Above: LVD’s zoom focus permits automated independent adjustment of focus position and focus diameter for cutting and piercing all material types and thicknesses.

Service centers adopt fiber laser-punching combos, automation and Industry 4.0 software to meet delivery deadlines

July 2018 - The “Amazon effect” is a term coined to describe the disruption of the global retail market, whereby a streamlined experience and almost instant results have lured more buyers to switch to online purchasing. But retail isn’t the only space feeling the squeeze of rising consumer expectations. Metal centers are also responding to the increasing pressure of customer demands by sawing, cutting, shearing and shaping alloys to specified dimensions prior to shipping.

“On-time delivery is crucial for service centers because their customers want parts right away,” says LVD Strippit Laser Product Sales Manager Stefan Colle. The need to balance available inventory with processing and shrinking delivery schedules has processors and distributors turning to LVD for its high-speed fiber lasers, automation and Industry 4.0-ready software.

“Service centers represent a growing segment of our customer base for fiber lasers,” Colle says. In the last two years feedback from service centers and fabricators has aided LVD in developing technology and software that is helping companies deliver an Amazon-like experience.

“Early on, fiber lasers had a small focal spot, making it challenging for operators to process thick material as efficiently as [with] CO₂ lasers,” explains Colle. “We closed the gap between fiber laser and CO₂ by making improvements to the cutting head and developing software that supports a smart factory environment.”

LVD’s new infra-red camera picks up the positions of pre-punched holes in different material thicknesses with greater precision.

Closing the gap

In 2017 LVD introduced a zoom focus control that allows automated independent adjustment of focus position and focus diameter. Piercing times, cutting speeds and cut performance for all material types and thicknesses are greatly improved along with throughput. LVD’s zoom focus allows an operator to make a cleaner hole with greater repeatability in less time.

“Zoom focus is a must for service centers and fabricators that need flexibility to cut varying material types in different thicknesses,” says Colle. “Both conventional and zoom focus laser cutting heads can achieve fast cutting speeds in light-gauge materials, but only a zoom head design is recommended for thick plate processing.”

Zoom technology also improves piercing. “It was a steep obstacle to create a fast, stable piercing process for thick mild steel [up to 1 ¼ in.],” continues Colle. “The machine-controlled zoom focus enhances piercing stability and quality. It also reduces piercing times for thick mild steel versus CO₂.”

Over the last few years, the laser industry both globally and in North America has seen higher speed fiber machines, with their ability to cut thicker material, make sales gains that outstrip those of CO₂ machines. High-speed fiber lasers are also beginning to overtake other sheet metal fabrication operations in multitudes of job shops. Service centers are adopting fiber laser technology to add value to their processing capabilities. New features like LVD’s infra-red camera option make fiber laser cutting more attractive.

Fresh ideas

“Customers wanted to align their punch work with our fiber lasers but standard referencing didn’t have the necessary accuracy,” says Colle. “We needed a way to pick up the positions of pre-punched holes with greater precision. The infra-red camera offered a faster, more exact approach than anything we had used before. As a secondary function, it can also be used to reference the edge of a sheet or workpiece.”

LVD will introduce and demonstrate its infra-red camera technology at Fabtech 2018.

With the ability to achieve clean, accurate cutting and piercing, the pairing of LVD’s compact automation tower with its fiber lasers keeps material moving. “We develop and build our automation equipment on site,” says Colle.

Research and development is the machinery builder’s bedrock. “We follow market changes to identify what may come next,” says Colle. “But the input we get from customers is what feeds our ideas and new designs.”

Colle has observed trends during his 25 years with LVD, including movements like Industry 4.0 (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT); and the company has pushed to adapt so that its customers are ready for changing marketplace demands.

LVD’s Electra, coupled with a compact material warehousing tower, processes ferrous and nonferrous metals.

Activity snapshots

In addition to its laser, punching and bending equipment and the automation options that accompany these machines, LVD developed CADMAN-Job. The software provides the intelligence needed to give fabricators real-time snapshots of activity on their production floors.

“CADMAN-Job can retrieve data from machines’ controls and follow what is happening in the shop,” says Colle. “When a customer inputs an order into his ERP system, we can follow it and know what will happen with it based on variables like material type and delivery due date.”

Service centers continue to take on more processing work and, to do that, are installing fiber laser/punching machines to support the work. The need to meet tight deadlines has made service centers “aggressive” when it comes to implementing tools like automated equipment and software like CADMAN-Job.

Short-term delivery requirements will continue to drive machine design and development, Colle forecasts. “Today the maximum speed of our fiber laser is 10 kW. If you talk to me next year it could be 12 kW.” MM