IHT Cutting

Internal high-pressure transformed (IHT) components are being used increasingly in automobile construction to achieve stiffness in bodies and components. IHT can also be used to form the most varied geometries from tubes, but these must be provided with openings and partly fitted muffs in three dimensions for further use. This is where the Nd:YAG laser can exploit its great advantage - the ability to make use of an optical fiber. This way, it is a comparatively simple matter to couple the laser, as the cutting tool, with the robot, to produce a system solution.

In particular, the high beam quality of the ROFIN DY series means high cutting speeds and high quality of cut surface in the processed components. Where the requirements on precision exceed the capabilities of robots, both Nd:YAG lasers with optical fibers and CO₂ lasers with a 5-axis guiding machine are used. At present, the typical processing speeds for the thicknesses of material used are limited by the robot rather than by the laser.