Tube Laser Cutting
FIBER TUBE is the result of CUTLITE PENTA’s long and consolidated experience in the field of laser machines and represents the future of laser technology applied to metal tube cutting. The FIBER TUBE system is an automatic processing system that allows obtaining a finished part, complete with all the cutting operations required, in a single machining cycle.
This approach represents a technological and productive leap compared to traditional methods, which require several steps on different machining centres to subsequently carry out the required cutting, deburring, drilling, end trimming, interlocking and special CNC machining. This is achieved thanks to the speed, quality, accuracy, flexibility and reliability of laser technology. The system allows the automatic machining of round, square, rectangular tubes and open profiles.
Materials
This system allows machining mild steel pipes, alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminium alloys, brass and copper. Different assist gases can be used according to the type of material to be cut. The machine can handle different types of gases. For example, oxygen is normally used for iron and mild steel, whereas nitrogen is used for stainless steel. The machine’s CNC manages all operations: from the loading of the bar, to the cutting and unloading of the finished pieces.
Applications
The great flexibility of use and the high cutting performance, both in terms of speed and quality, make it possible to successfully use the FIBER TUBE machine in different industrial sectors. Using laser systems proves to be beneficial when high cutting quality and the possibility of creating prototypes and small/medium-size series as quickly, easily, and economically as large series are required.
The great versatility of the machine, which allows machining tubes of different cross-sections, materials, and thicknesses without the need for expensive specific equipment, is highly appreciated by companies operating in the field of processing on behalf of third parties, and in particular for the execution of processing for the structural sector.
Benefits
Top productivity and a high degree of automation are very important characteristics for tube manufacturers and/or distributors. The possibility of carrying out long and complex processes in a single machine cycle is particularly appreciated by companies operating in the industrial vehicles and agricultural machinery sector.
The Fiber Tube system allows multiple operations to be carried out in a single machining cycle on a single machine. This allows replacing various machining phases, currently carried out on different machines in sequence, such as custom cutting, deburring, punching and/or moulding, drilling, and removal on the machining center. In particular, laser cutting eliminates the deburring operation, normally required in the case of mechanical cutting.
Laser
The extreme flexibility of the laser tool, combined with the elimination of specific equipment, allows the user to reduce the development time of new products, to quickly, simply and economically produce “special” applications, small series or prototypes. It is possible that what has already happened for the furniture and light carpentry sector, where these potentialities have allowed the industrialization of new product solutions, will be replicated.
The use of laser cutting also reduces costs downstream of the cutting process: the laser approach ensures better uniformity of the pieces, a shorter machine tooling time and therefore greater management savings. Laser cutting guarantees excellent results in terms of cutting quality.
The absence of mechanical actions on the piece, combined with the small size of the laser spot, allows minimizing deformations on the piece, which fosters benefits on the coupling tolerances in the subsequent assembly operations. This is particularly relevant when performing automatic welding operations on the pieces downstream of the cut.
The Fiber Tube system was created to ensure maximum productivity in the processing of tubes (round, rectangular, square or open profiles), meeting a whole range of needs in this sector. Fiber tube, in the 2d head and 3d bevel
LASER CUTTING SYSTEMS
versions, has been designed with the aim of achieving maximum modularity in terms of layout. The automatic loading devices may be positioned both at the rear and at the front, ensuring the optimal flow of materials in each direction.
The machine body is made with a robust electro-welded and stabilized structure, on which the tail carriage, which houses the tube gripping rear spindle, is installed. The axis of the tube is equipped with brackets that support the bar, with automatic adjustment of the cross-sections: they rise during the loading phase and progressively lower as the tail spindle moves forward.
The head spindle is in a fixed position to ensure rigidity, while the cutting head is free to move on three axes, also exploiting the additional X-axis with linear motor: this allows accurate and fast machining of stationary tubes, thus reducing the number of spindle rotations to benefit productivity. The unloading of the cut parts takes place automatically and is supported along the entire length to ensure stability and quality in the process. In short, the Fiber Tube system allows obtaining a finished tubular piece, complete with all the cutting processes required, in a single processing cycle.
SPECIFICATIONS
