Laser cutting with a punch laser machine
The punch laser machine can both punch and laser cut sheet metal. It can switch flexibly between the two methods, depending on what works best technically.
On this page you can read how the principle of laser cutting on this machine differs from a flatbed laser. Do you want to know more about the additional punching options of this machine? Then take a look at the page about punching.
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Positioning of the cutting head
The way the laser head is positioned on the sheet differs on the punch laser machine from the flatbed laser. With the flatbed laser, the cutting head moves across the sheet while the sheet lies still. With the punch laser, it is the metal sheet to be cut that moves instead of the cutting head.
Moving the metal sheet is made possible by securing the sheet with clamps. By moving these clamps, the metal can be moved over a brush table. Meanwhile, the laser head and punch head stay in place.
Automatic product sorting
As a consequence of this working principle, cut-out sheet metal parts must be lifted out of the sheet before the next part can be cut. If that did not happen, the loose parts would shoot off in all directions when the sheet is moved with the clamps.
Through the flap by gravity
To make it possible to remove loose sheet metal parts, the machine can let the parts slide through a flap under the sheet into a collection bin at the moment they are cut free.
Stacking on a pallet with a vacuum lifter
A vacuum or magnetic lifter can also hold the parts while they are cut free. When the parts have been completely cut free from the larger sheet, the lifter automatically stacks the sheet metal parts on a pallet.
Additional possibilities
Because on the punch-laser combination it is the sheet that moves during laser cutting, it is possible to use a heavily built punch head with an active bottom die alongside the laser head. The punch head can punch holes in the sheet at high speed with a large tonnage of force. That requires a sturdy construction, which cannot be moved quickly across the sheet like the “flying optics” of the flatbed laser.