GSI Lasers' application laboratories in Rugby, UK and Suzhou, China are equipped with a full range of GSI laser products plus Aerotech positioning systems and motion controls, which are used to develop and prove a variety of customer-specified laser processes. These laser products end up in many challenging laser machining applications, including wafer scribing and nanotube manufacture, turbine blade welding and micro-machining.
The company has developed a novel fibre-optic beam delivery system called Luminator that allows rapid changeover of laser sources for 3D laser cutting, welding and drilling. The system gives customers the flexibility to adapt spot size, focus and gas options for different materials and laser processes with little delay. The 'Plug-in-Pre-Alignment' (PIPA) fibre-optic delivery system allows additional laser sources to be remotely located from the workstation area where set-up can be carried out safely and with minimal disruption to production.
PIPA is used extensively in the laboratories to evaluate alternative settings for the same laser type or even entirely different laser products on the same workstation and positioning system. OEMs and systems integrators typically call upon the service with a problem material or difficult process and a requirement to maintain consistency of results without having to change the workpiece set-up or positioning system. The service also allows complete systems to be evaluated in terms of positioning system precision and throughput.
Aerotech positioning systems at the Rugby laboratory include the ALS5000 and ALS5000WB (wide bodied) linear stages combining direct-drive linear servomotors with linear guides in a fully sealed configuration that offers high speed and high precision positioning of large payloads. Similarly ALS1000 series X-Y stages are available for medium sized payloads and use the same linear motor technology and side-sealed design with an internal, fully protected two-axis cable management system that is well proven in laser machining applications.
For medium-precision, high-throughput applications GSI Lasers can offer a rig based on Aerotech's ATS1100 series stage, which includes internally mounted high-performance rotary brushless servomotors with precision ball screw drives in a side-sealed stage design. The durable ACS series direct-drive rotary stages with integral collets are also used for workpiece handling. Custom built adapter plates for multi-axis set-ups, including vertical Z-axis mounting and gantry style configurations are also available. Aerotech also supplies granite base machine frame systems for applications that require high stability during very high precision positioning tasks.
The motion and machine controller used for process evaluation at GSI's applications laboratories is Aerotech's A3200 automation platform. The software-only controller for IEEE-1394 (Firewire) equipped PCs combines deterministic and synchronised motion control for up to 32 axes, and offers high performance Ndrive servo amplifiers and fully integrated modules for HMI, machine vision and soft PLC functions when required.
In addition to advanced commands for motion and I/O handling, the A3200 also provides dedicated commands, such as 'position synchronised output' (PSO), which enables precise, 'on-the-fly' synchronisation of the laser's pulse, power level and firing pattern with the workpiece position. PSO acquires and analyses the position of each axis using real-time encoder feedback, and processes a single- or multi-axis vector position linked to one of the A3200 outputs for laser firing control. The feature is easy to use and includes a number of simple commands and parameters to allow for various laser output modes and firing requirements, as well as compensation for mechanical characteristics such as latency. There are more powerful commands to reduce unwanted system harmonics, increase system bandwidth and maximise production throughput.
The Automation 3200 can be programmed in native RS274 G-code, and a software development kit is available to programme the system using ActiveX based components as well as other languages, including C, C++, VisualBasic and LabVIEW.