Laser technology continues its evolution, helping fabricators do more with less.
Above: The Astes4 High Speed Skyway loads sheets by suction cups, picks out parts and sorts them in a process known as “lasorting".
March 2023- Laser technology continues its evolution, helping fabricators do more with less.
Fabricators face many ongoing challenges, including a well-documented labor shortage, fluctuating metal prices, increasing demand and shorter turnaround times with smaller margins. Thankfully, technology is advancing rapidly, most notably in automation, to help fabricators operate successfully in this environment.
Although fiber lasers are faster than ever, that’s actually not their most valuable advancement. Machines that do more with less—and are easy to use, no matter the operator’s skill level—are proving to be of utmost benefit to fab shops.
MAXIMIZE MATERIAL USE
The impact of steel price fluctuations on fabricators has become even more significant in recent years. This is where laser programming software can make a real difference to the bottom line by maximizing material utilization while reducing scrap. Nesting algorithms in programming software have grown exponentially just in the past few years, ranging from static nests that match the flow of work to more dynamic nesting where multiple jobs can be included on the same sheet of material.
Mitsubishi’s DiamondFAB solution was created in response to the need for hands-off management of the production process, providing full ERP integration, nesting, scheduling, workflow management, automation control and part sorting.
LESS INTERVENTION
As recently as a decade ago, operators had to be much more involved in the laser cutting process, manually intervening to accomplish tasks like centering the nozzle and calibrating the focus position. Such manual intervention isn’t necessary with the newest machine models. Controls are more intuitive and have smartphone-like interfaces that are easy to use, no matter the operator’s skill level.
Similarly, fiber lasers with artificial intelligence can maintain part quality even when being run by an inexperienced operator. A cutting head with a camera and microphone serves as the eyes and ears that watch and listen to the cutting process. Because AI has become much more sophisticated, the machine even speeds up when edge quality per job specifications is good. Amazingly, an AI-enabled fiber laser can track more than 300 cut conditions for nearly any kind of material and gauge.
The sorting head has a tool changer that can be equipped with six different tools to pick parts.
SORT AND REMOVE MATERIAL
To keep up with the faster lasers, automation that loads and unloads machines has also needed to accelerate. Without this automation, a fast laser may not be an instant benefit to production, instead creating nothing but a bottleneck.
Automated systems can pick up a sheet from a pallet, separating stuck sheets if necessary, measure the thickness and deliver it to the worktable in under a minute. Most lasers won’t be finished cutting a sheet in under a minute, meaning that the automation prevents the laser from ever being idle.
Part sorting has advanced, as well. There’s no longer the need to change tools on parts-sorting arms because rotary heads have multiple tools to accommodate different sizes and weights. These tools consist of magnets in multiple sizes and suction cups in different shapes and sizes. Parts sorting software can apply complexity ratings to parts to ensure that all the parts in a skeleton can be removed without jeopardizing further part removal.
ORGANIZATION
A machine operator doesn’t have to decide the order in which parts should be picked up. The software is also useful in placing the parts in a certain orientation, i.e., if the press brake department needs the parts organized so that the grain is in the same direction. Because the partssorting automation can perform this valuable task, the downstream bending operation can keep pace with the laser.
For example, the Astes4 High Speed Skyway is automation that’s capable of controlling the entire production process, from loading material to storing parts. Sheets are loaded by suction cups and then parts are cut. Cartesian grippers then move into independently pick out assigned parts and sort them on the correct pallet, which is transported to the corresponding next process.
Mitsubishi laser automation experts can help determine the right combination of machines, storage towers, product carts and break-in stations for any type of operation, ranging from mom-and-pop shops to large lights-out factories. Mitsubishi solutions also are modular and flexible, allowing for expansion as a company grows, and include configurations that require 30 percent less floor space than typical laser automation setups.
Automatic solutions for part sorting, picking, optimizing flow and more can help fabricators accomplish more with less by reducing costs and improving part quality and response times. They also can turn potential bottlenecks into serious business advantages, increasing profitability over the short and long term. MM
MC Machinery Systems Inc., 630/860-4210, http://mcmachinery.com/
