Laser Tube Cutting

Laser Tube Cutting

Mechanization and digitalization in the field of bracket and frame manufacturing lag behind and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Since it relies heavily on the experience and skills of skilled technicians, it increases costs (man-hours) and often becomes a bottleneck when production increases. In addition, due to the increasing shortage of labor and craftsmen, there is a growing need to streamline and simplify the difficult processing of frames and frames.

By using a fiber laser machine for pipe processing,
1.the cutting accuracy of parts can be improved.
2.The use of mortise and tenon grooves and hand bending can reduce the number of processing steps and man-hours.
3.The use of laser marking and mortise and groove processing of different shapes can prevent assembly errors.
4.High-precision products can be easily manufactured.

“Pedestals and frames” used for equipment assembly

In general, industrial equipment that requires high rigidity and strength consists of pedestals and frames assembled from sheet metal and profiled steel, and components and sub-parts manufactured by sheet metal fabrication.

Our representative products are circular/rectangle/square hollow sections, and other shaped steel frames, such as cabinets, switchboards, machinery chassis and racks, and other power distribution equipment and communication equipment racks. It is widely used in platforms for industrial machinery, environmental protecting machinery and agricultural machinery, such as digital inkjet printing machine chassis, semiconductor manufacturing equipment frame, food machinery frame,waste press baler frame, etc., platforms for conveyor equipment and steps, and other factory and warehousing equipment, including rack, cart and trailer.

Traditional Processing process of “Pedestals and frames”

The processing of frames and frames is usually done in the following order for pipes and steel: “① Cutting and notching”, “② Drilling and tapping”, and “③ Welding and assembly”.

If there is no laser processing machine that can handle pipes and steel, “① Cutting and notching” is done with a metal saw, band saw, blacksmith tool,etc. However, with metal saws and blacksmith tool, the material tends to be pulled and bent or distorted during processing, so it`s not suitable for mass production of high-precision metalworks.

“② Drilling and tapping” is done by measuring the dimensions, marking the position, and then processing with a drill press. However, in the case of stainless steel frames and frames used in food machinery and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, R-shaped notches and long holes must be processed by machining such as a milling cutter, which tends to be expensive.

“③ Welding and assembly” is done by fixing the material along the marking line with a clamp, performing temporary welding, and checking the diagonal dimensions before performing the actual welding. However, marking can easily result in misalignment, and it is not easy to adjust the angle when assembling at a right angle.

Variations in the precision of the base material, deformations and errors caused by “① cutting/notching” and “② drilling/tapping”, and distortion caused by the heat of welding must all be adjusted and finished by the final welding worker. To carry out all this work, not only skilled workers are required, but also the physical strength to handle the heavy pipes and steel sections, making it difficult to secure and develop human resources.

Tube Laser Cutting Machine

Non-contact processing with a laser beam allows free-form processing, so cutting, notching, and drilling can be completed with one machine. In addition, cutting can be done accurately with little deformation due to processing, and long holes, R-shapes, and scribe lines can be easily processed.

In addition, by processing positioning protrusions and insertion holes to create a fitting structure, dimensional measurement and alignment during welding assembly are no longer necessary. Since it can be assembled “just like a plastic model,” it also contributes to help unskilled workers quickly improve their productivity.

Accord to our production manager, “The productivity of welding and assembly has improved dramatically. Until then, we cut and machining slotted holes from a partner company, and welded and assembled them while measuring the dimensions. Because the machine model of the outsourced factory is too old, it takes a lot of effort to communicate and adjust in order to achieve good processing accuracy. Since introducing the advanced laser cutting machine, we can now process laser marks and notches for positioning in-house, allowing welders to assemble without hesitation. The work speed has increased and the assembly accuracy has also improved. Even employees with little experience and who cannot understand blueprints well can now weld and assemble them if we provide them with a simple three-dimensional diagram.”

Pipe processing with a fiber laser cutting machine

Using a fiber laser cutting machine for pipe processing makes it possible to cut complex shapes, reducing the labor required for temporary assembly adjustments and correction work.

Furthermore, by incorporating tenon groove shapes and cutting out parts in an integrated shape, the number of welds can be reduced and finishing work can be shortened.

1.Reducing the number of parts through laser processing

A process that previously involved welding multiple parts can be performed by cutting them into a shape that can be bent easily with a fiber laser machine, integrating them and reducing the number of parts.

Furthermore, this can reduce the labor required for temporary assembly, welding, and finishing.

2.Easy positioning with mortise and tenon processing

Insert-shaped mortise and tenon grooves are cut with a laser. This makes accurate positioning easy, eliminates the need for troublesome positioning using jigs, and allows for immediate welding.