Sep 13 2010
Amada will exhibit its 4 kW fibre-optic laser cutter, the FOL-F, at the EuroBLECH 2010. The International Sheet Metal Working Technology exhibition will take place in Hanover from October 26 - 30, 2010.
The FOL-F is the first fibre laser oscillator to deliver a high output of 4 kW using linear drives. The FOL-F fibre laser can process materials including non-metals, titanium, brass, and copper that are hard to work with traditional CO2 laser technology. The new laser models will be available in June 2011.
The FOL-F laser offers the benefit of high processing speeds. The device’s high laser beam at a 1-micrometer wavelength enables a maximum of three times high processing speeds on aluminium and stainless steel sheet than CO2. The laser machine is designed using the fibre laser technology and telecommunications-grade diode supplied by the optical networking solutions provider, JDSU.
A new technique of amplifying light in an optical fibre was used to achieve the high output of 4 kW. Laser diodes emit light that is conducted into a fibre having 200µm outer diameter. Totally, 90 10-watt laser diodes are combined together into a single module, while seven of these modules are stacked together to produce a power of 4 kW. This enables the FOL-F laser to process thick materials.