Offering up to 8kW power, a disc-type laser has low running cost and 25% efficiency, and will weld almost all metals with ease and even highly reflective metals such as copper or aluminium.

The Trumpf TruDisk 8002 has an exceptional beam quality normally associated with an altogether less powerful laser. It is powered by four disks and 16 pump modules to be the first of its type to deliver 8kW of output power. With an electrical efficiency of 25% it also has a low running cost, said Trumpf.

Trumpf told that he application scope of this latest addition to the TruDisk range is almost limitless as a result of its characteristic high power and high beam quality.

It can process almost all materials with ease and even highly reflective metals such as copper or aluminium.

The laser is able to achieve a weld penetration depth of 10mm in mild steel at a speed of 1m/min.

At the increased welding speed of 20m/min a weld depth of 3mm can still be achieved, claimed Trumpf.

This high processing speed naturally allows shorter cycle times and higher throughput.

The Trumpf TruDisk 8002 is especially suited to the more difficult welding jobs on thick sheet metal.

Similarly hybrid welding and cutting thick sheet present no problem to this disc laser.

Typical applications are heavy duty welding of construction equipment, heavy machinery, ship building and vehicle manufacture.

The disk laser is one of the most important developments in the field of industrial material processing.

In contrast to the rod laser, the disk exhibits no thermal lens effect, which is why the beam source is extremely insensitive to adjustment.

Beam management with up to six laser light cables that receive laser light from switches or dividers is another important capability.

The modular concept of the TruDisk makes it very easy for the system to be modified or extended.

At the same time, the advantages of flexible laser beam guidance using the laser light cable in tandem with the Trumpf Lasernetwork control system bring significant production advantages.

As well as the beam guidance components, a heat exchanger can be integrated into the laser device eliminating the need for an external chiller.

All the necessary components for beam generation and guidance are therefore contained in a single compact housing.

Of particular customer benefit on Trumpf disc lasers is the 'user space'.

On the laser machine the plug-in connector for the laser light cable is separated from the optics by a sealed wall.

This means that when connecting or disconnecting the cable the laser does not have to be switched off.

The ability to uncouple components such as the pump diodes, resonator system and fibre optic cables ensure long term cost effectiveness and minimum downtime.

The Trumpf TelePresence Portal provides the additional option for service technicians to access the machines remotely and security for maintenance purposes.

Dr Kurt Mann, director of sales for beam sources at Trumpf Laser Technology foresees an excellent future for the disc laser.

He said: 'It has no performance limits.

Fundamentally it's just a question of connecting more and more disks to the resonator to suit the application so in principle any kind of material processing can be performed.

Equipment for the robotic automation of MIG and TIG welding equipment as well as plasma-arc cutting automation systems will be demonstrated at MACH 2008 for complex fabrications

Industrial equipment supplier and sole UK representative for Cebora welding products, Wilkinson Star of Worsley, Manchester, will be launching a series of welding automation systems at the UK's MACH 2008 machine tool exhibition in April. The main systems being demonstrated on the MACH stand include the following.

• A Cebora MIG 3840/T inverter based pulsed-MIG/MAG power source operating on KUKA's new KR5 arc robot.
• A Cebora Plasma PROF 164 HQC (High Quality Cut) mechanised multi-gas plasma-arc cutting power source interfaced with a SMS (Smart Machine Systems) SmartPLASMA plasma cutting table, which will be the simulating the cutting of a complex component.
• A Cebora Sound AC/DC 4560/T inverter based Synergic pulsed power source for robot TIG welding.

There will also be a number of other high performance welding power sources and ancillary equipment from the Cebora welding automation range.

MIG 3840/T inverter - the MIG 3840/T inverter MIG/MAG power source is rated 380A at 40% duty cycle and can be used with solid and cored welding wires.

It is designed for interfacing with most branded robots; in this case it will be demonstrated on a KUKA 'KR5 arc' specifically designed for arc welding.

It is a 6-axis robot with a 5kg payload and a 1412mm reach.

Plasma PROF 164 HQC power source - the Plasma PROF 164 HQC power source is fully microprocessor controlled and is rated 120A at 100% duty cycle.

It has a HV18 ignition unit and a PGC-1/2 gas console, which is a synergic parameters settings console.

It will be interfaced with a SMS SmartPLASMA 2.7m x 1.7m plasma-arc cutting table designed for producing highly intricate designs.

It uses either three or four "SmartMotors", two precision gearboxes and integrated arc voltage torch height control system.

It can make rapid reversals and direction changes at speeds of up to 200 in/min (5m/min).

Managing director at Wilkinson Star, Stephen Murray, said: 'MACH 2008 is an excellent platform on which to launch the latest Welding Automation systems available from Cebora.

As a Company, we have extensive experience in selling high technology welding products and our welding team has the knowledge and experience required to continue taking us forward with welding automation.

Welding Automation opens up new industries and opportunities for Wilkinson Star and also Cebora, who we have represented in the UK for many years'.

A British engineering firm is bucking the worldwide trend with an impressive 5 million worth of new business in spite of the gloomy global financial crisis.

Thompson, based in Halesowen, has secured contracts for 7 new friction welding machines from many of the top international makers of construction machine components including Caterpillar.

The machines, made at Thompson's manufacturing facilities in Hereward Rise and Chancel Way, are specially designed to friction weld a variety of hydraulic cylinder piston rods in a wide range of diameters from 20-130mm.

Four of the machines have been supplied to customers in Europe, the United States and the Far East including two Caterpillar plants. The remainder will shortly be delivered to manufacturers based in South America and Asia.

Thompson says its success in producing versatile, robust equipment for friction welding construction machine parts can be attributed to its continued investment in research and development, and the skills of its engineering team.

"Thompson machines are continually developed so they offer the latest innovations for customers who want the very best in terms of product quality and integrity, especially for the manufacture of parts such as piston rods," explained Thompson's sales manager Nick Edge.

Thompson's engineering team has developed a series of new machine features that includes environment-friendly, low energy and quiet-running drives and a new linear track system for more streamlined operation of the weld head unit.

"Thompson has been producing equipment for construction machine makers for more than 40 years and it is the company's ongoing investment in innovation, which ensures Thompson's position at the forefront of the market" added Nick Edge.

Established since the early 1960s, Thompson employs 100 staff at its two sites in Halesowen and has an annual turnover of around 20 million. It produces a range of friction welding machines for component manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and oil exploration industries.

For more details, visit the Thompson website at www.thompsonfw.co.uk.