LVD now offers its latest 19” touch screen graphical user interface, Touch-L, on its Sirius Series of CO2 laser cutting systems. Touch-L adds the ease of touch technology to Sirius standard and Plus models, allowing both routine and complex applications to be quickly and efficiently completed with minimal operator input.

A large 19” screen features intuitive graphical icons and visual indicators to display functions such as lens and nozzle selection, set point piercing/cutting, cutting head position, parts nesting, and provide real time reproduction of the cutting path, guiding the operator through setup and cutting application.

Touch-L also incorporates a part programming and nesting feature allowing users to import parts directly on to the control via a network drive or USB memory stick, apply cutting technology, nesting sheets and cut the nested parts directly at the machine.

Touch-L increases the efficiency and ease of use of Sirius, an automation-ready flying optics laser cutting system with a 1500 x 3000 mm work table format. Sirius features an integrated automatic shuttle table as standard with modular automation options for Sirius Plus, including a compact tower material warehousing system. Sirius is available with a powerful 2,5 kW or 4 kW CO2 Fanuc laser source.

TRUMPF, the world’s largest manufacturer of lasers for industrial use, has expanded its primary solid-state laser development facility by erecting a new building at the town of Schramberg-Sulgen. Thus TRUMPF Laser GmbH + Co. KG has augmented this corporate site with a structure offering 6,200 square meters of floor space. With about 250 guests in attendance, the official opening took place on March 6. The two floors in the Development Center house both office space and laboratories dedicated to the development of solid-state lasers.

Investment volume for this new project came to 13.5 million euros while construction took 17 months. This investment is a clear expression of TRUMPF’s commitment to the site and to its innovation and growth strategy. At the opening ceremonies Peter Leibinger, vice-chairman of the TRUMPF Group Management Board, noted: “Schramberg is not only the cradle of the German laser industry. Today it is one of the world’s leaders in laser technology development and production.” Professor Reinhart Poprawe, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, emphasized another point in his dedication speech: “The laser is playing a decisive role in the design of tomorrow’s production technologies. And to that end we need – in addition to a superior research setting at universities and other institutions – highly innovative companies like TRUMPF.”
Numerous industrial manufacturing processes have been made possible at all thanks to the solid-state lasers built by TRUMPF Laser GmbH + Co. KG. These lasers, originating in the Black Forest, will be found both in small-scale devices for the semiconductor industry and as high-performance lasers in vehicle manufacture. TRUMPF also uses the solid-state lasers in its own machine tools.

All the development sections at Schramberg will, for the first time, be consolidated under a single roof. In the past, these units were located in a number of different buildings around the site. TRUMPF will be using the floor space freed up there to expand its production capacities for solid-state lasers. Barkow Leibinger architects in Berlin planned the new two-story structure. This square building, measuring 52 x 52 meters, is distinguished by the way it utilizes the site’s topography. The lower level is almost completely embedded in a slope. To be found on that floor are laser testing laboratories, a climate control chamber, and the building’s utility services – functions that need little or no daylight. On the upper floor are office and conference rooms. The façade for this story is made entirely of glass. Slender, laser-cut aluminum fins run the entire height of the building, lending structure to the façade. An atrium on the office level provides additional daylight.

The completion of the Development Center marks a milestone in expansion activities at the TRUMPF site in Schramberg. Now in the planning stage is an addition to the shipping unit. The newly completed Development Center could be expanded at any time by topping it with a third story. “The application options for laser technology are by no mean exhausted,” said Peter Leibinger in his speech. “And Schramberg will continue to play a superior part in ensuring that Germany continues to hold a top position, all around the world, in the field of industrial lasers.”

TRUMPF will be presenting three laser systems at the Intec 2013 in Leipzig. These machines equip their owners for universal metalworking. The highlight is the new TruLaser Cell 3000, a 5-axis machine. Its wide array of skills makes this unit perfect for cutting and welding all kinds of components, regardless of whether in a 2D or 3D situation. Its range of use extends from fine and delicate cutting up to welding sheet metal several millimeters thick. This laser machine offers both high precision and amazing dynamics while doing so. They make this equipment attractive for numerous fields – from job shops and automotive subcontractors through to makers of medical technology. Thanks to its solid-state laser, this unit is also suitable for working nonferrous metals. The 5-axis machine will be showing off its skills at the Intec with a TruDisk laser generating four kilowatts of power. This machine can work with the TruFiber, TruDiode or TruPulse solid-state laser, as desired. Up to eight kilowatts of laser power can be fed to the machine. Variable beam shaping makes machining metals as easy as could be, since the focal position can be matched effortlessly to the thickness of the sheet metal being worked. It is also possible to expand the diameter of the focus to four times the diameter of the optical fiber in the waveguide. This offers enormous advantages especially during welding operations and significantly reduces non-productive periods. In spite of its versatility, the TruLaser Cell 3000 requires only a minimum of space. The switchgear cabinet, the cooling system and the optics are all integrated into the system. The machine’s case, made of cast stone, helps damp vibrations and is resistant to temperature changes, so that the unit works perfectly even under the most arduous manufacturing conditions.

A further example of flexible, economical and ergonomic solutions to be seen at the Intec will be the TruLaser Station 3003 system. It is highly suitable for use in combination with the TRUMPF TruPulse laser to weld delicate, temperature-sensitive components. One typical use is for spot welding. There, components are joined by discrete welds to form complete assemblies. This process keeps heat input low and thus minimizes warping. In a live demonstration at the Intec, the machine will be joining a stainless steel tube with a stainless steel plate. The so-called burst function makes pulsed lasers even faster. To do this the TruPulse lasers elevate their mean output briefly and use the time while the workpiece is being moved to recharge the energy accumulator. The result is a reduced welding period and, in turn, a shorter processing cycle. The TruLaser Station 3003 can also be used for larger components. In spite of its compact dimensions (860 x 2000 x 1310 mm), the laser workstation has a generous traversing range of 300 x 300 x 500 mm. The operator can load workpieces quickly and ergonomically thanks to the automated vertical doors. Their opening height can be preprogrammed. What’s more, the laser system is flexible in regard to the choice of beam source. Disk, diode and fiber lasers, at outputs of up to 1,000 watts, can also be combined with the TruLaser Station 3003.

TRUMPF Tru Pulse

Regardless of what kind of parts might be produced, traceability of individual components is a requirement now being voiced in many different industries. Laser-based marking offers numerous advantages here. TRUMPF is displaying at the Intec the time-tested TruMark Station 5000, featuring a marking laser operating in the infrared range (at a wavelength of 1064 nanometers). It is highly suitable for applying annealed markings and for engraving stainless steel. The TruMark Station 5000 offers an axis traversing range of 300 x 300 x 500 millimeters and thus provides sufficient space for many kinds of marking and for large batches. The integrated air extraction system is also advantageous for marking tasks such as engraving, where a considerable amount of material is removed. The design, following human engineering precepts, permits loading and removal at the correct working height and in the shortest possible time. There is enough space on every shop floor for this small-size system.

Vastly different is the 2D TruLaser 8000 cutting unit, a model of which will be seen at the Intec. This mega-machine assumes a special position in the TRUMPF 2D laser cutting range. It can work sheet metal up to 16 meters in length and is available right now, with many new functions. In addition to these special machines, TRUMPF naturally offers a large selection of 2D laser units – from the economical and compact entry-level machines in the TruLaser 1000 Series through to the high-productivity, dual-head machines in the TruLaser 7000 Series.