18. BystronicWorld 2/2013. innOvatiOn BySuN FIBER a fiBEr lasEr CuTTER FOR
CHINA. THE LATEST MACHINE IN BySTRONIC'S PORTFOLIO IS CALLED ...
Innovation BYSUN Fiber
A fiber laser cutter for China The latest machine in Bystronic’s portfolio is called the BySun Fiber. It is a fiber laser cutting machine tailored to the needs of the Chinese market, and combining high levels of dynamics with maximum safety. Text: Matthias Abplanalp, Photos: Daniel Leung
Maximum safety: The BySun Fiber is only available with a closed roof.
The growth is constant. Two years ago, market share was still below 10 percent, today it is nearing 30 percent, according to Henry Hou, President of Bystronic China: “Demand is rapidly increasing from one year to the next.” He is referring to cutting machines equipped with fiber lasers – or to be more precise, the growing demand for these machines in China. To better serve this rapidly growing customer segment, Bystronic has developed a fiber laser cutting machine that is tailored specifically to the needs of the Chinese market. First unveiled to the public at the Shenzhen Inter-
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national Machinery Manufacturing Industry Exhibition (SIMM) in March this year, the new machine is called the BySun Fiber. According to Henry Hou, early sales have been strong: “We are very confident that the BySun Fiber will enjoy a great market success,” he says. And he has good reason: Bystronic developed the machine at its Chinese factory in Tianjin. “No one builds better machines for local needs than local people,” Henry Hou points out. The machine’s developers incorporated detailed customer feedback into the design process. However, for some
BystronicWorld 2/2013
Innovation BYSUN Fiber
key components Bystronic China called on the know-how of the production plant in Switzerland. For example, the BySun Fiber uses the same 2-kilowatt fiber laser as the one used in the BySprint Fiber. It is a similar story with the BySun Fiber’s cutting head, which has proven itself for years in the BySprint Fiber. This means that with the BySun Fiber, the customer receives the best of two Bystronic production plants: Switzerland and China. As Henry Hou puts it, “Our Chinese cus tomers receive Swiss quality at local prices.”
“Our Chinese customers receive Swiss quality at local prices.” Henry Hou, President Bystronic China
Maximum safety The design of the BySun Fiber is based on the BySun CO2 laser cutting machine, which Bystronic China launched last year. However, there is more to converting a CO2 laser cutting machine to fiber laser than simply exchanging the laser source: With a fiber laser machine, the laser source can be placed within the control cabinet because the res onator is significantly smaller. Furthermore, there is no longer the need for an optical path; the cutting head is different; the cutting parameters have to be adapted. Also, because of its shorter wave length, a fiber laser presents a greater hazard to the skin and eyes than a CO2 laser: This, in turn, has consequences for the safety measures that need to be taken. Throughout the world, lasers are graded according to safety classes. Class 1, which includes, for exam ple, CD players and laser printers, identifies safe laser devices – safe, either because their output is very low or because the laser is located within a closed housing. Therefore, for a fiber laser cutting machine to be graded as class 1, it must be com pletely encapsulated. Since Bystronic only sells machines in the highest safety class, the BySun Fiber is only available with a closed roof. “The high level of safety is a decisive factor in the BySun Fiber’s great market potential,” says Jack Jia, R egional Director of the sales and service center for northern China.
High level of dynamics An additional striking difference between the BySun and its fiber laser stablemate is the location of the access door: In the case of the BySun Fiber, it is located on the shorter side of the machine. The reason for this is simple: Fiber laser cutters are high-speed machines that cut thin sheet metal in record times. To increase the machine’s dynamics, Bystronic equipped the BySun Fiber with a short cutting bridge, and consequently located the ac cess on the short side. In the case of the BySun – a typical universal CO2 cutting machine – Bystronic China placed significant importance on user- friendliness and, as a result, situated operator access on the longer side of the machine.
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The operator can access the machine from its short side. The BySun Fiber’s short cutting bridge makes it very dynamic.
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