Industrial Photonics - October 2017

Cutting or welding heavy metal requires higher laser output power than virtually any other type of materials processing application. In the oil industry, an important heavy metal cutting application is creating the slotted liners used to separate oil from well sediments such as sand and gravel. Traditionally, this was done with diffusion-cooled CO2 slab lasers, but now, kilowatt-class fiber lasers are poised to penetrate this market segment. Heavy metals, in this context, refer to substrates at least several millimeters in thickness where a multikilowatt-class laser competes against conventional sawing and milling, thermal torch cutting and even abrasive waterjets (AWJs). The laser is the cutting tool of choice in many heavy metal applications because of its unique combination of advantages that stem from its small spot size and high power density. These advantages include a small heat-affected zone (HAZ), virtually no part distortion, high quality on both cut edges, small kerf width, the ability to cut sharp corners, fast and easy piercing, and high dimensional accuracy, including the beginning and end of each cut. Moreover, since there is no tool wear with laser processing, these advantages are consistent over time. Laser cutting is also a flexible process that lends itself to automation under digital control and programming, Embedded Vision Finds a Role in the IIoT The rise of compact mobile devices opens the way for more flexible use of machine vision. page 11 ►