Product category:
Laser and electron beam welding
News Release from: Rofin-Baasel UK | Subject: Profile Welding System
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 April 2008
Laser system welds tubes and profiles
Rofin-Baasel exhibited its tube profile welding system at TUBE 2008: the system uses integrated sensor technology, which detects the weld gap and facilitates seam tracking.
At the TUBE 2008 exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany this month, Rofin's Macro Group exhibited its Profile Welding System (PWS) The PWS system welds tubes and profiles using integrated sensor technology to detect the weld gap and facilitate seam tracking
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Mar 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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* Precision laser welding at high speed - lasers weld tubes and profiles and produces narrow seams with fine grain structure with a minimum heat effected zone (HAZ).
The predictable laser welding process can be controlled such that no further heat treatment or processing is required for most welded components.
When compared with conventional TIG welding, laser welding is faster, while laser weld seams generated withstand very high stress levels without tearing, said Rofin.
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The Profile Welding System comprises of a beam guidance and sensor system together with PC-controlled linear axes.
An integrated PLC system operates all laser system functions including the following.
* Process gases control.
* Optical safety circuit monitoring.
* Monitoring of the laser system and its associated cooling system The weld seam position recognition and seam tracking sensors detect even the slightest discrepancies in the seam position.
Rofin told manufacturingtalk that this adaptive system ensures that the laser beam always follows the seam, providing high process reliability and consistency.
The Profile Welding System's high speed precision linear drives provide positional accuracies of 20 micron at production speeds of up to 60m/min.
* Reliable, easy to use and virtually maintenance free - the beam delivery system on the Profile Welding System provides safe operation under tough industrial conditions.
Rofin said that the system is not sensitive to oil, dirt, dust or damp and is also virtually maintenance free providing high uptimes and reliability.
Ease of use for operators is ensured thanks to a display unit, which is mounted to a movable support arm.
This allows centralised monitoring and optimisation of the laser parameters and functions together with seam tracking on the workpiece.
The modular system can be easily configured.
For example, the beam guidance system can be supplied with either a beam switch unit or a beam splitter unit.
The latter enables simultaneous operation on several systems or alternatively at multiple welding points.
A number of options are also available for the Profile Welding System which can be used to further customise its configuration for a specific application.
These include the following.
* Process gas jet geometries configured for the application.
* A 300 rotating weld head - enabling 'drag welding' for higher welding speeds.
* Process data monitoring and storage for quality purposes.
The PWS uses Rofin CO2 slab lasers of up to 8kW of output power and excellent beam quality (K>= 0.9) this range of lasers will enable the PWS to be used on a wide range of applications.
Rofin CO2 slab lasers operate with only a few extremely durable components and do not require conventional gas recirculation therefore further reducing maintenance and service requirements.
Rofin offers a complete range of lasers including CO2, Vanadate and Fibre Lasers.
Rofin also provides solutions for laser marking and cutting applications. Request a free brochure from Rofin-Baasel UK ...
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