofer IWS Dresden
Fast laser cutting with highly dynamical additional axes

The scientists of the Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS Dresden are going to present a complete novel system for the gas-assisted highly dynamical cutting at the laser tradeshow in Munich (hall C2, booth 350). For the very first time they are able to combine the comparatively slow main axes of the machine with highly dynamical additional motion axes. Here a 2D laser deflection optics is assembled to the cutting processing optics. The low motion axis performs a simplified motion path, whereas the additional axes position the motion of the laser beam during phases of jerks or accelerations, that is, during the maching of contours and edges.

This optics synchronizes the laser beam with a separately driven cutting gas nozzle.  Thus the scientists can cut highly complex contours in sheets of up to 5 mm thickness. Due to the low masses to-be-moved (>300g) accelerations of up to 100m s-2 and cutting speeds of 1.5m s-1 can be realized. Compared to conventional  laser cutting techniques without additional axes our technique is able to save more than 60% processing time in the case of  complex cutting geometries.

Please find more detailed information in: Annual Report 2008, S. 43.

You are cordially invited to the press conference, taking place June 16, 2009, 11.00 a.m. at the Fraunhofer Pavilion Production Technology (hall 2, booth 350).