How Does Abrasive Belt Sanding Work?

Abrasive belts help to remove burrs and even splatter caused by laser cutting.

How do Abrasive Belts Work?

Abrasive belts are perfect for someone who is looking to remove burrs from a lot of metal in a timely manner. The machine is built to have unfinished parts inserted into the machine on one end, where it will come out the other side finished on the other. During the process, one or more heads with brushes and discs will rotate around the part, knocking all extra stray burrs off of the part. An abrasive belt will remove any burr coming off the surface of a part, which Timesavers calls the vertical burr. The problem with the abrasive belt is that as it removes the vertical burr, it simultaneously creates a horizontal burr or secondary burr. This instead does not appear like a burr but as a sharp edge. This makes us ask the question – if vertical deburring just creates horizontal ones, then how do we get rid of the sharp edge?

Deburring standards have changed

Increasingly, burrs and slags have become standard for removal in the metal manufacturing industry.

Over the last 10 or so years, metal has increased their standards, demanding for better products. Instead of removing sharp edges, finishing technology has increased its standard to being better suited to finer finishes, removing both burrs and giving edges a clean finish. For this reason, Timesavers has adapted machinery with multiple heads, utilizing an abrasive head with discs and/or brushes for secondary removal. This multiheaded technology has enabled parts to get better finishes through multiple finishing types, giving both primary and secondary burr removal. With a two head machine either head can be operated independently or in tandem, so operators can determine how best to fit their requirements.

How do Lasers Make Burrs? 

When lasers cut through metal, they can create sharp edges and can even splatter some of the metal. However, laser machinery manufacturers have also made lot of improvement in edge quality and spatter reduction over the last number of years. As a result, the standard for proper deburring has increased substantially. Burrs are generally smaller and not as firmly attached as they once were. Therefore, if requirements call for deburring without a grain finish, then in some applications just a disc or brushes can be used effectively. Spatter can be more challenging and often the only way to remove it is with an abrasive belt.

Timesavers machines like the 1200 Series allow for proper abrasive belt grinding while properly removing any splatter that a laser’s cut may add.

Rotary Discs

In particular, the rotary discs have been effective for small parts. Machines such as the 1200 series 9” dry sander with multiple heads can give a supreme shine to the part being deburred.  

Small parts that may be able to be run through a rotary disc and then fine-tuned manually with a Scotchbrite pad may still need more finishing to remove any grain finish. The difference is the you will have a grain finish but the swirl marks left by the disc will be slightly visible. If you’re curious about what we mean by this, we would be more than happy to send you samples parts before and after sanders. This will help you better gauge if the part can successfully work on our Timesavers machines. However, if you’re using a pad to deal with splatter, then the best method of attack may be with an abrasive belt. From what we’ve seen at Carlson Fabrication, there aren’t any unhappy customers when it comes to the quality of a Timesavers’ deburr.

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If you have any questions if your part can be deburred using any Timesavers’ machines, please contact us at (781) 937-9599 or at info@carlsonfab.com.

Fiber Vs. CO2 Laser Cutting for Metal

BENEFITS OF USING A FIBER LASER VS A CO2 LASER FOR METAL CUTTING

Fiber Lasers are faster, more accurate, and can save you lots of money.

The advent of fiber laser cutting machine has been the biggest game-changer in sheet metal fabrication since the 1980s when CO2 cutting was first introduced to the metal fabrication industry. When compared to CO2 lasers, fiber laser technology has really pushed the boundaries of laser cutting into a whole new era.

How did fiber lasers change the game

Within five years of introducing fiber laser, it reached a cutting range of 4kW, a feat that took CO2 lasers about two decades to achieve. Within another five years, fiber lasers were able to reach a threshold of over 10kW, something CO2 can never do. Even some fiber lasers can do beyond 20kW, but those are useful for industries aside from sheet metal cutting. Since sheet metal processing typically deals with metal under a quarter of an inch, too many kilowatts can just be overkill for cost and energy consumption. The ideal machines for sheet metal processing typically fall within 4-8kW, and the speed/accuracy are the most important factors to consider.

The fiber laser beam uses a laser generator to produce a laser beam with high power density. The laser beam hits the surface of the material through the optical path system until the material gets to its boiling or melting point. Just like the CO2 laser, there is a high-pressure gas that blows the material melt away.

FIBER VS CO2 LASER CUTTING

Aside from the impact it has had on the industry, fiber laser machining has plenty of advantages over the CO2 laser:

1. Fiber lasers require little or no maintenance and part replacement as compared to CO2 lasers that require periodic and yearly maintenance and part replacement. This affects the overhead cost of the company.

2. Fiber lasers provide a reduction in power loss and higher energy efficiency because it adopts a laser optic cable as against mirrors and channels being used by CO2 laser cutting machines. This also means that a Fiber laser will reduce the cost of production.

3. Fiber lasers produce more focused beams on the metals. This is due to the fact that the fiber laser frequency is ten times more than that of CO2 because the former has a shorter wavelength.

4. Fiber laser machines offer superior cutting accuracy and sharp cutting edge. The cutting table makes sure the cutting process is stable.

CO2 Lasers are best for cutting deep into metal, and are best suited for thick metals.

5. The need for sheet metals in the manufacturing industry is increasingly becoming more significant. The fiber laser machine is best suited for sheet metals, as it can take care of this demand, while CO2 laser machines are best used for cutting thick plates.

6. A 2kW Fiber laser has a focused beam that possesses five times the power density at a focal point compared to a 4kW CO2 laser. The fiber laser beam will also have about three times more absorption characteristic due to its shorter wavelength.

7. The high absorption and power density characteristics of fiber lasers, created by the focused beam, makes it cutting speed to be five times faster when operating on materials that are less than one-fourth of an inch thick.

8. Fiber laser machines can run on a dual interchangeable platform, such that the workpiece and the finished sheet can be loaded or unloaded automatically. This will reduce time-wasting and the stress of doing a repetitive job.

Want to learn more about fiber and co2 lasers?

FIBER LASER MACHINES | CO2 LASER MACHINES

Carlson is NEW ENGLAND’S OFFICIAL DEALER OF MITSUBISHI’S MC MACHINERY

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 For more information, also see:

• FIBER LASER CUTTING

• CO2 LASER CUTTING

• MITSUBISHI LASERS & PRESS BRAKES

The difference between 5-axis and 3-axis machining

Mitsubishi’s 5-Axis CO2 Laser: VZ20-Series

In most production processes, machining is the largest value-add. Machining involves the removal of excess raw materials in other to produce high-quality parts by water jet cutting or by laser cutting.

In the years past, people carry out this machining operation by using 3-axis machining tools, but in recent years due to technological advancement and increased use of digitally controlled (CNC) people are now subscribing to the more modernized 5-axis machine.

In this article, we will look at what each of the machines entails and the significant difference between the 3-axis and the 5-axis machine.

3 Axis Machine vs 5 Axis CNC Machining

A 5-axis machine keeps the same 3 (X, Y, Z) axis’s but instead adds both the “A” and “B” axis (shown above).

1. Conventionally, materials were fed and worked on three axes (X, Y and Z).

   Traditional laser cutting machines removed material in three fundamental directions, similar to the Cartesian coordinates. Being the mode of operation of the 3-axis machine, 3-axis movement was and still is suitable for parts that have little depth. However, the 3-axis technique cannot handle deeper parts and ones that have narrow cavities because it can be a tasking process to complete on a 3-axis machine.

   On the other hand, 5-axis machines, as its name implies, move in five directions which include three linear X, Y and Z axes with an additional two axes (A and B) around which the tool rotates. This means that every material feed into the machine can be approached in all five directions.  5-axis machining is recommended for deeper parts and more hardened materials, and can guarantee an extremely accurate result. This precision can be attributed to its shorter machining tools, faster tool speed and a reduced vibration tool.
   
   
   

2. A 3-axis machine produces a cusp when a curved material is feed into it.

   This occurs because the machine has a ball-nose endmill (corner radius). A cusp is formed due to a cross-feed between the material and the machine. In a 5-axis machine, the possibility of cusp formation is reduced, because the two extra rotational axes are used to tilt the tool, thereby reducing the chances of cusp formation.

3. A 5–axis machine delivers quality surface finishes with impressive speed.

   This is due in part to the fact that the machinery adopts flat and radiused-corner endmills. The additional axes are used to adjust the rotation and tilt about the surface normal on the workpiece. With greater axes, the machine can become more versatile, and will save the machinist time from having to make continuous adjustments. However, this all comes at a cost, as the greater number of axes will make programming more tricky, so it will require more expertise in operators who are hired for the job, which may bring up costs.

4. In recent years, more innovations in both hardware and software have been developed for complete computer-based control of the tools used by 5–axis machines.

   With the aid of digital controls, there are more efficient ways to handle numerous materials and curved surfaces, thereby enabling production with a high degree of accuracy. Also, with the help of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), the machining process can be fully or partially automated. 5-axis laser cutting can be seen at the forefront of these innovations.

Other advantages of the 5-axis machining technology include:

With faster machines come a faster need for more advanced CNC controls and automation software.

• faster machining speed

• ability to manufacture Larger-sized parts

• higher yields

• lesser downtime for switching between tooling.

Even though 5 axis machine takes longer preparation and completion/turnaround time, it becomes clear that from the above comparisons that every manufacturer should move with technology by embracing the 5-axis machine, to increase their efficiency and overall level of production.

If interested in learning more about 5-axis machines (particularly laser cutting ones), please see our 5-Axis Co2 Laser Cutting Machines by Mitsubishi for more information.

Also See:

• 5-AXIS CO2 LASER CUTTING

• FIBER LASER CUTTING