Fricken' Laser Beams

January 17, 2006 8:53 PM

What companies sell industrial-grade lasers?

My girlfriend's parents own a growing business involving machine tool manufacture. They're trying to modernize and increase capacity, so they're thinking about moving to a laser-based cutting process for creating their parts.

Since the research I'm doing for my masters degree involves lasers, I've been put on the spot to help find a laser vendor. Trouble is, the lasers I work with and the sources from which I would buy them have little to do with the lasers they want - I know enough about lasers to know that. Towards which companies can I point them?

I don't know exactly the uses they envision, but I can assume they're looking at cutting pretty strong materials (steel?) in thickneses anywhere from centimeters to meters with at least mm precision. Required operating time I've been told is about eight hours per day. I don't know what kind of capacity they expect within that eight hour period. I also don't know what the desired price range is.

posted by bargex to Technology (7 answers total)

As far as I know, most cutting industrial lasers are Carbon Dioxide or Nd:YAG lasers. That might help you cut down your search.

Industrial lasers aren't my bag, but here is the Association of Industrial Laser Users. This seems to based in the UK, but the list of suppliers should give you a good idea of what is out there.

Here is a website for company that sells Nd:YAG industrial lasers.

Are you sure about the thicknesses you mention? You want to cut 1 meter of steel?

I don't know if this is possible with a laser since you might run into problems with melting. The only areas where I have seen laser cutting (again, not my area so I might be wrong) is with thin (millimeter range) thicknesses.
posted by toftflin at 9:26 PM on January 17, 2006

* Lasers: Cutting (180 companies)
* Laser Cutting Equipment (40 companies)
* Laser Tube Cutting (22 companies)
* Laser Cutting Services: Metal (158 companies)
* Laser Cutting Services: Plastic (84 companies)
* Laser Cutting Services: Non-Metal (71 companies)
* Laser Systems: Plastic Cutting (15 companies)
* Laser Cutting Equipment: 3D (8 companies)
* Laser Replacement Parts: Cutting (7 companies)
etc..
posted by Jack Karaoke at 11:22 PM on January 17, 2006

You're not cutting a meter of steel with any current laser that I know of, and I don't really want to know about a laser that can. It would be hard on the floor, for one thing, if someone turned it on without material in the feed.

Laser cutters are good at fast, precise cuts (there are laser cutters offering micron resolution) on thin sheet material. For steels, the typical machine cuts to about 1" thick. You need more power for Aluminum and Copper, because of ability to conduct heat away. The way to think of lasers is "cleaner cutting plasma cutters". They can also cut things that plasma cutters destroy, and with the right controls, do surface engraving and finishing work.

I'm not sure exactly what cuts a meter of steel, other than a saw, and slowly.
posted by eriko at 5:49 AM on January 18, 2006

Have they looked into abrasive jet (water jet) technologies? AFAIK laser cutting is good for high precision cuts, but works only on relatively thin materials. Water jets are more like a bandsaw, they can cut through just about anything.
posted by bonehead at 7:17 AM on January 18, 2006

Also, look into plasma cutters. They're considerably cheaper than laser (and water), but can do a bang-up job if the work is done compentently. They will cut steel, aluminum, checkerplate, etc, up to about an inch think, if I remember correctly. (I used to write the software that ran a plasma cutters, but the company has since got out of buisiness).

May I ask what you're using now? Flame cutters?
posted by cgg at 9:02 AM on January 18, 2006

Response by poster: I'm probably wrong about the meter of steel. That was just a guess based on the hulking shapes I've seen in machine shops. I'll try to get more precise information.

bonehead: I'm not sure if they've looked into abrasive jet technologies, but that sounds like a great idea.

cgg: I don't know what they're using now, but I'll try to find out.

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone!
posted by bargex at 10:44 AM on January 18, 2006

Response by poster: Couldn't get any more information. They say they're trying to find out what technologies are available, and they'll decide how to expand after. Oh well. Thanks all!
posted by bargex at 9:26 PM on January 19, 2006