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Lights-Out Laser Cutting

Jan. 19, 2010
The automation-ready Sirius Plus flying optics laser cutting system. Shops can expand the automationready Sirius Plus flying optics laser-cutting system with the addition of various components to form an automated load/ unload ...
The automation-ready Sirius Plus flying optics laser cutting system.

Shops can expand the automationready Sirius Plus flying optics laser-cutting system with the addition of various components to form an automated load/ unload system. With an optional compact tower system, the Sirius Plus becomes a productive, flexible manufacturing cell that operates in “lightsout” applications. The tower system, working in concert with a material handling unit, provides full capabilities for loading and unloading and can include a shelving unit for storing raw material and finished parts.

Sirius laser-cutting systems, from LVD Strippit Inc., also come in a standard version, besides the Plus model. The machines deliver quick positioning with axis speeds to 120 m/ min and, as a standard unit, feature 3 m by 1.5-m integrated shuttle tables that allow one table to be loaded while the machine is cutting on the other table. Table changes take 25 seconds.

As with all LVD Strippit laser cutting systems, the Sirius machines employ GE Fanuc RF-excited, fast axial flow CO2 lasers and are available in 2.5-kW or 4-kW CO2 versions. And lasers, CNCs, drives and motors are fully integrated for processing speed, reliability and low operating and maintenance costs.

Integrated GE Fanuc PC-based controls reproduce programmed part contours perfectly, as well as acute angles at high speeds. Laser power is matched to the vectorial speeds for constant cut widths and small heataffected zones.

For a comprehensive laser-cutting CAM package, LVD Strippit offers its CADMAN-L 3D offline programming software, which includes an integrated 3D design and unfolding module for easy importing of 2D and 3D designs, automatic unfolding, and generation of flat patterns from 2D or 3D files. The software also has fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual nesting, and optimizes cutting and machine parameters to maximize sheet utilization.