Laser Welding, Cutting & Marking
Welding:
Our laser welding process is capable of joining similar materials or some dissimilar metallic materials via spot or seam welds. The resulting welds provide excellent strength and visual appearance.
We currently have 3 LASAG SLS200-CL16 machines that have the ability to institute a lap weld, butt weld, or fillet weld. Many applications are for welded tubes for surgical
instrument shafts. Some flat components are lap welded.
We also possess 2 LASAG KLS246 laser welding machines (one fitted with a six-axis Denso robot) that can be used to produce a lap weld, butt weld or fillet weld. These machines have a unique type of beam delivery that makes them about 25% more powerful than the LASAG SLS200’s.
Recently we purchased a new LASAG FLS542-CL welding machine. This machine is uniquely equipped with two laser heads and is more powerful than all our other welders—average power max up to 800 W. On this machine, two parts can be welded simultaneously. Its high power range makes it ideal for deep penetration welds.
Cutting:
For high-volume production laser cutting, we own a Trumpf Trulaser 2525/3200W CNC laser station which anchors a fully integrated laser-based work cell.
The high-speed Trulaser 2525 is very effective for cutting large flat parts with complex geometry out of sheets of material. A sophisticated pallet changer allows for the cutting of a new sheet while parts are removed from the sheet that has already been cut. The changer can handle raw material sheets up to 4 ft. x 8 ft. and weighing up to 1,100 lbs.
On thinner materials the laser boasts a cutting speed of up to 3,348 inches per minute and can cut through materials as thick as ¾ inch steel and ½ inch stainless steel. For high-speed cutting, however, it is most effective in the thickness range of .020 inches to .125 inches.
Other useful laser cutting machines are our 3 LASAG TCS375’s. These machines are used primarily for tube cutting. They work best with wall thickness up to .020 inches, and outside diameters up to .315 inches. These lasers can be used as strictly a cut-to-length device or to cut intricate features into the tubes. They are also very effective for cannulas that require angled sharp ends.
Marking:
For intricate laser marking, we rely on three machines—Trumpf TruMark 7000’s. These machines can operate in either a linear or a rotary axis—automated or manual. Their capabilities are numerous—marking, etching, labeling, knurling, ablating, annealing, foaming, and surface refinement.
Many of our tubes for instrument shafts are marked by these lasers—where company names, descriptions, or incremental measurement marks are required.