World Machinery Launches Revolutionary New Mitsubishi eX Series High Speed (Cross Flow) C02 Laser

It integrates an eco mode that cuts running costs by up to 90% percent during standby, and also eco-friendly features for power and gas consumption. The eco credentials are evidenced by carbon dioxide emissions, which are reduced by around 30% compared to competitors’ high speed axial flow lasers.

The eX Series integrates Mitsubishi’s latest Jet Pierce technology which reduces the processing time for thick mild steel plate (up to 27mm) and medium thick plates by up to 30%. The same technology combined with improved processing speeds –up to 50m/min feed rates – also reduces the processing time for thin sheets by approximately 20%. The eX Series can also cut stainless steel up to 22mm and aluminium alloy up to 17mm, both achieved using nitrogen as an assist gas.

The machine’s new compact design optimises manufacturing space for users; providing a small footprint without reducing table size. Built on a heavy duty, high rigidity, single platform, the eX incorporates important advancements, such as a magnetic head, which protects from catastrophic crashes and allows for easy recovery; high-speed lens movement; improved Diamond Path Technology for constant beam control and exceptional cutting performance; and helical rack and pinion actuation, which reduces noise, allows for an increase in acceleration in X and Y axes, and provides increased accuracy and longer operating life.

Providing a powerful, yet simplified real world interface to the eX Series is Mitsubishi’s latest CNC controller. This unit is easy to program and use – even for beginners. It offers a faster graphical interface; simple nesting with thumbnail illustrations displayed on the screen, and expanded programming options. The CNC also works in combination with a bar code reader to quickly transfer programs to the controller, saving substantial amounts of processing time.

Complementing its high performance, the eX Series is also probably the most eco-friendly and cost effective laser on the market. The machine uses Mitsubishi’s patented three-axis, cross-flow resonator design, which in addition to delivering the highest cutting power per watt available, also significantly reduces gas consumption. It consumes less than three bottles of laser gas a year (running 250 days/year). A single resonator charge of fresh gas enables continuous rate power operation for 24 hours without replenishment. For the laser user, this means major reductions in running costs, while dramatically eliminating bottle replacement work.

The benefits of Mitsubishi’s simplified resonator design also extend to savings in running costs and maintenance. The just-on-time discharge system of the eX Series laser substantially reduces power consumption as result of automatically switching to ‘eco-mode’ during standby, reducing costs (power + processing gas) by 90%. In addition, the cross-flow resonator design eliminates the need for expensive quartz tubes and turbine blower systems, optimises cutting power and requires 2-5 times less maintenance than other laser equipment on the market.

“Where routine replacement wear parts can total tens of thousands of pounds on other laser machines - the Mitsubishi design, with its cross-flow resonator, is in the scale of hundreds of pounds, even after many thousands of hours in operation,” said Wayne Hipkiss Managing Director of World Machinery. “Simple user operation and top quality components also mean operators will be up-to-speed very quickly and waste kept to an absolute minimum.”

Summing up, Mr Hipkiss said that: “The eX series is designed to meet the needs of the most demanding users in today's 24/7 competitive manufacturing environment. It provides customers with the ingenuity and innovation to stay competitive on all levels. The eX combines ease of operability, faster cutting, upgradable automation, and eco-friendly, cost-saving features. These make it the smart choice for small job shops or high volume production facilities.”