LASER BLANKING: COMPETITIVE AND PRODUCTION READY

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Cornelius Johnston
7 years ago
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1 LASER BLANKING: COMPETITIVE AND PRODUCTION READY Jay Finn, Chief Technology Officer

2 EXPERIENCE & HERITAGE Automatic Feed Company founded Laser blanking development initiated First of many patents related to laser blanking solution filed LaserCoil Technologies, LLC established Year-long customer production run on test line First order received for a single-head system Q1, Tech Center opened and coil-fed production begins Q3, two multiple-head systems orders received Q1, the first of several customer production lines launched Q1, Launch of a dual-head line with robot stacking

3 LASER AND CUTTING HEAD DEVELOPMENTS Considerations Availability of higher power lasers Optics limitations Edge cutting and edge waves Flatness/leveling of material with respect to cutting speeds

4 LESSER KNOWN ADVANTAGES Handles bare and pre-painted materials Aluminum up to UHSS and AHSS Can ramp from prototype to production parts without tooling Improved edge quality edges can be laser welded without an additional precision shear operation If CAD data is not available a blank can be scanned and cut

orders Eliminates the need for die- or automation-related clearance

5 LESSER KNOWN ADVANTAGES Software that intelligently defines the blank cut path and nesting Excellent for service part work Ability to kit complete orders Eliminates the need for die- or automation-related clearance features Due to less infrastructure, the line can be considered as being portable

6 MARKET TRENDS AND ISSUES Advancement of AHSS Fractures and splitting issues on traditional presses Increased wear driving up tooling costs More Vehicle Models Driving flexibility and responsiveness Speed to Launch Die production time back and forth in getting it right Quickly advance from prototype to low volume and ramp into high production Ongoing Pressures Reduced costs Improved quality

7 MARKET TRENDS AND ISSUES Advanced steel content projected to increase to 40% by 2025

8 GROWTH OF LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS

9 CUTTING SPEEDS Considerations Straight line cutting speeds Limitations of small radius breakaway protection Cut quality Dimensions on laser weld edges Can slow down to increase tolerances Start/stop versus continuous strip motion Multi-axis adds to tolerance

10 REACTION TIME

11 Straight Line Cutting Speed (mm/s) STEEL CUTTING SPEEDS kW 5kW 4kW 3kW 2kW Material Thickness (mm)

12 WHEELHOUSE EXAMPLE

13 NESTING OPTIMIZATION OPTIONS

14 CONSIDERATIONS: COST SAVINGS Laser provides better material utilization due to fewer nesting constraints

15 PRODUCTION COSTS Simple versus developed blanks

16 CUSTOMER CASE 1: MICRO-FRACTURES Problem Customer was experiencing splits in the forming process with blanks cut from 2-mm thick AHSS in a traditional blanking press operation. Resolution After multiple attempts to resolve the problem with the steel supplier and through blank shape changes, the customer tried laser cut tryout blanks. Results It was determined that the mechanical blanking caused micro-fractures The laser cut blanks eliminated the micro-fractures Production of these parts continued using laser blanking

17 CUSTOMER CASE 2: OPERATIONAL RESPONSIVENESS Problem Customer was experiencing downtime due to problems keeping a blanking die running when standard tooling was put into use with high-strength steel. Resolution Blanks were sourced for laser cutting while the tooling was being reworked to accommodate the new high-strength materials. Results CAD data was generated by scanning a finished blank The laser line was programmed and ready to cut before the first coil arrived at the facility for interim production

18 CUSTOMER CASE 3: EDGE QUALITY AND COST SAVINGS Problem A mechanically cut blank required an additional precision shearing operation to prepare the edge prior to a welding operation to produce tailor welded blanks. Resolution Blanks were sourced for laser cutting to avoid the second shearing operation. Results The resulting laser edge did not require a secondary shearing operation The coil width was reduced by 12-mm creating additional savings

19 CUSTOMER CASE 4: CAD TO AUTOMATIC PROFILES Problem Customer did not have updated blank shape CAD data. The blank shape was modified to accommodate features in the forming dies, but the updated information was not documented. Resolution A sample blank was sent to LaserCoil and was scanned to produce dimensional CAD information. Using standard LaserCoil software the CAD files were imported and converted automatically into nesting routines. Results Time savings over manually generating paths Automated generation of optimized cutting paths Material savings from optimized nesting patterns

20 HB SAMPLE 1: Steel Dual Phase Galvanized 1.2-mm 980-Mpa Hardness Traverse from Cut Edge: 100-gram Knoop converted to Grinnell Hardness (HB) HB Laser HB Shear mm

21 HB SAMPLE 2: Steel Cold Rolled mm 1098-Mpa Hardness Traverse from Cut Edge: 100-gram Knoop converted to Grinnell Hardness (HB) HB Laser HB Shear mm

22 HB SAMPLE 3: Steel Cold Rolled Galvanized mm 580-Mpa Hardness Traverse from Cut Edge: 100-gram Knoop converted to Grinnell Hardness (HB) HB Laser HB Shear mm

23 TECHNICAL PRODUCTION CENTER Perrysburg, Ohio Dual-head, Gen-2 technology Capable of 2.1-meter wide coils Tours available by appointment

Contact us for an evaluation Jay Finn, Chief Technology Officer jfinn@lasercoil.

24 Contact us for an evaluation Jay Finn, Chief Technology Officer +1 (419) Jay Finn is General Manager and Chief Technology Officer of LaserCoil Technologies, LLC, located in Perrysburg, Ohio. Prior to joining LaserCoil, Jay worked at Automatic Feed Co., a world leader in flat metal systems design and manufacturing, and the R&D center responsible for early development of the LaserCoil process. He has nearly 30 years experience in stamping, flat metal lines and metal fabrication with industrial lasers and holds several laser-cutting patents.

w w w. a u t o s t e e l. o r g

w w w. a u t o s t e e l. o r g Great Designs in Steel is Sponsored by: AK Steel Corporation, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corporation, Severstal North America and United States Steel Corporation LIGHTWEIGHTING AUTOMOTIVE