Cincinnati Inc. (www.e-ci.com) has developed the largest and most productive laser cutting system by adding a 5 kW GE Fanuc laser resonator to its CL-707 laser cutting system.

The CL-707 has dual, interchangeable, 8 ft. by 20 ft. cutting tables, and a linear motor drive that delivers 10,000 ipm head positioning. The company says the 5 kW laser can cut through 18 ga. steel at speeds to 1,000 ipm, and mild steel to thicknesses of 1 in.

The company says each pallet can be loaded with multiple sheets, then processed in a continuous operation to maximize the advantages of high-speed cutting and to avoid lost production by incorporating multi-sheet cutting techniques. Additionally, the company says the 5 kW cutting power and long-bed capacity combine to make high sheets-per-hour productivity possible. Automated pallet changes can be done in seconds, making continuous cutting and long periods of unattended processing also possible, the company says. As much as 320 sq. ft. of material can be processed between the two pallets without operator attention.

Cincinnati Inc. says its bed design is more than double the capacity of conventional lasers, and opens up opportunities for makers of larger parts and products to gain the throughput and quality advantages of laser processing.

The 5 kW cutting head system features standard auto-focus, while a new height sensor, designed to be insensitive to plasma, enables higher feed-rates on thin metal using nitrogen or air assist gas.