Production Processes - Laser

In the framework of the LVD Chair for Sheet Metal Working the research group covers different aspects of CNC processing of sheet metal. In laser cutting the focus is on the optimisation of the process and the enlarging of the process window towards thicker steel plates (upto 30mm). Research oriented towards automatic process planning for bending (collision avoidance, automatic tool selection, ergonomic optimisation,..) has already resulted in commercially available software tools.

More information about :

• Laser Cutting
• Laser Bending

A funnel cut and bent by laser

Sheet Metal Laser Cutting

Many users of laser cutting machines face problems when selecting appropriate cutting parameters for other materials than common metal alloys. The purpose of this research is to develop procedures for the fast identification of optimum cutting conditions. This allows an operator to autonomously identify appropriate machine settings with minimal investment of machine time. One of approaches to achieve this is the development of an experimental procedure based on a process model and an optimisation search method.

The different components of such an interactive system have already been extensively tested and their suitability was verified in industrial circumstances. Significant gains in efficiency could be observed.

The oxygen assisted cutting of thick plates of mild steel has proven to be the one of the most difficult applications of laser cutting. Identifying robust process parameter settings that result in high quality cutting results is not evident. A systematic analysis of the different factors influencing the process will lead to the identification of measures to make the process better controlable.