Friday, August 18, 2006

More laser power expands tooling repair scope

Delivering a peak power of 10kW, a tooling repair laser system is capable of melting wire onto the tool to build up damaged areas, with minimal HAZ, restoring the tool to its original condition.
Rofin has again pushed the boundaries of tool repair by introducing a new higher power laser to their range. The StarWeld Tool Integral is a laser welder with three heavy-duty axes designed to manipulate tools weighing up to 350kg. The laser is capable of melting wire onto the tool to build up damaged areas restoring the tool to its original condition.

The laser has many advantages over other welding methods such as TIG.

The laser beam minimises post processing due to the very fine welds that can be achieved using wires as small as 100 microns.

The laser is also very focused which means that minimal heat can be used, reducing heat affected zones.

The new higher peak power takes the laser from 6kW to 10kW, that is more than a 60% increase! Copper and aluminium have historically been difficult to weld due to their high reflectivity and conductivity.

This additional power makes these types of materials much easier to repair.

The laser also benefits from swiveling optics allowing the laser beam to be directed in to normally difficult to access areas of the tool.