Add more value using the right amount of automation in all the right places!
Adding high speed laser cutting to your manufacturing process can easily outpace your current operations. Nozzle changes, nozzle inspection, blue-flame test, lens grinding, parts programming, nesting, loading, unloading, scrap removal, and parts stacking/sorting add considerable time when done manually. This leads to less "green light time," or worse, manufacturing by compromise, costing you the benefits gained by high speed laser cutting.
Mazak Optonics looks at the whole picture of high speed laser cutting, and provides software and automation along with the high speed lasers that improves operations and reduces time spent unproductively. The bottom line means more green light time and higher productivity on the shop floor.
You can choose from lasers that automate and shorten the set-up process, material handling/automation components that load raw materials and unload and sort/stack finished parts, and much more! The table below will help you determine how much automation you need.
| Select/find raw material | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| From storage, retrieve and queue material for the next job | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Place raw sheet on bed | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Pre-origin raw sheet to reduced laser idle time | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Find nested cutting program for next job | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Download NC cutting program for next job | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Coordinate sheet, next cutting program and next available laser | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Retrieve latest NC program from engineering dept. | manual | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Quickly remove cut sheets to reduce laser idle time | semi-automatic | automatic | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Stack cut sheets | manual | automatic | automatic | automatic | automatic |
| Sort cut sheets | manual | manual | manual | automatic | automatic |
| Remove and sort cut parts | manual | manual | manual | manual | automatic |
| Discard skeleton | manual | manual | manual | manual | automatic |
| Link to LAN or cyberspace | no | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Issue processing data & time report | no | no | yes | yes | yes |
| Issue finished part location report | no | no | no | no | yes |
| EFFICIENCY RATING | 50 | 70 | 80 | 85 | 100 |