TLM Laser

A Bright Future For UK Manufacturing

TLM Laser — 20/07/2020

There is little doubt that the effects of the recent pandemic will continue to influence our manufacturing industry for some time to come. Over the last three months sectors such automotive have been hit badly, with many OEM plants all but mothballed, yet the medical sector and those producing personal protective equipment, together with the supply chain feeding into these sectors, have been working flat out to meet demand.

Moving forward, there will no doubt be some re-balancing as the once-dominant automotive sector once again resumes production. However, the types of vehicles being favored by customers, and their production volumes, may be quite different from what was the norm just a few months ago.

The anticipated growth in electromobility will certainly open up new opportunities for TLM Laser and other technology suppliers, as new manufacturing facilities are put in place to support increasing demand. Overall though, UK manufacturers should take this opportunity to look closely at their production methods and technologies to ensure that when demand increases, as it surely will, that they are able to respond in an agile manner to support their customers.
Sadly, over the years, the UK has failed to keep pace with other manufacturing economies in our uptake of robotics, automation, and other advanced manufacturing technologies.

The traditional British adage of “Make do and Mend”, which may have served us well in the past, will not be enough if the UK is to recover from the current crisis and drive forward in the brave new world that will be upon us in 2021.
As a business TLM Laser will remain a dynamic and pro-active partner to the UK’s manufacturing sectors and we look forward to playing our part in enhancing productivity, quality, and profitability for our customers.

Join our virtual festival - Backing Britain Live 2020 from 17th-28th August to visit TLM's virtual booth. Click here to find out more and get your tickets.

Laser Welding – The Environmental Benefits

TLM Laser — 19/12/2023

The laser welding advantages of speed, precision, accuracy, low thermal distortion, and versatility deliver significant environmental benefits too.

Laser welding offers businesses higher productivity than traditional methods and not just because it is faster and more precise. The entire process is designed to offer environmental benefits that contribute to sustainable manufacturing processes and hence, a greener future.

Energy Saving: Where environmental benefits are concerned, energy is an obvious starting point. Laser welding is inherently more energy efficient than traditional alternatives such as MIG and TIG.

MIG and TIG welding invariably require high energy inputs to generate the heat necessary for welding. In contrast, laser welding’s focussed laser beam requires significantly less power to achieve its precise and accurate welds.

less energy consumption means better for the planet along with lower costs.

Reduced Material Consumption: Traditional methods often require filler materials, generating more spatter and resulting in higher waste and greater material consumption. As a non-contact process, laser welding creates a minimum of material waste, contributing to resource efficiency.

Being more accurate and precise, it reduces the need for rework or additional processing which would require additional energy usage and material consumption.

Lower Emissions and Enhanced Air Quality: Traditional methods also involve the use of gases and fluxes that can release harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

In industries where air quality and worker health are significant concerns, it’s good to know that laser welding is a cleaner process producing far fewer emissions and pollutants.

Being highly versatile and adaptable to various materials and applications, laser welding allows manufacturers to optimise processes leading to more efficient production methods.

Conclusion: The laser welding advantages, such as reduced waste generation, enhanced efficiency, cleaner operation, and minimised emissions, make it a compelling choice for manufacturers. With many industries aiming to meet sustainability goals and accreditations and reduce their environmental impact, laser welding is a positive step forward in meeting these objectives.

TLM Laser offers high end welding solutions such as the IPG LightWELD for fabrication and AlphaLaser products for precision welding.

For more information on the environmental benefits of using laser welding technologies or finding a laser welding system that can meet your specific needs, please contact sales@tlm-laser.com

TLM Laser expands laser technology portfolio with addition of new ULS range

TLM Laser — 24/07/2018

TLM Laser has expanded its laser technology portfolio with the addition of the comprehensive Universal Laser Systems (ULS) range.

The move enables the company to offer laser-cutting solutions for the broadest range of materials including organics, plastics and metals.

TLM Laser’s philosophy is built on offering a portfolio of world-class laser processing technologies available within the UK and Ireland from a single source. The recent addition of the ULS range of laser systems now means the company is able to offer industry-leading laser-cutting solutions for the widest range of materials and applications.

The ULS products means TLM Laser is able to offer a range that includes desktop laser processing systems and stand-alone workstations using technology developed form a ‘Material Centric Approach’.

ULS focuses on the materials used by companies, together with their manufacturing processes, to develop highly efficient laser processing tools which can be used on any laser-compatible materials.

Primarily based on CO2 laser sources with a maximum laser power of 30W to 150W, this comprehensive range offers working envelopes between 406mm x 305mm x 102mm in height to 1016mm x 610mm x 305mm in height. This broad choice of lasers, with wavelengths of 10.6μm or 9.3 μm, are capable of cutting and / or marking a vast range of materials.

One of the latest developments from ULS is the XLS10MWH MultiWave Hybrid™, the first and only laser-system to combine multiple laser wavelengths and power levels into a single coaxial beam focused to a common focal plane.

The XLS10 MultiWave Hybrid™ accommodates a fixed fiber laser source and two different CO2 laser wavelength sources that can be independently or simultaneously controlled for a virtually infinite number of wavelength and power combinations.

The ability to independently control each component of this hybrid laser beam allows optimum laser processing flexibility for an unlimited number of organic and inorganic materials.

Moreover, the unique design of the optical system allows all wavelengths to focus into the same plane simultaneously. This makes it possible for the different wavelengths to work together to provide material processing capabilities that have never before been possible. As a result, the MultiWave Hybrid can process any material – even notoriously difficult multi-layered materials with conductive and non-conductive layers.

One example of an existing application using two wavelengths independently is stainless steel cutting. In this application, a 1.06μm laser beam is used to heat the steel locally, thereby increasing its optical absorptivity. Once the material is heated, the 1.06μm laser beam is switched off, and a 10.6μm laser, which is much less expensive to operate, is used to complete the material processing operation. This allows one laser wavelength to modify the properties of the material so the second laser wavelength can carry out the material processing operation, in this case cutting, much more efficiently.

Key features of the ULS range, which TLM’s customers will benefit from, include a modular architecture. This unique ‘building block’ architecture easily reconfigures field-upgradable platforms, laser sources and focusing optics, offering unsurpassed flexibility as material needs change and businesses evolve. This rapid re-configuration is easily achieved as the full range of factory-aligned laser sources are designed to be field-interchangeable, with no special tools or training needed.

ULS have also built up an extensive Materials Library, seen as the world’s premier source for information on laser material processing. It provides information on the types of materials that can be laser processed and the processes (laser cutting, engraving and marking) that are possible with a given material.

In addition, the Materials Library highlights considerations for an individual customer’s laser system configuration that may be necessary to process a given material, in addition to how ULS technology innovations can be leveraged to obtain the best possible results. This library is an evolving resource with updates made on a regular basis.

The addition of the ULS range complements LaserCube, which has been until now, the mainstay of TLM’s laser cutting range. Designed specifically for metal cutting applications on smaller sheet sizes, this compact Fiber laser-cutting platform is also ideally suited to smaller production runs and thinner sections where it delivers superior cutting performance combined with low operating costs.

Manufactured by the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance fiber lasers IPG, LaserCube is a flat-bed cutter that is the ideal cutting tool for metals, including mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass and exotic alloys. Ideally suited to smaller part sizes, prototypes and smaller production runs, the LaserCube provides the most cost-effective capacity addition and lowest cost of ownership of any professional laser cutter.

Commenting on the benefits of the new ULS partnership, TLM Laser, Director Andy Toms said: “Having access to such a comprehensive range of field proven laser systems, supported with extensive processing knowledge, will allow us to offer tailored solutions to a much wider range of laser cutting applications. This will undoubtedly open up opportunities for TLM Laser in a number of new market segments and be a driver for growth within our business.”

For further information, please contact:

Richard Hawkins

Business Development Manager

TLM Laser

2 Navigation Court

Harris Business Park

Stoke Prior

Bromsgrove

B60 4BD

Tel: +44(0) 1527 959 099

E-Mail: sales@tlm-laser.com

Web: www.tlm-laser.com

Advanced Engineering 2023 Review: From TLM Laser

TLM Laser — 21/11/2023

Advanced Engineering 2023 took place on the 1^st and 2^nd of November where we saw professionals from a broad range of engineering and manufacturing backgrounds come together for this year’s edition of the industry's largest UK gathering.

Collectively we opened a dialogue surrounding the latest hot topics and innovative technologies with many attendees looking for solutions that would eradicate frustrating manufacturing bottlenecks as well as bolster an uptake in productivity.

These two days saw around 9,000 attendees and over 400 exhibitors from industries such as aerospace, automotive, space, defence, security, marine, energy, and medical all together under one roof.

The extensive and thought-provoking talks given throughout the halls seemed to have one main theme at their core and that was pushing the boundaries of future innovation. With a boost in the UK engineering market and EngineeringUK reporting a staggering 55% growth in demand for engineers in the last 5 years, this event was primed to be the most exciting and innovative one yet.

We at TLM were a predominate exhibitor leading the conversation around how laser solutions can benefit business processes to significantly reduce production lead times and raise the quality of end products all while saving costs and helping the company’s bottom line.

Our laser technology experts Andy, Tony and Paul along with job shop specialist, apprentice Sam and marketing department’s Tom were there to answer questions and enquiries about a range of laser applications from engraving, marking, welding, cleaning and cutting along with many more.

Listening to interesting project plans and exciting business growth stories, our team provided valuable information about engineering support, laser machinery and solutions which will enable many businesses to achieve their targeted outcomes and continue to grow with TLM Laser as their trusted partner.

If you would like to find out how you can benefit from laser solutions in your business, then contact us at info@tlmlaser.com or call on 01527 959099.

We are also excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at next year’s Advanced Engineering 2024! But if you can’t wait until then to get your laser fix then come visit us at our next show, Southern Manufacturing on 6^th – 8^th February 2024.