Dual fiber lasers right

Nov 05, 2023

The combination of a Piranha 12-kW PlateLASER 1530 and 1.5-kW L-Series at the front of SC2's production line provides the option of right-sizing the cutting power for the material thickness. Photos courtesy of SC2.

An adage claims that two is better than one. This can be applied to two people getting a job done faster, two minds working together to solve a cryptic puzzle, or in the case of SC2, Supply Chain Services & Solutions, the simultaneous approval of purchase requisitions for two fiber laser cutting machines. Moving its fabrication facility from Bloomington, Ill., to Peoria, Ill., prompted the third-party logistics company's approval of the dual investment to improve its metal fabricating operations.

For more than 30 years the company has provided contracted services for OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 manufacturers in a variety of industries. It has grown to include 15 facilities in Illinois and Texas, with most locations structured to serve specific customer requirements that include warehousing, packaging, transportation, filtration products and services, kitting and assembly, and reverse logistics. The finishing and fabricating facilities are operated as job shops.

Finished products or assistance with design, prototyping, forming, painting, welding, machining, and nearly all fabricating processes is available. Bridgeport mills, lathes, grinders, band saws, press brakes, and laser cutting equipment contribute to production capabilities.

Although the type of work and customers vary within the company, every location shares a focus on staying up-to-date on training and advanced technologies that will increase efficiencies. That focus led to the purchase of two Piranha fiber lasers at the same time—a 12-kW PlateLASER 1530 and a 1.5-kW L-Series. Both have 5- by 10-ft. cutting beds and primarily cut with nitrogen. They replaced CO2 lasers.

Positioned for production flow to feed components directly to secondary processes, the two lasers are right next to each other at the front of the Peoria shop. Components that require downstream processes flow efficiently to one of the press brakes, welding cells, or finishing areas.

SC2 partnered with Piranha for beta testing the 12-kW PlateLASER. For about three months, a second shift at the OEM's Rockford, Ill., plant ran production parts for the fabricator.

Robert Myers, business development manager at SC2, said, "The 12 kW produced parts faster than the previous cutting tables. We saw huge efficiencies when cutting the 0.25- and 0.50-inch materials."

Adding the 1.5-kW fiber laser to the mix was a decision based on the variety of material thicknesses that run through the shop. Having the option of low or high laser power for cutting each batch of material allows the company to right-size the equipment to the job to achieve the most productivity at the least operating cost.

"Anything thinner than 11 gauge goes on the 1.5-kW machine; thicker goes on the 12-kW. Either machine can cut 11 ga. so the jobs going through the shop at the time make that determination," Myers said.

Almost half of the nearly 2,000 employees are employee-owners. An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) was initiated 30 years ago. An ESOP is a government-regulated program that provides company stock and direct ownership benefits to the employees.

A material parameter library (MPL) built into the Piranha fiber laser controls simplifies coding for lead-ins, piercing, hole configurations, and complex cornering geometries.

Myers said, "Employee ownership contributes to the degree of analysis that occurs before making every decision, including capital equipment purchases. How we spend money and how it will contribute to cost-effective operations are significant parts of how we make any purchasing decision. We look at the money we spend on equipment to make sure the employees’ best interests are at heart."

Being 100 percent employee-owned, with no one person being the majority owner, Myers said, is a competitive advantage. All owners take part in the success of the company.

Supply Chain Services & Solutions, www.sc2services.com

Piranha, piranhafab.com

An important requirement of dealing with 12-kW fiber laser power, according to Al Julian, engineering director at Piranha, is the need for spotless cutting head components.

"Specks of dust or smudges on collimator and focusing lenses within a cutting head absorb the wavelength of a fiber laser much faster than the CO2 wavelengths. This causes the lenses to heat up very quickly, and that heat causes the optics to bend. At best, it will stop successful cutting. At worst, it can create a lot of damage," Julian said.

"The bottom of the focusing lens gets exposed to the inside of the machine enclosure every time the operator replaces the lower cover glass—a consumable component that is replaced weekly or sometimes even more often. This requirement makes it an unrealistic expectation to keep contamination out of this area. Low fiber power, like 2 or 4 kW, can withstand extremely small amounts of contaminant within the cutting head; however, as fiber power levels increase, the required level of cleanliness within the cutting head escalates. At power levels greater than 6 kW, it is not a matter of if a focusing lens will fail from contamination, but rather when it will. Yet many manufacturers do not make the focusing lens a field-serviceable item."

Piranha opted to use a cutting head designed to withstand reasonable amounts of contaminants. Water-cooled copper mirrors comprise the optics rather than transmissive lenses. Julian said that they maintain their temperature and shape even when small amounts of contamination are present during high-power cutting. On-site servicing is possible when it becomes necessary.

Side Bar PhotoTwo cover glasses help prevent contamination within the Piranha high-wattage cutting heads. Water-cooled copper mirrors direct the fiber laser beam. Illustration courtesy of Piranha.