Fonon’s fiber laser cutting system incorporates a back-reflection isolator that protects the source from back-scatter generated by the workpiece.
ORLANDO, Fla.—Automotive manufacturers are known to use aluminum as part of a mixed-material approach to building vehicle frames that provide just the right balance of weight and durability. They know that a lightweight frame offers better fuel efficiency, and a heavier frame provides more durability, leading to greater safety. To achieve that balance, automakers use a wide range of materials—including carbon fiber, plastic, steel, and aluminum—to manufacture vehicle frames.
Although carbon fiber has an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, it’s also one of the costlier options and is therefore often associated with sports cars and the luxury sector. Plastic is frequently used in automotive manufacturing due to its flexibility and lightweight nature, but it is not the primary choice for frames. Steel is cost-effective, weldable, and strong, and has been the traditional material for vehicle frames for decades.
Steel is on the heavier side, however, causing the auto industry to increasingly shift to a lighter option. According to a release from Fonon Corporation, a manufacturer of advanced laser material processing systems, aluminum’s strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance outperform steel and make it a top choice for automakers.
“Aluminum is more expensive than steel and has been used primarily in the high-end vehicle segment,” Fonon said in the release. “Some models known for their aluminum or aluminum hybrid structures are the Acura NSX, BMW i8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Jaguar F, and Tesla Model X Plaid. Many other models use a combination of aluminum and steel to achieve a balance in safety, strength, and cost-effectiveness with the demand for fuel efficiency and high performance, making aluminum a sought-after material in the automotive industry.”
Aluminum and other highly reflective materials, however, can be difficult to process with a laser. That’s because a significant percentage of the light directed onto their surfaces is reflected back, often creating a challenge, according to Fonon.
“Processing aluminum with a laser requires high power, special equipment, and careful handling to protect the safety of the operator and to prevent damage to the laser equipment and worked-on material,” the company said in the release.
Fonon’s Titan FX Laser Cutting System is a flatbed, multipurpose fiber laser-cutting system that is reported to offer a high-performance, reliable, and cost-effective way to cut aluminum and other reflective metals during car manufacturing. The Titan FX’s lasers do not use mirrors and delicate lenses. Therefore, the reflection from metals does not damage the equipment, the company said.
Instead, the fiber laser source incorporates a back-reflection isolator, sometimes called a “beam dump” for reflective laser light. It protects the source from back-reflections (or back-scatter) generated by the workpiece. The laser-cutting process is thus safe and stable, according to the manufacturer.
The Titan FX also incorporates an advanced Direct Drive Motion System, CleanCut technology, and adaptive thin-to-thick fiber laser beam shaping.
These features are said to benefit automotive manufacturers and other businesses that need to precisely cut highly reflective metals at production-level speed, balancing maximum accuracy with high acceleration, cut speeds, and positioning. For common material processing, Fonon Titan systems reportedly achieve speeds three to four times faster than CO2 lasers of equal wattage.
According to Fonon, traditional flatbed laser cutting systems rely on rack-and-pinion, ball screws, or belt drives to traverse the cutting head. As a result, they face limitations common to all mechanical, high-contact systems, including wear and tear of the gears, reduced belt tension over time, and damage from the inevitable accretion of contaminants, grit, and dust generated by normal production conditions. Fonon’s Direct Drive Motion System is said to levitate the cutting head smoothly and quickly across the working surface area.
“Without ball screws, belts, or gears to deteriorate or break down, Fonon’s Titan FX delivers smoother motion, higher cutting head acceleration and speed, less stress and vibration on the carriage frame, a lower system weight, and decreased maintenance requirements,” the company said.
CleanCut technology reportedly reduces or eliminates the heat-affected zone by producing a beam that is narrower and more precise than conventional lasers. Conventional laser cutting methods, on the other hand, are said to produce larger heat-affected zones, discoloring, weakening, and stressing the material on either side of a cut.
Adaptive thin-to-thick beam shaping technology is said to automatically adjust the laser beam’s properties to process a wide range of material thicknesses. Fonon attributes the capability to its “deep understanding of the reflective characteristics of any given material when it reaches the temperature at which it transitions from a solid to a liquid or gas.” Thin-to-thick fiber laser beam shaping is reported to drive more economical operation, superior edge quality on thick plates, and high-speed cutting of thin material.
Manufacturers that make use of Fonon’s Titan FX Series typically experience a 10 percent to 30 percent increase in speed and accuracy and a 10 percent to 30 percent decrease in kerf loss over similar systems. They are also operator- and regulation-friendly, the company said.