Luton-based Trumpf Ltd, a specialist in sheet metal fabrication machinery and laser technology, has equipped its latest TruLaser Series 5000 laser cutting machine with a TruDisk 12001 disk laser with 12kW of laser power.

The new machine also comes with an intelligent assistance system that increase feed rates for medium and high sheet thicknesses by up to 50% compared to conventional laser machines with a 10kW laser.

Higher feed rates results in higher throughput, with this new machine able to handle up to 20% more sheets an hour.

The TruLaser Series 5000 laser cutter come with tried-and-tested features such as Active Speed Control and BrightLine Fiber, which lead to more reliable processes and higher-quality parts in both flame and fusion cutting.

Hendrik Meidert, Trumpf product manager for the TruLaser Series 5000, highlighted the machine’s advantages: “Boosting feed rates by increasing laser power saves time in the cutting process, but that is only part of the equation. For us, it is equally important to ensure that we increase sheet throughput in order to improve the machine’s overall productivity. The key here is to reduce non-productive time or eliminate it altogether.”

It is not uncommon for problems to arise that slow down or stop the production process, especially when cutting thick mild steel. There are plenty of factors that might bring the cutting process to a halt, including dirty sheet surfaces, low-quality materials and variations in thickness between different sheets. This can lead to wasted time and materials.

Mr Meidert continued: “The higher the laser power and productivity of your machine, the more of an impact it will have when something goes wrong and your machine comes to a standstill. Intelligent assistance systems can prevent those problems from occurring. That is why we offer functions designed to make dynamic cutting more reliable, especially for high-speed systems such as our TruLaser Series 5000 machines.”

Intelligent assistance
Trumpf’s intelligent assistance systems have already proved their worth in machines with 10kW of laser power – and all of them are now also available for TruLaser Series 5000 machines with 12kW of laser power

Active Speed Control is the first step on the road to autonomous laser cutting. Trumpf machines equipped with this cutting sensor system can automatically control and monitor the cutting process. A camera looks straight through the cutting nozzle right into the kerf in real time, observing the light emitted during the laser cutting process.

Changes in the amount of radiation emitted show whether the molten material is being properly ejected from the kerf. Based on this data, Active Speed Control automatically adjusts the feed rate as necessary to ensure that the machine is always cutting at the optimum speed.

This balances out any fluctuations in process reliability and reduces the number of rejects in the production process.

Another helpful feature for cutting thick material is the CoolLine nozzle, which sprays water onto the workpiece around the laser beam to cool the metal. It prevents heat from building up and negatively affecting the quality of the cut. This cooling function allows users to fit more parts on a single sheet and cut delicate parts more reliably.

With the BrightLine fiber function, users can cut mild steel with a large focal diameter. This leads to a wider kerf and improves the quality of the cut edge. The large diameter stabilizes the cutting process, so variations in material quality have hardly any impact on the final result. It also makes it easier to remove parts from the sheet.

Meanwhile, Smart Nozzle Automation makes life easier for operators by guaranteeing reliable, burr-free cutting. The system switches to the right nozzle and checks it for wear even in fully automated operation. Users can remove the nozzle changer from the machine and set it up even during cutting. This helps minimise non-productive time.

All in all, Trumpf says the TruLaser Series 5000 with 12kW of laser power ‘sets new standards of productivity, efficiency and reliability’. It is an ideal choice for customers that need a reliable process for cutting medium to thick sheets and want to take a ‘smart approach’ to increasing throughput. The TruDisk 12001 is available for the TruLaser 5030 fiber, the TruLaser 5040 fiber and the TruLaser 5060 fiber.