Rofin’s Macro Group has released its Profile Welding System (PWS), which is a complete system designed and configured to weld tubes and profiles using fully integrated sensor technology that detects the weld gap and enables seam tracking.
The Profile Welding System comprises of a beam guidance and sensor system together with PC-controlled linear axes. All laser system functions, such as control of process gases, monitoring of the optical safety circuit and overall monitoring of the laser system and its associated cooling system are handled by the integrated PLC control system. The sensors used for weld seam position recognition and seam tracking can detect even the slightest discrepancies in the seam position. This adaptive system ensures that the laser beam always follows the seam, thus providing high process reliability and consistency. The high speed precision linear drives used by the Profile Welding System provide positional accuracies of 20µm at production speeds of up to 60m/minute.
A field proven beam delivery system on the Profile Welding System provides safe operation under tough industrial conditions. The system is not sensitive to oil, dirt, dust or damp and is also virtually maintenance free, providing high uptimes and reliability. Ease of use for operators is ensured thanks to a display unit, which is mounted to a moveable support arm. This allows centralised monitoring and optimisation of the laser parameters and functions together with seam tracking on the work-piece.
Designed with modular construction in mind, the system can be easily configured to suit individual customer’s requirements. For example, the beam guidance system can be supplied with either a beam switch unit or a beam splitter unit, the latter enabling simultaneous operation on several systems or alternatively at multiple welding points. A number of options are also available for the Profile Welding System, which can be used to further customise its configuration for a specific application.
The Profile Welding System is based upon the range of Rofin CO2 Slab Lasers. With up to 8kW of output power available and excellent beam quality (K≥ 0.9) this range of lasers will enable the Profile Welding System to be used on a wide range of applications. Rofin CO2 Slab lasers operate with only a few extremely durable components and do not require conventional gas recirculation therefore further reducing maintenance and service requirements.