High speed cutting of metals

The spite of being the most established laser processing technology since more than 25 years, laser beam cutting is still a rapidly developing technology. New laser sources with higher power and improved beam quality as well as the modern drive and control equipment together with advanced process developments allow a significant increase in cutting speed and cutting depth at excellent quality features. About laser beam slitting of sheet metal coils with speeds up to more than 100 m/min and the corresponding system technology of the world's first industrial laser slitting line has recently been reported. The production system is equiped with 8 lasers cutting simultaneously and under closed-loop process control. In addition, fast cutting of car body sheets with speeds up to more than 30 m/min is now state of the art.