Auckland-based Mulcahy Engineering has installed a TRUMPF TruLaser Tube 5000, which company managing director Kayne Mulcahy says opens up a whole raft of possibilities for designers and engineers.
“Traditionally manufacturers have avoided including complex angles and beveled edges on their products because of the lengthy machining work required and the expense. But this tube laser cutter makes short work of even the most complicated components, so designers can push the boundaries of product innovation economically,” he explains.
The machine is so big that Mulcahy Engineering needed to add a 500 square metre extension to its existing facility in Avondale to house it.
The intuitive design and programming software allows Mulcahy Engineering to break down customer assemblies, manipulate models and add features such as tube connections at the click of a button.
It can bevel cut to +-45º and because the required angles are programmed directly from 3D models, it produces components that exactly match the designer’s assembly. “The Tube Laser Cutter provides a quick and repeatable process that allows for complete design freedom,” explains Kayne.
“It is capable of high degrees of precision meaning that designers and engineers can include features in their products that would have been prohibitive in the past because of time and the expense of down-stream processing.”
The machine is equipped with a 3Kw Fiber resonator, which not only provides unparalleled levels of cutting speed but also the ability to process materials such as brass and copper. The tube laser cutter can angle cut round tubes from 15mm diameter to 170mm diameter.
Square and rectangular profiles can be cut to a maximum outer circle diameter of 170mm, a maximum square of 125mm x 125mm and a maximum rectangular of 150mm x 75mm.
Kayne says that another big point of difference is the machine’s ability to process open profiles like channels, angle and even fl at bar.
Channels can be cut from a minimum size of 30mm x 15mm up to a maximum of 140mm x 100mm. Angles can be cut from a minimum of 25mm x 25mm to a maximum of 140mm x 100mm.
The machine is so big that Mulcahy Engineering needed to add a 500 square metre extension to its existing facility in Avondale to house it.
The machine laser cuts Flat Bars from 15mm x 3mm right up to 150mm x 8mm. The machine has a LoadMaster Tube bundle magazine, allowing automatic loading and processing of tubes up to eight metres in length.
Mulcahy Engineering can handle everything from initial concept and design through to production, packing and delivery anywhere in the world.
Capabilities include laser cutting, punching, pressing and the full scope of fabrication services such as manual and robotic welding, polishing and machining.
The company’s customer base encompasses a broad range of industries including materials handling, original equipment manufacturing, agriculture, horticulture, architecture and general engineering.
By adding the TruLaser Tube 5000 to its existing stable of technology Mulcahy Engineering can now offer its clients a complete laser cutting service, says Kayne.
“It gives us complete control over our services deliverables, not only in terms of the quality produced, but the timeframe within which the end result is delivered.”
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Unrivalled solid-state laser installed
The TRUMPF TruLaser Tube 5000 can bevel cut to +-45º and because the required angles are programmed directly from 3D
models, it produces components that exactly match the designer’s assembly.
