Laser Cutting

Trotec Laser Inc., Canton, Mich., discusses the "Advantages of lasers versus other methods of cutting, marking and engraving" in a white paper available through the company's website. The target audience for the white paper: companies that use traditional methods of cutting, marking and engraving, such as inkjet systems, embossing, mechanical stamping, etching, printing, mechanical engraving, knife cutter or CNC routing.

Coherent Inc. has expanded its AVIA family of lasers with new models having green output and which reportedly offer an unmatched combination of power, reliability and compact size for a range of precision materials processing applications.

Laser technology company Coherent Inc. will acquire industrial laser maker Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc. for about $942 million, according to a joint news release issued by the two companies March 16. "This transaction is aligned with our strategy of increasing our scale and pursuing accretive growth opportunities," said Coherent President and CEO John Ambroseo.

Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (ESI), Shanghai, China, recently introduced the Garnet adaptable laser micromachining platform for high-volume cutting, marking, drilling or engraving applications, according to a Feb. 16 company news release. The Garnet platform is said to compliment ESI's current micromachining portfolio delivering lower cost of ownership—specifically to meet the need for larger format materials among manufacturers in China.

FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving's Y-Series ytterbium fiber lasers are for marking parts made of metal, plastic and other materials. A scan head vision system for in-process imaging combines validation and verification prior to and directly after laser marking.

Custom fabricated zinc sulfide (ZnS) optics that are water-clear with minimum scatter and provide high transmission capabilities across a broad wavelength spectrum for a variety of military applications are being introduced by Laser Research Optics.

Coherent Inc. announces new, higher power, higher brightness 780-830 nm and 975 nm diode laser components for industrial applications.

MC Machinery Systems says the new eX-F Series fiber laser combines the best of both worlds: the top notch construction of the popular eX Series CO2 lasers and the power and reliability of a Mitsubishi's finest fiber resonator.

Laser-assisted machining helps manufacturers cut hard materials.

Coherent Inc. has expanded the company's fiber laser offering with an all new platform capable of delivering output powers to 4 kW and beyond.

A new generation of carbon monoxide (CO) lasers from Coherent Inc. promise enhanced processing characteristics for materials processing applications ranging from glass cutting and via drilling, to fractional skin resurfacing.