Industrial Applications of Taiwan-Made Lasers

This issue focuses on the practical uses of lasers in industry, with a performance analysis and case studies of the most common problems and solutions.The center's focus is on applications of industrial lasers, breakthroughs in domestic equipment technology, and practical strategies for optimizing hardware and operating procedures.

The true performance of Taiwan's laser equipment in an industrial setting.

The progress of domestic lasers in the industrial field over the past few years is obvious to all.For instance, in the high-frequency fields of metal cutting and welding, many factories have reported that the precision of domestically produced equipment is approaching that of imported brands. In particular, the products in the mid- and low-power segments clearly have a price-to-performance advantage.In practice, however, some problems arise. For example, after a long period of continuous operation, the stability of the light path may decrease, or the parameters may not be flexible enough when processing certain materials.

The three issues that concern users most are: (1) How much will it cost? (2) How much time will it take?

After talking with more than a dozen manufacturers, we discovered that the three biggest problems they faced were: 1) the stability and lifespan of equipment; 2) the ability to adapt to complex manufacturing processes; 3) the speed of post-sale responses.The owner of a car parts manufacturer complains, "The specifications of the domestic machines look great, but when we have to work around the clock to meet a deadline, the cutting heads overheat and give us an alarm.These small problems in the course of actual combat are just the breakthrough points needed to optimize and upgrade the system.

Optimal solutions derived from practical experience.

Choosing the right hardware.

Don't blindly pursue high power, but look at compatibility.For example, a sheet metal processing plant using a 1500-watt laser is actually more energy efficient than one using a 2000-watt laser, because the thickness of the metal sheets being cut rarely exceeds 8 mm.The cooling system should be selected from a model that supports modular maintenance, so that later on, when cleaning and filter replacement is needed, downtime can be cut in half.

Hidden tricks of software adjustment.

Many technicians don't know that the parameter database of the domestic laser can be expanded.If you encounter unusual materials, don't just stick with the default parameters. Instead, manually save the power and speed settings that worked for a successful case. Next time you can just call them up, saving 30 % of your time in adjustment.Remember to back up your configuration files regularly.

A guide to the maintenance of the pits.

It's cheaper to spend ten minutes a week checking for light drift than to repair the telescope every six months.One food machinery factory used cotton swabs dipped in alcohol to clean the lens, and ended up scratching the coating. In fact, the cost of using specialized lens paper and compressed air is lower, and the results are better.When training, remember to combine the actual conditions of the workshop and make adjustments.

Future directions for upgrading.

From the trends seen at this year's Shenzhen Laser Fair, it appears that domestic laser makers are focusing on the intelligent and networked direction.For example, the IoT module can be used to monitor the lifespan of consumables in real time, and give advance warnings that lenses are aging.I suggest that companies pay attention to new machines that can be linked to a database of craft techniques. Such machines can automatically set parameters according to the thickness of the material, and are particularly suitable for small batches of a wide variety of products.