From ovens to boilers and from mixing machines to grinders, producing industrial food processing equipment requires a high volume of welding operations. As in any industry, increasing productivity is a chief concern but food and beverage equipment manufacturers must also prioritise hygiene to ensure welds are food grade.

To remain competitive, manufacturers must seek solutions that increase production speeds and minimise the risk of contamination. Handheld laser welding, using laser devices like LightWELD®, has emerged as the ideal solution for many in the food industry as an easy-to-use technology that enables faster, more consistent welds and enables new equipment design possibilities.

Handheld Laser Welding Keeps Things Clean

Industrial food and beverage equipment relies on more than just welds to join part features – manufacturers also make use of fasteners such as nuts, bolts, washers, and rivets. Unlike in other industries, the use of fasteners, as well as threaded holes, must be considered in relation to food contact areas.

Incorrect use of fasteners creates difficult-to-clean geometry that form microcosms for bacterial growth. This risk imposes limitations on how equipment is designed, not to mention increased fabrication costs.

The number of fasteners required in a piece of equipment can only be reduced somewhat by traditional welding methods like Metal Inert Gas (MIG) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), which introduce significant heat input that can damage or distort sensitive features. Laser welding, by comparison, generates considerably less heat during the welding process and is used extensively across industries for thinner metal parts.

This reduction in heat input compared to MIG and TIG opens more fabrication options to designers to help minimise fastener use and reduce material costs. Handheld laser welding also produces very high-quality welds with excellent and hygienic finishes.

The laser welding process is resistant to defects like microcracking, a concern when welding thinner joints using traditional methods, minimising the risk of bacterial growth. Handheld laser welding devices can also be used to spot weld with no part contact required, eliminating common resistance spot welding concerns like bacteria-friendly indentations and asymmetrical welds caused by issues like tip pressure and alignment.

Read more here at page 30

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The UNITED GRINDING Group has been present in the Southeast Asian region for many years through representatives and the WALTER EWAG Asia Pacific subsidiary. Now the specialist for grinding, eroding, laser, and measuring machines bundles and intensifies its activities in this region by founding a group subsidiary in Singapore, United Grinding Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

“Southeast Asia is a strategically very crucial region for us. Establishing a UNITED GRINDING subsidiary is the logical step to intensify our activities in this region,” explains Stephan Nell, CEO of the UNITED GRINDING Group. The potential is high, and the number of customers is continuously increasing. “Proximity to our customers has always been important to us to ensure fast and uncomplicated support,” adds Nell. The ability to offer the group’s bundled technology and application know-how from a single subsidiary offers customers many advantages.

Michael Schmid, Managing Director of the new UNITED GRINDING branch and already responsible for the Southeast Asian business of the WALTER and EWAG brands for more than 20 years, adds: “We can bundle the strength of our powerful team in the joint group subsidiary and serve our customers even better. In the future, we will offer all three group technologies, surface and profile grinding, cylindrical grinding, and tool machining, under one roof. I am convinced that bundling and intensifying our activities in this region is a win-win for all parties involved.”.

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G&G Präzisionstechnik GmbH, located in Süßen near Göppingen, is a young and dynamic company offering high-quality industrial manufacturing of precision parts made of different materials. The business takes on projects of various sizes, from individual parts to small series, and across and range of industries including aerospace, medical technology and racing.

Secret To Success

The business’ uncompromising selection of the highest quality production materials, using the most modern working machines, guarantees production quality at the highest level across a huge selection of small-to-medium-sized parts. Powerful and precise machines are for G&G the basic prerequisite for reliable and high-quality products.

Michael Nonnengässer, Master Orthopaedic Technician and Managing Director of Nonnengässer Orthopedie Technik in Donzdorf, contacted Martin Gabriel, Founder G&G Präzisionstechnik, with a very special request in the field of orthopaedics. The company is a leading provider in the field of orthopaedic technology in the region, and in their daily work, they treat many patients with varus and valgus gonarthrosis, commonly understood as knee mal-alignment.

“We were dissatisfied with the results of the long-term correction of the orthoses that are on the market and we started looking for a partner who could develop our own joints that would meet our expectations,” recalls Nonnengässer.

Read more here —–> https://t.ly/OjWK

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It is not far-fetched to say laser technology can innovate and eventually eliminate conventional drilling methods. According to recent data, there is an upsurge in the number of mining and construction activities in emerging nations and as a result, growth in demand for innovative mining equipment and technology. APEC member economies produce and consume roughly 70 percent of all mining output, including the majority of the world’s copper, bauxite, iron, silver, nickel, tin, and zinc.

These resources are used in a variety of applications ranging from home construction to transportation and digital infrastructure, food production, and healthcare.

Thing About Lasers

One example of innovative mining tech are lasers. According to mining.com utilising lasers to drill blast holes in open pits, or for spalling (breaking) rock underground, lasers will eliminate conventional methods of drilling and blasting.

Preliminary test work indicates substantial savings can be realized in time, material costs, and operating costs. Sidney Resources Corporation, Laser Photonics Corporation, IPG Photonics Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, nLIGHT, Incorporated.

The laser technology market on its own is also very divers. For example, solid lasers are the most extensively used laser type which find applications across verticals such as medical where they are used for biomedical imaging, spectroscopy, and multiphoton microscopy and for material processing applications in industrial and automotive verticals.

Solid state lasers on the other hand, especially fiber lasers, are extensively used in laser-based weapon technology, thereby promoting their adoption in the defense sector. Overall, the laser technology market size is expected to grow from US$16.7 billion in 2022 to US$25.6 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.9 percent in the forecast period. 

Read more —-> https://rb.gy/edyfcn

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“We’ve improved key aspects of the TruPrint 3000 to tailor it even more closely to the quality requirements, certifications and production processes of various industries,” says Klaus Parey, managing director of TRUMPF Additive Manufacturing.

The new TruPrint 3000 can be equipped with a second laser that almost doubles its productivity. “The multilaser option significantly reduces part costs – that’s how we help our customers make the move into mass production,” says Parey.

Two 500-watt lasers scan the machine’s entire build chamber in parallel. This makes production much faster and more efficient regardless of the number and geometries of the parts. With the Automatic Multilaser Alignment option, the system can automatically monitor the multilaser scan fields during the build stage and calibrate them to each other. With each laser scanning a contour, the process does not lead to any kind of weld seams. This is what allows multilaser parts to meet such outstanding quality standards.

The TRUMPF experts have transformed the movement of inert gas through the TruPrint 3000. The way in which it flows through the machine from back to front is now even steadier and more uniform. As well as boosting the quality of printed parts, this also allows the operator to remove excess powder from the part while it is still inside the machine. Previous models required the operator to take the part out and remove the powder at a separate station. The new machine is designed to process the powder in a shielded environment, using an inert gas to prevent the powder from becoming contaminated during the build. This is a major advantage for sensitive industries such as medical device manufacturing.

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“With the acquisition of Weber Laserservice, which has an excellent 15-year track record on the Benelux and German markets as well as in other countries and specializes in Bystronic machines, we are achieving several goals at once,” said Marco de Jong, Managing Director of Bystronic Benelux: “This move will make us the largest and most potent service and support organization in the increasingly dynamic market, and this both on-site with our customers and in the back office. A highly experienced and superbly trained team of technicians can now provide even more effective and prompt support for customers of every size and for every generation of Bystronic machine.”

READ: Bystronic And IPG Partner To Generate Innovations

READ: Bystronic Offers Live streaming Demos And Support App For Customers

Patrick van den Berg and Martin van de Weg, former owners of Weber Laserservice, added, “We are delighted that we will now be an integral part of our preferred partner Bystronic. The pooling of the strengths of these two companies will lead to significant additional synergies, which will translate into a considerable added value for the customers.”

Weber Laserservice specializes in the maintenance, training, installation, and sales of Bystronic laser cutting machines and also plays an important role in the second-hand market for laser cutting systems. The company has been a Bystronic certified partner for many years and has in the past been awarded the title of “Best Service Partner” of Bystronic Benelux.

In addition to service and support for flatbed lasers, pressbrakes, automation and software, these services will now also be offered for tube processing. Thus, Bystronic’s customers can rely on expert support from a single source.

“There will be no staff layoffs, because customer support is of the utmost importance to Bystronic, both now and in the future,” de Jong said. “With the integration of Weber Laserservice into Bystronic Benelux, we now cover all categories. The benefits of this increased efficiency will be felt by each and every one of our customers, regardless of which laser cutting system they are using.”

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The post Bystronic Acquires Weber Laserservice appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

Most traditional (non-laser) welding techniques currently in use are variations of arc welding. In these methods, two pieces of metal are first brought into contact or close physical proximity. The edges of the pieces may have been shaped to facilitate their joining. A high voltage is established between an electrode and the contact region, creating an arc which melts the material (or, in some cases an additional filler material or the electrode itself). The melted material fills any gap between the workpieces, or overlays them, and then solidifies to join the parts.

The primary advantage of most arc welding methods is their relatively low cost, particularly in terms of the capital equipment expenditure. Furthermore, arc welding techniques are well understood and widely employed, and standards for producing and testing them are well established, so there’s not much of a learning curve in bringing these processes on line.

The major disadvantages of arc welding mostly derive from subjecting parts to high heat. This can result in microstructures in the melted material that yield poor strength in the weld joint, and a relatively large heat affected zone in the material adjacent to the weld. Additionally, the parameters of the arc are influenced by the local electric field, and can therefore not be set independently.

Laser Keyhole Welding

Most laser welding techniques can be classified into two basic categories, “keyhole” and “conduction mode” welding. Both of these welding modes are capable of being performed autogenously, that is, without filler metal, as well as with filler, if so desired.

Keyhole, or deep penetration welding, is commonly encountered when welding thicker materials at high laser powers. In keyhole welding, the laser is focused so as to achieve a very high power density at the work piece. At the focus of the laser beam, the metal actually vaporises, opening up a blind hole (the keyhole) within the molten metal pool. Vapour pressure holds back the surrounding molten metal and keeps this hole open during the process. The laser power is mainly absorbed at the vapour melt boundary and the keyhole walls. The focused laser beam and the keyhole continuously move along the welding path. At the front of the keyhole, new material is molten, and at the back, it resolidifies to become the welded joint.

The small size of the keyhole region results in a precise, narrow fusion zone, with a high aspect ratio (depth to width) as compared to arc welding methods. Furthermore, the highly localised application of heat means that bulk of the work piece acts as an effective heat sink so the weld region heats up and cools down rapidly. This minimises the size of the heat affected zone, and reduces grain growth. Thus, the laser can generally produce stronger joints than arc welding, which is one of its primary benefits.

Laser welding also offers greater flexibility than arc welding, since it is compatible with an extremely broad range of materials, including carbon steel, high strength steel, stainless steel, titanium, aluminium, and precious metals. It can also be used to join dissimilar materials, as differences in material melting temperatures and heat conduction are of minor importance in the process.

In addition, laser welding delivers significant cost advantages over traditional methods, when all the process steps are considered. In particular, the precise application of heat minimises distortion in the weld and overall part, thus eliminating the need for post processing in many cases. Plus, the ability to project the laser beam over relatively long distances with essentially no power loss makes it easy to integrate laser welding with other production processes, and lends itself well to integration with manufacturing robotics. Last, but not least, new product configurations with reduced flange sizes can be realized, which is critical for light weight vehicles in the automotive industry.

Fibre Lasers for Welding

Modern CO2 and fibre lasers easily deliver the beam parameters and power requirements for keyhole welding. Since almost all metals become increasingly absorptive at shorter wavelengths, process efficiency is enhanced at the shorter fibre laser wavelength of ~1 μm, as compared to CO2 laser wavelength of 10.6 μm.

Fibre lasers, in particular, match the requirements of keyhole welding extremely well. They typically offer output powers in the range of 500 W to 10 kW, and can readily achieve focused spot sizes in the necessary range between 40 μm and 800 μm, even at relatively large working distances. From a practical standpoint, the use of beam delivery fibre expands integration options and facilitates the use of the laser in the manufacturing environment. Finally, the high reliability, excellent uptime and favourable cost of ownership characteristics of fiber lasers make them an economically viable and attractive choice for production welding applications.

There are currently several manufacturers of high power fibre lasers for welding and other materials processing applications. Coherent | Rofin fibre lasers, for example, can deliver a combination of performance, reliability, ease of integration and cost characteristics that is optimum for welding and other materials processing applications. To understand how this is achieved, it’s useful to examine some of the design and construction details of these lasers.

The drawing shows the main elements of the fibre laser oscillator employed by Coherent | Rofin. The laser resonator is formed by a large mode area (LMA), Yb-doped, double clad optical fibre and fibre Bragg gratings for resonator mirrors. This is pumped from each end by a series of diode laser pump modules, whose outputs are fibre coupled into the gain fibre.

Coherent | Rofin fibre laser oscillator schematic, including 12 diode laser pump modules, and 6×1 fibre coupling modules which inject pump light into the gain fibre, and allow efficient extraction of the laser output.

Based on this design, one set of pumps and gain fibre can produce output powers of up to 3kW. The output from up to four of these single mode fibre laser units can then be combined into one multimode fibre to achieve powers of up to 10kW. Alternately, the “standard” cabinet supports splitting the output from a single fibre laser into four separate fibres through the use of the integrated fibre-to-fibre switches.

Thus, this modular construction approach allows Coherent | Rofin to offer several options in terms of output power, delivery fibre diameter, and beam parameter product. The benefit is the ability to readily adapt the laser beam characteristics to precisely match the exact requirements of a specific process.

Some users have experienced fibre laser damage or process inconsistencies caused by back reflections when processing highly reflective metals, such as copper and brass. Coherent | Rofin lasers utilise an optimised power generation and delivery technology, as well as sensors at different positions within the system, to protect laser components from such damage. These safeguards eliminate the problem of back reflections, and allow reliable welding of brass, aluminium and copper without any concern for damaging the laser.

Of course, the fibre laser is just one part of the entire welding system, which also includes a beam focusing welding head, as well as control electronics. In addition to fibre lasers, Coherent | Rofin also offers beam delivery components which mount into customers’ machines. These can be fixed optics or complete, integrated scanning solutions, which include control of all relevant laser parameters, to fully optimize the welding process. Moreover, these integrated solutions often feature fast and flexible beam scanning technology which allows rapid beam movement from one welding contour to the next. This increases the productivity of a laser processing system enormously.

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The post Fiber Laser Welding Cuts Costs And Improves Results appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

Having recognised the advanced possibilities offered by additive manufacturing, Horn is now making these available to its customers and partners as well. To facilitate this step into the future, Horn is creating a new “Additive Manufacturing” production area. This department is closely linked to mechanical production and powder analysis as well as quality assurance.

Horn is using a process called SLM (selective laser melting), a powder bed process that also goes by the name of direct metal laser sintering. In this technique, the metal powder is applied to a lowerable platform in layers and then the relevant area is targeted and melted by the laser. This process is repeated until the required component height has been achieved. The only materials being used by Horn for the time being are aluminium (AlSi10Mg) and stainless steel (1.4404). However, other materials are currently being tested. The maximum build area is 300 x 300 x 300 mm (11.811 x 11.811 x 11.811″).

As Horn keeps all the production stages in-house, it is able to respond to customer requirements directly. The parts are produced in various designs according to customers’ wishes. Horn also helps customers to choose a structure that is compatible with the SLM method and to select appropriate powder-based parameters. Depending on what customers require, Horn can produce everything from unfinished and semi-finished products right through to the finished component. Further advantages are the ability to make use of the available machinery and appropriate measuring equipment.

Images 1 and 2: Components that can be produced using the additive manufacturing method.

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With “World Class Manufacturing”, Bystronic has described the matching supporting programme as one that features innovative solutions that go far beyond the conventional idea of a machine tool. It’s about fusing the individual processes relating to laser cutting and bending into a network of intelligent components, said Mr. Waser. Users can thus achieve a higher degree of flexibility and transparency in their production environment. Both are important prerequisites in order to manufacture products faster, more cost-effectively, and more intelligently than ever before.

In future, thanks to new software solutions, users will be able to create quotes more rapidly, plan their production processes in an efficient manner, and make the best possible use of their resources. Live monitoring systems represent an additional building block. They provide users with real-time information about the running processing steps from their production environment. All this will result in the optimisation of costs and processes. And this in turn, is the prerequisite for growth and sustainable competitive success.

With flexible system solutions, Bystronic is expanding the rules of the game in the field of sheet metal processing. Until now, there was always a trade-off between fast and versatile. In future, users will be able to produce small series or individual mass-produced products at conditions similar to a standardised high-volume series.  As commented by Mr. Waser, “With the new generation of our cutting and bending systems, users can adapt their processes much more easily and thus respond more quickly to their customers’ requirements.”

The integrated automation of production steps is another key success factor. To achieve this, Bystronic uses modular solutions for the material handling in the field of laser cutting. Automation systems that grow with the customers’ requirements and with increasing laser output. In the field of bending, the company is driving forward the development of flexible automation modules that enable fast transitions between automated and manual manufacturing.

Service remains another key issue for Bystronic. Within the networked production environment, network steps are interdependent. This makes process reliability and the preventive maintenance of all integrated systems more critical than ever before. New service solutions help users increase the efficiency and process quality of their production.

Learn more by visiting Bystronic at EuroBLECH 2018 from October 23 to 26, 2018 in Hanover, Germany. Hall 12, Booth B66.

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The post EuroBLECH 2018: Bystronic Displays “World Class Manufacturing” Innovations appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

The company invested around 40 million euros in the new facility to provide customers worldwide faster access to consumables and spare parts. Covering 13,000 square metres, the new building with 20-meter ceilings is divided into office space and a warehouse area. With more than 30,000 items in stock, the central warehouse in Ditzingen is the main hub of the company’s worldwide logistics network. The company dispatches around 60,000 items from the warehouse every month, for a combined total of some 270,000 packages a year.

Digital processes were deployed not only to manage the stocks on the shelves, but also to control the overall flow of materials to and from the warehouse. An automatic small-parts store currently accommodates 23,000 tote boxes for fast-moving parts. This is supplemented by a manual shelving system on four levels to store slow-moving products, as well as various pallet racks for large and bulky items.

Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, chief executive officer of the Trumpf Group, said, “Our plan is to have all our locations digitally connected within the next five years in order to manufacture our products more efficiently and offer even better service to our customers.”

In addition, an 85-percent stake in Access Laser was also recently acquired by Trumpf. Headquartered in the US state of Washington, the company produces high-precision, low-power CO2 lasers that are notably used to fabricate microchips in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV). In this application, the light generated by the low-power CO2 laser serves as a beam source that is deployed together with Trumpf’s laser amplifiers in EUV systems.

Founded in 1999, it employs some 60 people in the US and China and also caters to applications in the medical, electronics and scientific markets.

The post Trumpf Opens Logistics Centre, Acquires Laser Manufacturer appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.