JDSU has collaborated with Amada, a manufacturer of machine tools for metal fabrication, to develop a new high-power 4kW fibre laser. The laser has been integrated into a new sheet metal cutting system that Amada plans to start selling to the Japanese market in May 2011, followed by a global market introduction in June 2011. According to Amada, the new system will provide the fastest linear cutting speed available worldwide.
The new 4 kW fibre laser provides the ability to cut materials such as copper, brass, titanium and non-metals that cannot be cut effectively with traditional carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers. Combined with the Amada high-speed linear drive system, thin sheets of stainless steel and aluminium will be cut at a linear speed that is 2.5 to 3-times faster than cutting speeds achieved with traditional CO2-based cutting systems.
'Amada’s long-standing machine tool design and manufacturing expertise combined with JDSU’s telecommunications-grade diode and fibre laser technology have enabled us to design a fibre laser that is not only cost effective, but that also provides industry leading performance and reliability,” said Ken Lo, vice president and general manager of Commercial Lasers at JDSU.
