Laser cutting technology is gaining momentum over plasma.

By OEM Update Editorial July 2, 2022 10:17 am IST

While interacting with OEM Update, Rana Pratap Singh, VP of Sales- Metal Division, Laser Technologies, remarked that if we look ahead five years, there will be almost no plasma cutting in any factory.

Products and Solutions at IMTEX 2022 

We exhibited 23 – kilowatt Fiber laser cutting machine, which is India’s highest power machine installed till date. The laser industry is now adopting hybrid high-power fibre laser machines. The market is changing, with the goal shifting from CO2 to fiber. Technology has advanced, and people are now accepting high-power fiber laser machines so that they can use Air Cutting to get maximum speed.

Characteristics of the machines 

Every machine has its own set of characteristics. We provide the best service and support. The machine has several valuable features, such as pressure control, high pressure from the top, and butterfly suction from the bottom. The exhaust system is superior; it lowers consumer costs while increasing productivity. Apart from that, there is a specially designed cutting head P20 which is designed in Japan, which is also unique. With this, you can monitor all the cutting head lenses, sensor cable or sensor, online, through your mobile. It has a 5-stage piercing which is also unique. We also have an alpha T controller, a cloud-based controller that gives maintenance reminders. These are specific characteristics with very little investment and faster speed. However, these are minor details, but they significantly increase machine productivity.

 Laser Technologies always comes up with solutions; the company is not a machine seller but a solution provider. We try to meet the needs of our customers every time. If we go back five years, there was not a single machine in India with high-power capability. However, in this decade, one can see a drastic change. Now people have accepted this and market has gone up to 40 kilowatts. This is the standard requirement of the market now.

Supply chain challenges

 As I stated above, supply chain management has been severely disrupted. India has a significant advantage with this. Some parts that were previously manufactured in China were being dispatched all over the world. India is now self-sufficient and exports such parts to other countries. I believe the supply chain has also been a challenge for us. But, this is also an opportunity. The delivery time has increased slightly, but it has not stopped. With those delivery times, we are also reengineering everything and attempting to manufacture locally. Modiji is telling the world ‘Make in India’. As a result of the disruption to the entire supply chain, that opportunity has also risen. We also cannot delay things over time. So, now we have to be capable of developing it in-house. And it’s like pressure on owners or, rather, an opportunity for us to do it, which we are committed to doing. Though delivery time has been increased, it will be better in the long run.

Innovations and developments 

Many things to answer that, but let us start with laser. Lasers are increasing and are gradually replacing plasma. If we look ahead five years hence, there will be almost no plasma cutting in any factory. The laser will undoubtedly replace plasma. Innovation has occurred in the cutting head, as well as in the software. Many companies have developed highquality software. As a result, there are numerous innovations. Many things have also changed in India, especially if you consider cutting and welding. Nowadays, battery welding is a popular topic, and lasers play an essential role in this. We are working on various systems in and around the EV sector. As a result, a great deal of creativity is required.