The new FLW 4000 M3 fiber laser welder from Amada provides high beam quality, electrical savings and high speed, high precision welding, according to the company.
The fiber engine on the 4 kW unit produces a laser beam with a wavelength approximately one tenth of that emitted by a conventional CO2 laser. The company says it results in Process Range Expansion (PRE) by ensuring precise results even when processing reflective materials such as brass and copper and combinations of dissimilar materials that were previously difficult to weld.
The FLW is equipped with a patented rotating lens, which means the laser is no longer aligned with a specific point along the target path. Instead, it circles within a small area as it is welding. The rotating lens makes it possible to bridge large and uneven gap sizes while producing a clean and even weld, claims Amada. The heat input into the material is optimzed and results in defined weld edges with virtually no unnecessary deposits of material, reducing the need for secondary finishing.
It features an automatic beam focus, a teaching assist system (TAS) and the FLW-CAM software for improved efficiency through offline robot teaching, simulating movements based on 3D data.
The NC Auto Focus control adjusts the focus lens to an optimum position based on the welding conditions set on the AMNC/PC control. Amada says this increases productivity by automatically outputting a narrow beam for welding and a wider beam for welding radius corners. As well, Continuous Wave (CW) welding ensures high speed, smooth results that Amada says can’t be achieved by pulse welding.
