Fabtech arrives in Chicago on Nov. 9 and will serve as North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event through Nov. 12. This year, the event will bring in more than 1,500 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees thanks to its reputation as the premier convention for showcasing new technology, equipment and knowledge emerging in the laser fabrication industry. Visitors come to meet with world-class suppliers, to see the latest industry products and developments, and to find the tools to improve their laser fabricating operations.
FIBER LASER SOURCE
Bystronic Inc. has added a 6-kW fiber laser source to the BySprint 3015 and 4020 machines. The higher power increases the cutting speed in thin to medium sheet metal thickness. A 6-kW fiber laser cuts 1/8-in. stainless steel up to 70 percent faster than a 4-kW fiber laser. The 4020 machine accommodates larger sheet sizes, which means additional cutting area and larger part processing capability than the 3015 machine. The machines can be equipped with the ByTrans Extended automated load/unload system.
Booth No. S919
FIBER LASER MACHINE
Trumpf Inc.’s TruLaser 2030 fiber laser machine offers 2-D laser cutting across a variety of materials and thicknesses and has a 60-in.-by-120-in. working range. It is suitable for job shops that run up to three shifts per day as well as for first-time laser users. The machine is controlled by a user-friendly touch-screen interface that graphically displays the program and other essential information. The machine can be paired with the LiftMaster Shuttle loading and unloading device for complete lights-out production.
Booth No. S1701
PUNCH/FIBER LASER MACHINE
Amada America Inc.’s LC 2515 C1 AJ punch/fiber laser combination machine combines a 22-ton turret punch press with a 2-kW fiber laser. To maximize punching productivity in conjunction with laser cutting, the machine features a 49-station multi-purpose turret. The laser head moves in the Y-axis via a direct-drive servomechanism and is isolated from punching vibration. A gap near the laser axis allows cutting gas and slag to escape. Other products include the ENSIS 3015 AJ 2-kW fiber laser cutting system that provides 4-kW cutting capabilities and the LCG 3015 AJ fiber laser cutting system for cutting brass, copper and titanium.
Booth No. S901
FIBER LASER MACHINE
The Xcaliber fiber laser cutting system from HK Laser & Systems is available in 3-, 4- and 6-kW models. The compact design structure minimizes installation space. The machine features a long gravity side door opening with a lightweight bridge design. The heavy-duty frame combined with the bridge allows the cutting head to traverse at a maximum acceleration of 3G. The machine uses a modular optical fiber laser source with low maintenance and operating costs. The intuitive design helps to resist temperature and humidity.
Booth No. S956
TUBE AND SHEET CUTTING
BLM Group USA’s LC5 tube and sheet fabricating machine is equipped with a fiber laser up to 4.5 kW. The high-production machine with automatic loading and unloading can process tube and flat sheet in a single machine. It can handle bar up to 21 ft. in length, tube up to 4.75 in. in diameter and sheet metal up to 5 ft. by 10 ft. The fiber laser can cut mild steel and highly reflective materials such as stainless steel and aluminum.
Booth No. N2010
PLASMA CUTTING
Hypertherm Inc.’s Freedom 38 PPA engine-driven plasma cutting and gouging system is a completely autonomous, all-in-one unit that combines a 125-amp plasma system with a generator and air compressor for cutting in areas without access to electricity. Benefits include reduced hazards from oxyfuel and carbon arc gouging, the ability to cut and gouge any electrically conductive metal faster, and the ability to eliminate cylinder rentals and loss. The Powermax30 AIR plasma and gouging system features a 30-amp plasma system and internal air compressor in one compact, lightweight unit.
Booth No. S3340
LASER CUTTING & ETCHING
Kern Lasers Systems offers its flagship HSE laser system, which is capable of cutting and etching a variety of materials, including metal, wood and acrylic. A wraparound gantry traverses over the cutting bed allowing for finished parts to be removed at all sides of the machine. The moving gantry features high-speed servomotors and a flying optics beam delivery. The machine can cut 10 in. per second and engrave up to 150 in. per second.
Booth No. 3314
FIBER LASER MACHINE
JMT USA Inc. introduces the JMT-HDFL model fiber laser that features a linear drive system and delivers cuts on stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, mild steel and galvanized steel from thin-gauge sheets to 1-in. plates. The design uses a Precitec Procutter cutting head with a double enclosure that protects the optical lenses from contaminants. Sensors on the cutting head provide real-time feedback to users. An automated material handling system integrated with the CAD/CAM software provides single-touch control.
Booth No. S3114
FIBER LASER MACHINE
Mazak Optonics Corp.’s Optiplex Nexus 3015 fiber laser machine is a 2-D system. It has a large side access door and is available in a manual pallet or automated two-pallet design. The 26,000-lb. machine incorporates a helical rack-and-pinion positioning system. It has been engineered to be used with Mazak’s automated material handling systems. The machine is equipped with the Preview 3 control and a 15-in. touch screen. It is available in 2-, 3- and 4-kW configurations.
Booth No. S3101
DUAL-SOURCE LASER SYSTEM
Epilog Laser Corp. offers the Fusion M2 dual-source laser system that can perform marking and CO2 laser applications from the same system in the same job. The system features dedicated optics and a dedicated beam path for each of the laser sources before combining the paths prior to focusing. There is no need to manually swap anything; it all happens automatically. It is available in the following configurations: a 50-, 60- or 75-W CO2 laser matched with a 20-, 30- or 50-W fiber laser.
Booth No. C116
SPATIAL POSITIONING
Virtek Vision International offers the Iris Spatial Positioning System to guide users through the assembly process by locating hardware in 3-D space, locking onto CAD datum references and employing lasers to project exact placement positions on the workpiece. The system instantly adjusts projection even if the part is moved, maintaining accuracy to keep the part and operator in sync. The system projects from any point of view, on to any surface 360° around the part, even on complex jobs.
Booth No. S3406
FIBER LASER MACHINE
The LS3015FC fiber laser machine from Murata Machinery USA Inc. has a solid-state fiber laser beam and incorporates resonators from IPG. The machine allows operators to monitor power and gas consumption and material processing rates in real time. It can be set to one of three cutting modes: high quality for the best possible cut; economy, which reduces gas consumption and operational costs; and high-speed for the fastest production time. A dual-pallet system preps new material and prevents parts and scrap from falling onto the material during exchange.
Booth No. S1741
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Cincinnati Inc. will feature its Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine, which leverages a 6-ft.-by-12-ft.-by-3-ft. work envelope. It will be on display in the Grand Concourse Lobby of the North Hall at McCormick Place. At the foundation of the machine are Cincinnati chassis and drives as well as the controls used by the company’s laser cutting systems. In addition to the additive manufacturing equipment, the company also develops press brakes, shears and laser cutting systems, which will be showcased.
Booth No. N9000, Booth No. S2799
LASER WELDING
LaserStar Technologies offers micro-welders as an alternative to traditional microscope GTA welding. Laser welding produces a high-quality weld that does not require handwork for a range of plastic injection mold, tool & die repair and maintenance applications, from filling in small voids to repairing parting lines. Benefits of micro-welding with lasers include minimal heat-affected zone, no sink, no distortion or warpage, precise control of weld location, no discoloration and the ability to repair a variety of materials. The welders are available in multiple configurations.
Booth No. N14067
MACHINE MONITORING
Smartware Group Inc. President Paul Lachance and Scytec Consulting Inc. President and CEO Josh Davids are presenting “Machine Monitoring and Data Collection for Maintenance Optimization” at Fabtech 2015 on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The presentation will walk manufacturers through the process of feeding rich streams of data from smart machine monitors into a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) for monitoring and reporting. Scytec’s DataXchange is a cloud-based data collection and machine monitoring system. The data collected can be synced in real time with a CMMS, like Smartware’s Bigfoot, to assist manufacturers with aggregating and analyzing data. Smartware will show its Bigfoot CMMS.
Booth No. C1522
