When applied to a water jet cutting machine, the whole X-axis is fitted with a linear motor, so the X-axis movement of each cutting head can then be accurately controlled to 0.05mm.

Water Jet Sweden is believed to be the first manufacturer of water jet cutting machines to incorporate linear drives in this technology for customers who have discerned the technical advantages of this option. Increasingly already being applied to advanced machine tool designs, linear drive systems are now being taken up by designers of other types of machinery and equipment used in a variety of manufacturing processes throughout the world. In the case of Water Jet Sweden, the close collaboration enjoyed between themselves and CNC suppliers GE Fanuc over recent years has seen the introduction of a linear drive option across the range of profilers produced at the busy Ronneby factory in southern Sweden.

With the entire linear drive system being sourced from the same supplier as the other drives systems on the machine, plus the CNC control, the whole package is totally integrated and thereby offers assured reliability.

* Great accuracy - when applied to a Water Jet Sweden machine, the whole X-axis is fitted with a single flat magnetic plate.

The X-axis movement of each cutting head can then be accurately controlled by the CNC with a positioning accuracy as fine as 0.05mm by means of coils fitted to each head.

Lennart Svensson, managing director of Water Jet Sweden, said: 'As well as the well-known advantages of such a drive system, it is especially useful for multi-head profiling.' He cited the many cases where nested items need to be cut using the 'common line' method whereby the intermediate heads of a multi-head arrangement are cutting a line that forms both an 'inside edge' of one component and the 'outside edge' of its companion, thereby simultaneously eliminating the wasteful 'picture frame skeleton' left in the sheet.

Significantly, because each of the heads can be easily re-positioned independently, it is far quicker to replace any one or more nozzles as wear takes place.

This nozzle wear can be compensated for automatically which is an attractive time-saving proposition in a busy shop.

* Other advantages - such drive systems cannot be affected by that small element of component wear that might occur over long periods of time with other drive systems.

Additionally, there are no backlash or pitch error problems to worry about.

The improved long-term positioning accuracies achievable are an added incentive to adopt the linear approach.

The application of a linear drive system to a waterjet profiler is a good one because, unlike other metal cutting machines, there is no swarf or coolant present that might pose a risk to lifelong performance.

In any case, the X-axis drive is mounted on top of the cross gantry where it is well above the work interface.

It is, therefore, in the field of multi-head, high-volume work that the linear drive option can really prove its worth, especially when the added advantages of increased positioning speed and acceleration while profiling are taken into account.

Much larger water jet cutting machines are in demand, such as a profiling machine of 4m x 18m long, which is to be supplied to a German rolling mill, and another operating at a sheet steel mill.

Although offering an unprecedented range of more than 90 standard waterjet profiling machines, all based on the concept of portal design and employing high tech components and systems, Water Jet Sweden now finds itself firmly-established as a market leader meeting a surge in the new demand for much larger capacity installations where machines need the table to be at least 6m long. * Germany leads the way - a good example is the 4m x 18m long WJS profiler, believed to be the biggest in Germany and probably the world, currently under construction and due for delivery before the end of 2006 to the steel rolling company Dillinger Hutte. Not only can Water Jet Sweden's machines such as these handle very large workpieces, thanks to easy transverse access through the portal, but can perform also water jet parallel profiling operations by using several cutting heads mounted along the cross beam.

Moreover, large format machines enable the principle of a divided cutting table to be put into practice, thereby creating an even more economical operational regime.

* WJS installation with workpiece area of 4.2m x 9.2m - Universal Iron and Steel, based in Neuss, is one of Germany's largest retailers of unfinished sheet metal in the steel industry and has a current inventory of 80,000 tonnes, along with a monthly turnover of around 20,000 tonnes.

The branch site at Viersen is concerned exclusively with the processing of refined steels and it stocks up to 1,300 tonnes of various grades of steel at any one time.

The traditional thermal cutting procedures, such as underwater plasma cutting, could handle sheet thicknesses in the 6 to 150mm range.

The Water Jet Sweden NC4492-D now installed is the only one in Germany with a maximum workpiece area of 4.2m x 9.2m and a maximum cutting area of 3.6m x 8.5m.

The machine has now been in operation for several months and is set up for cutting sheet thicknesses from the required maximum of 150mm down to a new low of only 0.5mm which brings great flexibility to the user.

Said Manfred Salg, Universal's branch manager of Refined Steel services, 'Universal is currently the only company in Germany able to cut its whole range of refined and special steels to this desired dimension and precision in-house.' Salg said, 'The main reason for this investment into waterjet cutting was to enlarge our range to include heavy-duty materials such as nickel and cobalt alloys, as well as titanium and titanium alloys.' He added: 'However, this was dependent upon finding an effective and economic process that would fulfil the requirements of cutting quality and tolerance without heat reaction or delay.

We needed also to 'machine' the largest possible format from our classic refined steel product range and this extends to 3.5m wide by 8m long.' Other machine choices were out of the question, as they could not meet the desired specification and, additionally, the quality of the test pieces cut proved decisive.

* 'Side-by-side' cutting - another advantage is that the portal construction of WJS profiling machines makes for easy side-by-side cutting.

Thus, for example, the machine can be set up easily with four cutting heads.

This allows a marked increase in production - without loss of quality.

The high cutting quality, even in very thick materials, is due, amongst other things, to the patented construction of the cutting heads.

Moreover, they use up to 20% less abrasive material than comparable machines.

The machine comes equipped with collision and height sensors as standard, although this is not so important for Universal, as hardly any curvature is involved - something that would be different with plasma cutting because of potential heat distortion.

Guidance of the unit comes from an especially-developed GE Fanuc 310i CNC control system.

Cutting pressure of up to 4,200 bar is provided by two Bohler Dynatronic 424 high pressure pumps.

One interesting point for the business is that the operating area of the Z-axis is up to 250mm.

This allows for the cutting of pieces thicker than 150mm for aluminium and titanium.

* The largest in Switzerland installed by Water Jet Sweden - the Swiss company, Stahl-Contor, Zurich, since 1929 has successfully-established itself as a specialist in the working of and trade in stainless steel.

As such, they have gained a renowned reputation for competence among an ever-increasing number of satisfied customers.

As the leading supplier in Switzerland of various types of highest strength steel plate as used for armoured tanks, cranes, bridges, etc, an investment in waterjet cutting required the closest scrutiny of the system in order to ensure both maintaining and improving the high standards of quality and efficiency expected of them.

Having decided these necessary standards could be met by Water Jet Sweden, a five-axis WJS NC 3592 machine was ordered and installed at the beginning of 2006, which marked the start of a fruitful partnership between customer and supplier.

The installation, one of the most advanced and largest in the whole of Switzerland, having a workpiece of maximum size area of 3m x 8.5m, has more than justified its selection, whether for single part or mass production, semi-fabrication or finished components, and whether from just a sketch plan, drawing, or CAD system.

2D or 3D cutting heads facilitate economic parallel cutting.

Stainless steel is cut to a maximum thickness of 150mm.

Jet pressure of more than 4,200 bar guarantees clean cutting and high precision.

Accuracy tolerance of less than 0.1mm fulfils all the requirements of not only the sheet metal industry in general, but also those engaged in plant and machinery building and the automotive industry.

* A WJS profiler with four cutting heads plus linear drive for workpieces 4m x 6m - earning its keep at Schroeder Schneidtechnikin Guetersloh, is the latest machine from WJS, the new NC4060 Quad.

The first of its kind in Europe, it combines high-precision linear drives with four side-by-side cutting heads.

This company began a contract-cutting service in the waterjet sector six years ago and also offered rapid prototyping of pieces.

Materials dealt with range from metals such as refined steel and aluminium through plastics and ceramics to 'sandwich' construction parts.

Prior to installing the WJS machine, all work had been carried out on a two-three shift system on a 2m x 4m machine with two heads.

Frequent re-adjustments of the machine were needed and managing director, Raphael Schroeder, also had to decline opportunities for producing larger parts.

* Close tolerance accuracy of +/-0.05mm - the WJS machine was able to resolve these problems.

After various test cuts on different companies' machines, the decision came down to the precision that could be achieved cutting special small springs to a tolerance of +/-0.05mm.

The competition was won by the WJS NC4060Q.

The customer asserts that these test pieces had never been cut so precisely before.

Schroeder explained, 'The purchase of this machine was without question a major investment for us.

It offers though the advantage of improved economy, noticeably greater accuracy and the ability to handle much larger workpieces.

Another important factor in our decision was that we could specify the high pressure pump of our choice.' * Virtues of linear drive - cutting precision was due not only to the quality of the Swedish machine, but also to a significant innovation - the linear drive.

Above all, an expensive linear drive makes sense only when used in conjunction with multiple cutting heads whereby they will all cut identical contours over long periods of time.

This is the reason that the WJS NC 4060Q is equipped with four abrasive heads.

Compared with a rotary motor with ball-driven spindles, linear drive offers greater precision, minimal wear and tear and no need for attendance.

Because of the construction of the linear drive, movements are carried out in the most precise way and all other sources of faults, such as gearing, linkage, transmission drive and ball-driven spindles, are avoided.

This results in a noticeably greater accuracy of contour compared with the spindle drive, particularly over a long period of work.

'And that was precisely where we always had problems in the past,' said Schroeder.

* Automatic adjustment - one of the most important points before starting a job is the setting up of the cutting head(s) clearance.

There are still many basic models on the market with manual adjustment.

The more expensive machines, however, use an automatic adjustment with this axis becoming fully CNC.

Linear drive, in conjunction with a corresponding guidance system, offers far greater flexibility and here, the Fanuc CNC control system is used for all drives.

During cutting, the correct clearance of the cutting heads is automatically taken care of by a mechanical height sensor.

A further advantage of this guidance system is the convenience of remote monitoring of the machine.

Even the smallest machine from Water jet Sweden comes with a Fanuc guidance system as standard but NUM-Schneider or Siemens systems are available if requested.

The patented cutting heads are an economically important aspect of all WJS machines: they consist of only three parts; the mixing chamber is located in the pipe and, compared with other machines, uses 15-20% less abrasive materials.

The benefits of this are very noticeable when purchasing and disposing of the abrasive material.

'The machine has two further special features,' said Schroeder proudly, 'A special device for removing the silt, which sucks it out from around 40 places, and an additional removal tank for regulating the water level.

Thus the machine has been custom-built to our exact requirements.' * WJS profiler 3 x 6m long 18 tonnes capacity with divided table - with a 6m long table generally recognized as the starting point for 'large' profilers, some of the above-mentioned advances are featured also in the Butzbach factory of CAN Industrieservice, where WJS has installed a typical 3m x 6m profiler.

Established in 1997, and traditionally using oxy-fuel and plasma devices, CAN produces rotating and non-rotating components for the pharmaceutical and oil industries, as well as for sewage treatment.

However, in contrast to previously used thermal techniques, waterjet is a cold cutting process and is the only method of cutting such a wide range of materials with great precision and without burrs.

Materials can range from refined steel and aluminium to plastics, ceramics and even 'sandwich' style combinations of materials.

There being no residues from heat-affected or melted zones, no microscopic cracks are formed on the cut edge.

CAN-chief, Mityesoglu, said, 'Previously, quite apart from the fact we always had to undergo secondary processing, we had to send large items to a third party for cutting.

Now we can cut everything on our own water jet profiler.' * Divided table - the divided cutting table installed at CAN offers several advantages compared with the more usual interchangeable types.

Not only is the overall footprint smaller than a machine with interchangeable cutting tables, but the waterjet solution is also more economical.

While cutting is still being carried out on one side, the other side can be cleared or set up.

Another advantage of the machine is its high total load capacity of 18 tonnes.

That is, nine tonnes on each half of the cutting table.

With its new WJS NC-3060D machine, CAN can now with ease cut heavyweight refined steel and C-steel components such as wiper blades installed on the rotors of sludge driers, rings for flanges and base plates for traverses and seals.

More unusual orders can now be taken for such items as parts for coolant return systems for nuclear power stations.

The cutting of plated and laminated sheets has been noticeably simplified in comparison with plasma cutting where there was always the danger of the refined steel coming away from the base substance.

The new machine not only needed to be compact and cut precisely, but also allow for the handling of large pieces of typical rough sheet as large as 3m wide by 6m long.

CAN made their final choice only after considering other machines from both Germany and Switzerland.

Said Mityesoglu, 'The final decision in favour of WJS came down to the higher quality of the cuts achieved during tests.' * Service and support - most WJS customers invest in a complete system, including controls and pumps etc The value of having one single point of contact should not be underestimated.

Potential users who are not sure whether waterjet cutting is a logical investment for them, either as an alternative process or as a supplement, can try before they buy.

The Water Jet service centre in Weinstrasse, Neustadt, Germany, for example, can be used for contract cutting initially, as can the same facility at the parent company in Sweden.

* Consumer durables - WJS is justifiably proud of its reputation for incorporating only high quality components that retain their precision and efficiency over long periods of hard usage.

Some users, however, have been found to put these high levels of performance, accuracy and reliability at risk by the purchase of key consumables from sources other than the original manufacturers.

The use of cheaper (and therefore usually inferior) garnets and nozzle inserts for example, not only have been the cause of marked performance deterioration but also can lead to the original supplier's warranty on key components, such as pumps, being invalidated.

A guide to the technology and benefits of the waterjet cutting process provides information on alternative pure water and abrasive waterjet cutting technologies and applications.

A guide to the technology and benefits of the waterjet cutting process has been introduced by KMT Waterjet Systems. The world leader in intensifier technology has been in the market for over 50 years and provides waterjet solutions for many different market sectors from engineering sub-contracting and general fabrication through to specialised applications in areas as diverse as food processing, ceramic tile cutting, textiles and rubber cutting. The guide provides information on alternative pure water and abrasive waterjet cutting technologies, highlighting their possible application areas.

Information is also provided on how the waterjet process compares with other cutting processes and its relative advantages in terms of cost savings, flexibility and versatility.

Copies of 'Waterjet Cutting - A Technology On The Rise' are available from KMT Waterjet Systems.

To offer increased cutting performance, a 5kW diffusion cooled CO2 slab laser with a high energy density to provide improved process stability and high quality at high cutting speeds.

In response to customer's needs for increased cutting performances, Rofin introduces the DC 050. With an average output power of 5,000 Watts this diffusion cooled CO2 Slab laser provides an ideal laser source for industrial plate and sheet cutting applications. 'We are glad to enlarge our CO2 product range with this new model,' said Thorsten Frauenpreiss, managing director of Rofin-Sinar Laser.

'The newest model of the mature DC series provides new possibilities for all cutting applications - especially for thick plate applications where the high-performance laser proves its quality.' Due to the excellent beam quality of the laser and its increased output power, high-pressure cutting with long focal lengths is now available in the 5kW power range, too.

Additionally, the high energy density provides improved process stability at high cutting speeds, a precondition for reliable cutting data and quality.

Thanks to the patented design, the low-maintenance Rofin CO2 slab lasers are easy to service.

Having no gas circulation, the laser does not need any turbines.

The gas bottle that is required for the gas exchange every 72h, is positioned conveniently within the laser head, so that an external gas supply is not necessary.

The laser beam that is produced in the resonator is uncoupled by a diamond window without any losses of power or beam quality.

The internal water-cooled mirrors, are robust and non-wearing reflective optics.

With its excellent beam quality of K0.9 this laser is at all power levels a perfect tool for manifold cutting and welding tasks.

Live-Demonstration of Ultra Large Scale Remote Welding The DC 050 shows his outstanding qualities as a welding laser together with the remote welding system (RWS).

In a live welding demonstration of vehicle rear seats, 49 welded joints are created within 12s.

The RWS is a high speed welding system, which is able to make multiple spot welds in an arbitrary pattern over a very large working area in a short time.

The variety of possible welds is nearly limitless, spots, circles, lines, waves or any other form.

Thanks to easy programming and beam forming through the mirror and scanner all applications can be set up quickly.

With a RWS a very wide working area is possible, because the laser beam is expanded by a telescope and focussed by an optic on the work piece.

Using a focal length of up to 2.0 meters gives a working area of 2900 x 1800 x 1000mm.

With a positioning speed of 400m/min between the welding points, known as 'rapid move', the non- productive time is reduced to a minimum.

This provides the shortest possible cycle times.

With about 20 million welding cycles for more than 300 km of weld length, without the exchange of typical wear parts, the system also sets a benchmark for availability and process optimization.

The laser is positioned above the working area so that, compared to a conventional manufacturing method like, e g, resistance spot welding, a compact system with the smallest possible footprint results.

* Patented CO2 laser technique for remote welding - the Remote Welding System will be presented at the euroblech fair in combination with a diffusion- cooled Rofin DC 050 with a average output power of 5kW.

This CO2 laser belongs to the patented Rofin DC series.

The excellent beam quality of K0.9 makes the use of remote welding cost-effective.

As all DC lasers have a perfect basic specification for high speed welding with large focal lengths, they are the ideal tool for this application.

When quick welding for complex formed work pieces is required, the Scanner Welding System (SWS) with a robot is the perfect solution.

At the EuroBLECH, Rofin will present this mirror deflection system in combination with a 6-axis articulated robot.

The mirrors offer extremely quick positioning (<50ms) of the laser beam within the considerably extended working area of about 200 x 240 x 80mm.

In comparison with the already industrially used RWS with its CO2 laser, in the SWS all three scanner axes are coupled with those of the robot so that the combined system has nine accessible axes.

Like in the Remote Welding System, weld geometry can be programmed freely, which means it can be adjusted specifically to the requirements of the component.

Furthermore, the sophisticated software has features that calculate the track inaccuracies of the robot so that the weld path is accurate to <0.1mm.

The resulting reduction of non-productive time allows an increase in laser on time from typically 30% to over 80%.

* Perfect features for scanner welding - the Rofin Disc Laser To be able to follow the movements of the robot, a flexible beam guide through fiber optics is needed.

At the EuroBLECH the SWS will be presented in combination with a diode- pumped disc laser.

The emitted laser light of this laser can be coupled with virtually no power loss into fibre optics of only 200 micron core diameter.

Compared to rod lasers this new solid state laser generation is distinguished by its nearly doubled efficiency and its improved beam quality of 8mm x mrad.

Because of this beam quality the working distance to the work piece can be increased to up to 400mm with the SWS.

Thanks to this extended distance, the danger of contamination of the optics can be significantly reduced, and the associated greater energy density leads to higher process stability.

At the EuroBLECH Rofin will also present the new DL-R series as cost-effective and compact tools especially for laser hardening and surface treatment.

Based on the mature DL series, these lasers have a wavelength of 940 to 980nm and rectangular beam geometry made for the hardening process.

Thanks to the homogenized beam profile and its resulting uniform energy distribution, large hardening depths are possible without initial melting.

The geometry of the rectangular focus spot is adaptable to match the specific needs of the customer's application.

The DL-R series was designed with Stack Management as a basic feature to ensure laser up-time.

Currently, four laser variations from 900 to 3,600W are available.

An online performance test and the observation of all important parameters provide highest availability - the pointing laser with green wavelength offers a better visibility.

The compact and low maintenance diode lasers have an overall efficiency of 30% and meet typical diode lifetimes far in access of 10,000 hours.

* Laser marking - the ideal tool for small order quantities - the ideal tool for small order quantities, different materials and forms: portable, air-cooled and almost maintenance- free.

The EasyMark can be programmed by effective LaserCAD-Software from any computer and operates from a common mains power supply.

With a wavelength 1064 nm the machine can mark metal and plastics precisely.

Optional program-controlled axes (a linear Z-axis and an axis of rotation with ring admission) can be integrated easily.

After a short period of instruction, the integrated focusing and positioning aids make for easy handling of the machine.

The EasyMark was especially developed for applications with manual operation and small order quantities.

International Waterjet Machines (IWM) has announced its world wide sales promotion program.

International Waterjet Machines (IWM) has announced its world wide sales promotion program for the rest of year 2006. The latest sales effort includes recruiting of sales representatives, distributors, and special pricing on limited models. The company is inviting individuals and businesses that have prior experience in waterjet machines to join the company's sales force.

'We need people in every corner of the world to do marketing and provide after sell service' said marketing director John Martin.

Meanwhile, as part of the promotion, the company has some of the models and related spare parts on sale as a way to thank the support of the customers.

Interested customers are urged to contact the company directly to find out more details.

One of the America's largest steering wheel trim die manufacturers routinely cuts 4-6 inch thick heat-treated steel with abrasive waterjet.

One of the America's largest steering wheel trim die manufacturers routinely cuts 4-6 inch thick heat-treated steel with abrasive waterjet. If you've driven a car, truck or SUV lately, chances are the trim die used to make your steering wheel was manufactured by Trim Tool and Machine of Cleveland, Ohio. In business since 1999, Trim Tool and Machine is a traditional mom and pop shop that offers abrasive waterjet cutting, CNC milling, stamping and diecast tooling, and machine building.

The eight-person company serves a wide range of industries, from automotive to arts and architecture, and prides itself on its ability to turn work around within two to three days of an order, or even the same day if necessary.

'We turn work around for people,' said Owner Dane Willis.

'We get it in there and get it done.

If the customer needs it today, we get it done.

I will stay late and operate the equipment myself.

We do the job when we say we are going to do it.' Trim Tool and Machine specializes in gages, fixtures, trim dies, special machines, custom metal art and repairs, but is best known as one of the largest producers of steering wheel trim dies in the United States.

In fact, the company has produced trim dies used by nearly every auto manufacturer in the country.

A trim die is a specialized stamping tool made of thick hardened steel that is used to trim away excess metal from diecast castings, creating precise and consistent parts.

While many companies use wire EDM to cut their trim dies, Willis said he uses a Jet Edge abrasive waterjet system because it is much faster and more cost-effective.

'That gives me a competitive edge,' Willis noted.

'With waterjet it costs $3 to $5 to cut one inch versus $10 to cut with wire.

It's two-thirds more to wire cut something.

You can utilize waterjet for about 85 percent of the die.' While waterjet is best known for cutting thinner materials, Trim Tool and Machine routinely uses their system to cut thick hardened metals, including 9-inch thick 4140 heat-treated steel.

'We typically cut 4 to 6 inches all day long,' Willis said.

'Anyone that comes in says 'wow you cut thick.' We cut more thick stuff than anybody.

We design around it, and utilize spacers if necessary to reduce the taper.' Five years ago, to set himself apart from the competition, Willis invested in a 4-foot by 8-foot precision high-rail gantry waterjet system manufactured by Jet Edge of St.

Michael, Minn.

The machine is powered by a 50-horsepower Jet Edge intensifier pump capable of producing up to 60,000 psi of ultra-high pressure water.

Willis equipped his Jet Edge system with an extra large 5-foot by 13-foot tank to allow for future expansion with a spreader bar.

'I got the biggest one and best one I could,' he said.

Willis researched numerous waterjet systems for several years before deciding on Jet Edge.

The system's bridge-style overhead gantry appealed to him, as did Jet Edge's commitment to customer service.

'I was a one man show, and to be perfectly honest, Jet Edge was one of the only companies that talked to me,' he recalled.

'It looked like it was constructed better, and upon researching it, everyone raved about the pump.' Willis said Jet Edge has exceeded his expectations, and that when a friend asked him what type of machine he should buy, he told him he could only recommend three manufacturers, but that he would go with Jet Edge over the other two, mainly because of the company's excellent support.

'Jet Edge has been very good,' he said.

'The support has been good, the sales staff has been great and the service staff has been great.' Willis said his Jet Edge system has helped him increase productivity and reduce costs, saving customers' thousands of dollars and enabling him to expand his business.

'We have been able to maintain the cost of tooling despite the steel increase because we are using waterjet,' he noted.

Willis recalled one project where a customer needed to have 28 .281 inch holes cut in half-inch thick hardened A-2 material.

He was able to do the project for only $90 with his Jet Edge system.

'For someone to burn it or carbide it, it would have been hundreds of dollars,' he said.

'Waterjet can tackle hardened steel.' Trim Tool and Machine also has saved its stamping industry customers thousands of dollars by using its Jet Edge system to cut precise stamping strips that customers can use to make sample hits prior to making final adjustments to the cuts in the die.

'It saves them thousands of dollars in tryout time,' Willis said.

'The waterjet mimics the stamping process perfectly.

Laser and plasma leave a case-hardened edge.

When I talk a customer into waterjetting, they never go back to laser or plasma.' Willis noted that his Jet Edge system has been a huge boon to his business, and that his sales doubled the first year after he bought his waterjet.

'At that point I was able to start hiring people,' he said.

'I believe I would not have survived the post-911 industrial crash if I hadn't had the waterjet.

The ability to quickly and easily produce profiled parts such as brackets and sling components is vital to Bramptons.

In his business almost every job is a one-off, says Neil Dowse of lift manufacturer Bramptons so the ability to quickly and easily produce profiled parts such as brackets and sling components is vital. Until recently these parts were cut using plasma, but when the time came for Bramptons to replace its ageing machine, laser cutting on a keenly-priced LVD Orion laser proved to be a much better option. 'Quality was becoming a real problem on the old plasma machine,' said Dowse.

'Not only were the hole quality and the dimensional accuracy poor, but the nature of the plasma process meant that we were spending a day cleaning parts after we had cut them.

'We had been looking at another plasma machine which would have cost around GBP 100,000, but then we found out about the LVD Orion and realised that we could have all the advantages of laser cutting for just GBP 65,000 more - so we bought one.' The LVD laser arrived in March this year, and he says that the quality improvement has been incredible.

'It's unbelievable.

There is no need to clean up the parts and they are absolutely accurate.

They come straight of the laser and are ready for bending.

We draw the parts up in Solid Works and we know that if the drawing is right then the parts will fit.

We don't have to rely on making holes three times bigger than they need to be to make sure they line up - we know that they will.

Our parts have to be of a high quality so that they fit together and look good; both of these are much easier to achieve with the laser.' Bramptons makes almost everything in a lift that isn't mechanical or electrical - from lift cars and doors to the steelwork that holds the lift in the shaft.

It supplies over a hundred lift cars a year, and maybe a thousand lift doors to most of the UK's independent lift companies, not just for new installations but also for refurbishment and replacement projects.

While the laser is normally used on 6mm mild and stainless steel, occasionally going up to 12mm, most of Bramptons' thinner material is normally processed on its CNC punch presses.

But even here the laser has been able to make an impact.

Every lift needs faceplates for the buttons and an indicator panel to show which floor you are on.

At one time the cut-outs in these were put in on the punch press.

In more recent years though there has been a trend for these items to become more bespoke 'architectural' items which made them almost impossible to punch.

The solution had been to engrave the holes out but they can now be cut on the laser much more quickly and easily.

Overall, says Neil, the laser is not only quicker and the quality better, but the ability to nest components means he can plan work more effectively too.

'When you are punching you have to wait until you've got the right number of jobs with the right mix of holes to load the turret up for maximum efficiency.

With the laser you can put whichever jobs you want on a sheet regardless of hole diameters or profiles, so you get less waste too.' He said that anyone looking at replacing a plasma machine shouldn't just look at the initial cost of the machine.

'You should look at all the aspects of the process and assess what the laser can do for you overall rather than just looking at initial cost of the machine.

Intensifier and an abrasive management system retrofitted to a waterjet cutting table has provided highly reliable operation, improved cutting speed and a consistent quality of cut.

A Streamline SL-V 50 HP intensifier and an AMS I Abrasive Management System manufactured by KMT Waterjet Systems have been retrofitted to a waterjet cutting table at AquaCut. The Knutsford, UK-based company has been established as an independent specialist sub-contractor for over 10 years and specialises in waterjet cutting for the production of logos, lettering and images in a variety of materials for signage, flooring and the development of exterior landscape features. AquaCut uses the power and versatility of waterjet to cut the materials, curves and more intricate shapes and designs that customers specify.

Lettering and signage is frequently cut from stainless steel brass and aluminium.

Flooring materials include marble, granite, tiles, pvc, linoleum, stone, slate, flotex and rubber.

For exterior landscape projects, hard materials such as paver bricks can be cut in thicknesses up to 65mm.

Only waterjet can cope efficiently with such a wide range of material or the intricacies of some of the shapes required.

AquaCut's skill is to take a customer's design and turn it into a computer generated detailed drawing.

A required design to be cut is then transferred to the computer of the cutting table.

Cuttings paths are worked out and abrasive waterjet cutting operations at pressures up to 58,000 lb/in2 are carried out.

The retrofit of the Streamline SL-V 50HP pump has provided AquaCut with a number of benefits including highly reliable operation, improved cutting speed and a consistent quality of cut.

Energy savings at start up are also made as a result of reduced power consumption.

The intensifier's Hard Seal End Cap design (HSEC) for the topworks provides a metal to metal seal, reducing consumable costs and minimising downtime for maintenance.

The quick release ceramic plunger also has reduced maintenance requirements and is easier to release when necessary.

Essential to the waterjet cutting process at AquaCut is the AMS I Abrasive Management System.

Including the Autoline abrasive cutting head, the Feedline III abrasive feeder and the Abraline abrasive transfer system, it is designed to automate and optimise the waterjet cutting process by ensuring exactly the correct delivery of filtered abrasive to the cutting need in accordance with the continuously monitored cutting process.

For AquaCut, the retrofit of the KMT Waterjet Systems' intensifier and Abrasive Management System have given an extra dimension to the capabilities of their cutting table.

'Waterjet cutting is fundamental to our business and KMT offers a proven product with good customer support,' said AquaCut managing director Nicholas Stephens.

An intelligent 6-axis robot transfers the sheet steel from the laser profiler to its rotary table, sorts the finished parts into predefined load carriers and disposes of scrap.

Remmert, the German storage and logistics expert, will be unveiling an innovation exclusively at euroblech 2006: 'Laser-Sort 06', an intelligent robot system for sorting finished parts from laser machines. Visitors to the fair are welcome to inspect and try out the system for themselves at Stand B 58 in Hall 15. The 6-axis articulated robot transfers the sheet steel from the retrieval station to the laser machine's rotary table, sorts the finished parts into predefined load carriers and disposes of the waste material.

Used in conjunction with the PRO SORT intelligent sorting software and Remmert's PRO FMS production system, the new sorting solution is the key to achieving fully automated sheet metal working processes.

The FMS control center provides the connected laser machines with material for machining and issues production jobs.

An additional NC workstation can be easily integrated into the production control center for nesting purposes to ensure optimum cutting.

The FMS system then forwards all the relevant data to the robot's PRO SORT software, which automatically defines which part is set down where.

The key benefits of using the system are lower unit costs and production sequences that require little if any human input.

'Unlike other sorting solutions, the 'Laser-Sort 06' sorting robot is absolutely perfect for sorting both large and small items with absolute precision,' explained Matthias Remmert, managing director of the Remmert group of companies.

'The sorting system can handle sheet metal parts with a thickness of between 3 and 10mm and a weight of up to 300kg without any problems at all.' The items are picked up using a reliable process based on the use of pneumatic and magnetic standard tools.

Tools can be switched automatically using a tool changer.

Remmert will be presenting the new sorting solution at Stand B 58 in Hall 15.

Of course, visitors will also be able to obtain detailed information about the various storage solutions on offer from the logistics expert - from compact stand-alone systems for straightforward storage tasks through to complex sheet metal machining cells.

* Friedrich Remmert Datentechnik at EuroBLECH 2006, Hannover, Germany, October 24-28, Hall 15, Stand B58.

*About the Remmert Group - with approximately 400 systems installed in various sectors, the Remmert company group is one of the world's leading providers of storage technology.

Remmert provides tailored warehouse logistics solutions for sheet metal, long bars, pallets and small parts.

Its products and services range from individual, production-integrated solutions based on standard components through to complex total solutions for which Remmert, as the prime contractor, retains overall responsibility.

In addition, the logistics expert's range now also includes intelligent robot systems for the fully automated sorting of finished parts from sawing and laser machines.

Since as long ago as 1987, Friedrich Remmert and Friedrich Remmert Datentechnik (Remmert PRO for short) have together been offering complete one-stop solutions.

Each system is a perfectly tailored combination of storage technology, software and logistics know-how.

All systems are designed with a common objective in mind: increasing the efficiency of the customer's production sequences.

All of Remmert's process control and software systems can be easily integrated into the customer's existing software architecture - the company has had the necessary interface expertise at its fingertips for years.

From project planning and scheduling through design and installation and beyond to service, all Remmert products and services are one-stop solutions.

Existing customer structures and future development potential are taken into account right from the planning stage.

The company, which is based in Westphalia, offers worldwide 24h customer service for all its products.

This service is provided by in-house personnel.

Gas plasma-arc machine cuts 150mm plate thickness with a capacity of clean cut at 130mm, that means a smooth dross-free cut with bevel of less than 2 deg taper.

Arcraft Plasma Equipments (I) Pvt has designed manufactured and commissioned Gas plasma cutting machine for cutting 150 mm plate thickness with a capacity of clean cut at 130mm. By clean cut we mean a smooth dross free cut with bevel of less than 2 deg taper. The machine has been sold to Godrej, one of India,s largest manufacturers and fabricators, at their Vikhroli plant.

In fact, even the people at Godrej were not expecting a clean cut at 130mm as the the competitive quote received from foreign manufacturer specified a clean cut of 120mm that too using costly gas mixture of argon and hydrogen for cutting and nitrogen at high pressure and flow as swirl gas.

Arcraft has used cheap nitrogen gas at a pressure of only 2.5 bar and flow of only 23 litre/min to achieve the same.

The machine was designed , manufactured and supplied in a short period of only 45 days .

Last year Arcraft had achieved another first in India by selling three high tech keyhole plasma-arc welding systems to the same company which swung this order in its favour.

The 'beauty' of the machine is the concept of master slave where two 80mm capacity cutting machine work in parallel.

Independently these machines can be used as stand alone machine as both the machines have built in pilot arcing system.

The machines are built with conventional transformer/rectifier topology.

Each machine has four 100A transformers, each capable of cutting 20mm thick material.

The output power can be selected as 100, 200, 300, 400A by selecting combination of the transformers to cut MS/SS from 1 to 80mm.

Incase of 150mm cutting two such power sources are used in parallel where a concept of 'Master/Slave' is used.

In such condition the machines communicate with each other through PLC.

Any machine can be used as Master or Slave which can be selected by the operator.

The master controls full sequence of operation including cutting power and pilot arcing.

Slave only delivers the cutting power and the pilot arcing is inhibited.

Any combination of power, e g, 100A from Master and 200A from slave or 300A from master and 100A from slave etc can be adjusted.

The output current can be adjusted between 100 to 800A to cut 1 to 150mm of SS/MS.

Yamazaki Mazak UK Limited has relocated its Northern Area office to larger and more convenient premises in Haydock.

After experiencing the many benefits of having a local presence to its northern customers for some 15 years Yamazaki Mazak UK Limited has relocated its Northern Area office to larger and more convenient premises in Haydock. The new address at The Parks, Haydock, is ideally positioned for easy access to the major industrial centres, thanks to its proximity to the intersection of the M6 (Junction 23) and the East Lancs Road (A580). 'Our ability to handle engineering projects from this regional facility has produced impressive results to date,' says Brian Robertson, Yamazaki Mazak's Northern Regional Sales Manager.

'This ability to communicate faster with customers and respond quickly to their requests for sales and technical support allows us to deliver more bespoke machine tool solutions.

'Being close to machine installations also allows us to support users during the important initial learning curve and to maximise production levels.

Relationships during this period form the basis for long term communication and experience transfer during the life of installation'.

The need to process materials whose thickness is outside the scope of its current manufacturing plant was the principal reason for Beakbane investing in its new Trumpf L3030 2D laser-machining centre.

The growing need to process materials whose thickness is outside the scope of its current manufacturing plant was the principal reason for Beakbane Limited investing in its new Trumpf L3030 2D laser-machining centre. Increased cutting speed was also another important factor in its choice. The company already has a Trumpf TC600L combination machine that provides laser cutting capability but its power is less than half that of the new flatbed addition.

With a 3.2kW laser the L3030 has the potential to boost its production significantly.

With almost 50 years experience in designing and manufacturing protective covers in steel and flexible materials for production machinery, Beakbane supplies components to machine tool builders worldwide.

Products include steel telescopic and folded covers, armoured aprons, roller blinds and slideway wipers.

The company has also developed new projects away from its core business.

For example it now manufactures its own range of food and drink trolleys used in hospitals and other public service areas.

'The L3030 is replacing our TC240R punch press that we bought in 1989,' explained Barry Reeves, Managing Director.

'That machine revolutionised the way we processed our metalwork and it was followed seven years later by the TC600L combination machine that is still going strong today.' The installed L3030 is to become Beakbane's main cutting facility with the TC600L as back-up and for parts requiring additional forming.

'These account for 30% of cutting capacity and together the machines will provide almost 100% of our component needs,' Mr Reeves adds.

The flexibility of the L3030 to cut Beakbane's thinnest 0.5mm stainless through to 20mm mild steel will be commercially advantageous across all its market sectors.

So too will its ability to process cost-effectively any batch size from one-offs to several hundred; the laser will also allow customer part numbers to be marked.

Beakbane will operate a twin shift basis and although the company has no plans for lights out production at present, the modular design of the machine enables it to keep its options open on future automation.

'This is proven technology,' Mr Reeves concludes.

'We know we're getting a quality product and the fact there are so many Trumpf machines in the marketplace underlines this view.'

A collision protection for laser processing is based on a magnetic coupling between the laser head and the machine, keeping force from being applied in any of three axial directions.

An innovative solution from Trumpf will minimize collisions between the laser head and the workpiece. The collision protection for laser processing is based on a magnetic coupling between the laser head and the machine, keeping force from being applied in any of the three axial directions. If the workpiece should come into contact with the laser head during laser processing, the contact is broken off in fractions of a second - before damage can occur to either the workpiece or the laser head.

A special highlight: After the incident, the head, secured with a plastic strip, is quickly reattached and the machine is ready for operation without having to be recalibrated.

The high precision afforded by a three-point harnessing and a stable connection between head and machine using permanent magnets and electromagnets are substantial features of this new solution.

A flatbed CNC laser cutting and profiling machine - introduced at EuroBLECH - uses one cutting head to cut all thicknesses and there is also an optional nozzle exchanger.

The new flatbed laser machine, TruLaser 5030, the heir to the Trumatic L 3050 (TruLaser 5030 classic), is clearly superior to its predecessor with improved processes, greater dynamics and less unproductive time. The highlight of the TruLaser 5030 is the single cutting head strategy. Thanks to newly designed beam guide and cutting head interface, all sheet thicknesses can now be processed using the same cutting head: The machine automatically changes the laser beam depending on the material to be processed - no need to switch the head.

That's especially helpful for automated operation with various materials.

Even without automation the one cutting head strategy reduces downtime.

And with the optional nozzle exchanger there is no need to manually exchange the nozzle.

The integrated collision protection protects the cutting head from damage: The cutting head folds away during a collision.

It can also be returned to its place using a handle thanks to the intelligent cutting head interface.

The cutting head automatically reassumes the correct position in case of small collisions.

A further benefit of the TruLaser 5030 is the new FastLine process.

It optimizes the entire cutting action ensuring maximum economy: Processing times can drop by up to 50% in thin sheets.

The new process also reduces slag residue on the top of sheet metal.

The proven TruFlow 6000 laser is almost maintenance-free thanks to a magnetic bearing radial turbine blower.

The 6kW laser with radio-frequency excitation guarantees the best beam quality.

The power can be regulated as needed.

The LiftMaster Store supplements the TruLaser 5030.

It automatically loads and unloads the machine and deposits the sorted, finished parts - all with direct storage connection.

Finished, cut sheets and parts can be reliably re-stored as can scrap skeletons.

In the LiftMaster Store Linear extension the vacuum frame and rake can be moved in linear fashion.