Category Archives: Laser Manufacturing

Why Was the Industrial Laser Conference Created?

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Why was the Industrial Laser Conference created, who is it for, and how can it help advance your industrial manufacturing career? This blog explains it all.

Registration is now open for Laser Institute of America’s inaugural Industrial Laser Conference, to be held at the International Manufacturing Technology Show on September 13, 2016 at the renowned McCormick Place in Chicago. All the buzz about this new conference by LIA may have you wondering why the Industrial Laser Conference was created, who it’s designed for, and most importantly, how it can help advance your manufacturing career. These four pillars of the conference say it all:

1. It’s Designed for the Manufacturing Professional: Designed exclusively for the industrial manufacturing professional, the conference will showcase laser applications that are driving the evolution of manufacturing. From manufacturing directors to automation engineers to production specialists, every member of the industrial manufacturing workforce can benefit from attending this conference, learning over the course of a full day how to leverage lasers into their manufacturing processes in a high-tech, high-demand market.

2. It Was Created to Meet Industry Demands: As Industrial Laser Conference Program Chair Elizabeth Kautzmann of FANUC America Corporation explains, these innovative techniques are emerging and revolutionizing the industry to meet market demands, all rooted in the field’s collective understanding of conventional machining. “Just as significant as discussions about technology, are the means by which legacy manufacturers can incorporate and powerfully exploit the versatility of the technology,” Kautzmann said. “We can now migrate conventional subtractive processes into realms where newer approaches, which combine innovative and fresh perspectives based on solid manufacturing building blocks, are already in place.”

3. It Provides Laser and Manufacturing Professionals with the Tools They Need to Succeed: This event is perfect for both industrial manufacturing professionals who want to improve their laser program – and those who have considered lasers as part of their processes before, but haven’t made the leap just yet. From the novice to the expert, every member of the industrial manufacturing spectrum can benefit from this future-forward event that is 100 percent focused on your individual and collective success.

4. It Covers All Industrial Applications of Lasers: The event covers industrial applications of lasers, such as: Additive Manufacturing, Cutting, Welding, Marking and more. Most importantly, we will show you how to apply lasers to increase your profits & efficiency.

Inspired yet? Learn even more about the Industrial Laser Conference – and why you should be there in our Five Things to Know blog. You can also sign up today: Click to register. If you have any additional questions, we’d be happy to help. Contact our Conference Team: conferences@lia.org, or +1.407.380.1553.

The Rise of Laser-cut Fashion

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Innovative laser applications are making headlines on a near-daily basis, with no sign of slowing. It was only a matter of time before the manufacturing end of these applications collided with another ever-evolving industry. Enter the age of laser-cut fashion.

Just this month, popular footwear & lifestyle brand VANS launched a new line of signature leather footwear for women. This time, however, the popular high top and skate shoe designs featured an upgrade that was equally stylish and functional: intricate laser cut outs.

The design, while visually intriguing, serves a functional, second purpose. The idea behind the laser cut outs is to provide relief from the summer heat, while still maintaining the ability to wear quality, leather shoes. While VANS is far from the first brand to introduce laser cut outs in their footwear, the intent is one that may prompt an increase in collaboration between laser manufacturing and fashion brands. Currently, a quick search for laser cut shoes will land you dozens of options, for nearly every budget. (The VANS line averages around $60.00, whereas Christian Louboutin designs will set one back around $1,500.)

While the technology itself is far from new, the demand created by the prominence of these designs on the runway as early as 2013, has made the technology available to a greater number of manufacturers –leading to the inevitable affordability of laser cut fashion to more markets. Today, laser cut outs and hemlines are just as likely to be found in fast-fashion retailers as they are in designer collections.

So what separates a laser cut garment from, say, a more traditionally cut piece? Lasers can create intricate patterns that would require unprecedented precision from blades or other fabric cutters. Similar to the use of lasers in medical applications, the heat of the laser provides a clean cut, minimizing the potential for fraying over time.  Additionally, the only thing that needs to touch the fabric, in production, is the laser itself. Thus, the materials and equipment are kept cleaner, reducing the potential for flaws before shipment. Leather, silk, lace, and nylon are ideal materials for laser-cut fashion, due to the need for precise, clean cuts to maintain durability and appearance.

Typically, manufacturers use one of three types of lasers: a CO2 laser, a neodymium laser, and the neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser. The CO2 laser is preferred, mostly due to its interactions with organic materials, like leather.  The other lasers are used more prominently in engraving and metal applications, making them a better candidate for jewelry and accessories, rather than clothing and shoes. For clothing applications, the CO2 laser works by firing the beam through a tube-shaped enclosure, reflected by multiple mirrors. The beam then reaches a lens, which targets the portion of the fabric that needs to be cut. The laser is then adjusted according to the amount of fabric that needs to be cut.

The demand for laser cut garments seems to be on the rise. For fashion brands, it provides an interesting opportunity for original, difficult to replicate garments. For consumers, intricate, visually-striking designs will be more affordable than ever. At the very least, the rise in demand and public exposure is great for laser-based manufacturing.

 

 

 

Current Trends in Manufacturing Technology

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One of the hottest emerging technologies is additive manufacturing or 3D printing. These printing devices are becoming more and more readily available and in various sizes thus being more prone to purchase by both professionals tech connoisseurs.

3D printing is a process which uses lasers in order to print objects one layer at a time while building towards a much larger object. The idea of printing objects out of thin air was first introduced to the general public through television screens and entertainment outlets.

For example, The Replicator, a Star Trek machining device was capable of both creating meals on demand and recycling materials altogether. This device was the first fiction-concept of a futuristic printer, or 3D printer, that paved the way for modern technologies after its first debut on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Critics described this device as the 24th century revised version of the 23rd century “food synthesizer” as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. However, the mechanics and internal processes of this device were never described on the show.

The writers of Star Trek may have been onto something when they first introduced a device that could magically create food out of thin air. This may be one concept to keep in mind when questioning the future of additive manufacturing. A more recent manufacturing process that’s becoming more and more common is cold-spraying.

Cold-spraying is the thermal spraying process of blasting metallic particles through a nozzle at extremely high speeds and at low temperatures in order to cause immediate binding of the blasted particle shapes which, in turn, coats surfaces in desired user materials. In a sense, operators of these machines are able to create or build up 3D metal objects the same way a 3D printer does or in other words objects are able to be “painted into existence“.

The method of cold-spraying was first introduced to the general public in the 1980s at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk and is currently being improved to suit various fields including studies within the medical world.

The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a group created by President Obama, has since identified 11 factors that determine some of the “hottest” growing manufacturing technologies. Three of these 11 factors include:

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Digital manufacturing technologies
  • Biomanufacturing

This year, we are expecting to see a major increase in current and impending manufacturing trends.

For further reading on this topic make sure to check out “What’s Hot in Manufacturing Technology“.

Recap: CO2 vs. fiber laser shootout by Cincinnati Incorporated

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In case you missed today’s CO2-vs.-fiber shootout by Cincinnati Incorporated using its 4,000-watt CL440 CO2 and CL940 fiber lasers to cut identical parts side by side, here’s a quick rundown.

Performed at the company’s Customer Productivity Center in Harrison, Ohio, about 20 miles west of Cincinnati, this demonstration by the longtime LIA exhibitor used their machines to fashion parts out of 20-gauge mild steel, 1/2-inch mild steel and 1/8-inch aluminum. Both systems have identical drive systems.

In broad terms, of course, fiber lasers — which have been carving out more and more market share — cut thinner materials faster, while CO2 performs better with materials thicker than 10 gauge.

The results:

Cincinnati Incorporated pits its CL940 fiber laser against its CL440 CO2 laser.

• 20-gauge mild steel (assisted by shop air): Fiber laser cut the part at 27 seconds at a rate of 2,160 inches per minute vs. 31 seconds for the CO2 laser run at 850 inches per minute. Estimated cost of the process is $6.90 per hour for fiber vs. $9.88 for CO2.
• ½-inch mild steel (oxygen): CO2 cut the part at about 79 seconds at a rate of 60 inches per minute vs. about 99 seconds for fiber run at 45 inches per minute. Estimated hourly operating cost is $6.52 for fiber vs. $10.33 for CO2.
• 1/8-inch aluminum (piercing with nitrogen, cutting with oxygen): Fiber cut the material at 56 seconds at 950 inches per minute (vs. 500 inches per minute if cutting with nitrogen).

Audience polling during the demonstration yielded an interesting look into laser purchasing habits:

• 32 percent said they had two to five lasers in their facility; 30 percent said one, 30 percent said none and 9 percent said more than five.
• 82 percent said they had not purchased a new laser within the past three years.
• 45 percent said they might consider automation with their next laser purchase, 40 percent said yes and 15 percent said no.
• 51 percent said they would be more likely to purchase a fiber laser, 30 percent a CO2 laser, 19 percent unsure.

The presentation is scheduled to be made available at Cincinnati’s website.

— Geoff Giordano

Powder-bed machine’s journey symbolizes N.J. firm’s path toward additive manufacturing

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Imperial Machine & Tool’s SLM280 machine on the exhibit floor at RAPID 2013 in Pittsburgh. Photo by Geoff Giordano

Imperial’s SLM 280 machine at its facility in June 2014. Photo courtesy of Imperial.

As RAPID 2014 wraps up today in Detroit, revisiting the journey of an SLM 280 powder-bed fusion machine purchased at last year’s event by Imperial Machine & Tool of Columbia, N.J., illustrates some of the motives driving U.S. manufacturers toward additive technology.

Imperial is heavily involved in advanced manufacturing — particularly for the Department of Defense — and has spun off a 3D printing operation in nearby Pennsylvania. The company’s purchase of the SLM 280 was part of the company’s $1 million investment in additive manufacturing, says Imperial President Christian M. Joest.

AM “is obviously going to be a game-changer for U.S. manufacturing,” Joest asserts. As a 70-year old company and third generation myself in this business, I’m always interested in longevity. I want to make sure the company’s around for another generation or two.”

Typically, he says, “the company is very forward-looking; we’re not your standard machine shop that’s looking to make 5 cents on every widget that comes through here. Rather, we’re a high-end builder of equipment and components that are challenging. Our focus now is probably slightly different than many others shops like us that would buy this (equipment). I’m not nearly as focused on trying to make a buck on my 3D printer right now as others would be. There are going to be others out there who bought a machine and they want it to pay for itself as soon as it can and keep it paying for itself. That is not my focus.”

Taking the long view Joest’s goal is to “develop this technology — be leaders in the technology development and everything that goes along with it, whether it be training or materials development. We want to hold the hands of our customers as we introduce this new technology so they don’t get bitten. And then everything will follow after that; a rising tide will start to float all boats. The more customers I can get to accept the technology … the better off we all will be.”

A longtime major player in advanced manufacturing techniques, Imperial has decades of experience in multi-axis machining, multi-step processes, rough machining and welding. “We do a lot of military work and a lot of very challenging tech work in unusual materials as well as unusual applications,” Joest explains. “I was always keeping an eye out on new technologies. Rather than just expand our current capabilities — we’re a successful company that generally stays pretty busy — I saw additive manufacturing as an opportunity for us to re-engage with our customers, to have new conversations with folks we’ve been talking to for many years. And for that it has been outstanding. We have engaged with every one of our existing customers, most of all of whom have welcomed this technology with open arms; of course, it’s early in the game.”

But can a well-established company changes gears adequately to get into the game? Joest says his company’s history is a significant advantage.

“We’re already Prime Contractors for the U.S. government. We already know what it takes to meet their contracting requirements. We already know what it takes to go through the quality process. It is not a big step for us; we’re not just an additive manufacturing company that does that and doesn’t know how to do anything else in the world. We’re a manufacturing company that now understands how to additively manufacture pieces and inject that into the production sequence.”

Of late, Imperial has been in conversations with the Navy not only on using AM to field spare parts but also how to set up AM operations. Developing new materials suitable for AM, particularly high-heat materials, is also a priority.

As other experts have noted, most recently at LIA’s sixth-annual Lasers for Manufacturing Workshop in Houston in March, Joest knows that AM’s advancement relies on far more than just the machines. It means powders for additive processes must keep pace — as must the skills required of a 21st-century workforce.

Acknowledging that “lasers are our weakness,” Joest fully expects to engage more at LIA events in the quest to help lead U.S. manufacturing to greater heights. “We will be trying to find out as much as we can about lasers and who the laser people are who can aid us in reaching some of our goals — one of which would require us to understand lasers very, very, very in-depth. I expect to need laser talent either that I’ve contracted for or that I hire.”

For those with the same motives, the fourth-annual Lasers for Manufacturing Event from Sept. 23-24 in Schaumburg, Ill., will be a perfect opportunity to network with top-tier laser equipment suppliers and practitioners in many industries. And for the first time, LIA is holding a Lasers for Manufacturing Summit on Sept. 22 at the LME venue to provide a more intimate AM overview to executives.

Geoff Giordano, veteran editor and art director for newspapers and magazines, has been an editor and reporter for LIA since 2009. Contact him with comments or suggestions at ggiordano@lia.org.