January 10--High-power 7kW lasers bring a lot more than thick sheet cutting to the Australian laser cutting market; they also offer faster processing rates in the day-to-day cutting of the commercial laser cutting facility.
The first 7kW laser cutting systems were sold to Australian customers on their claimed ability to outperform other laser cutting systems in thick sheet cutting of both ferrous and non-ferrous materials, as well as their ability to process thinner materials at rates faster than presently available to 4kW to 6kW systems.
Using systems from Bristow Laser as the benchmark, the following estimated figures, supplied by Melbourne Finance Broking in December 2005, show the return on investment when purchasing a new 7kW system over a 5kW system (based on the purchase price of $1,080,000 and $695,000, respectively).
Based on an average machine charge-out rate of $200 per hour and including the extra cost of consumables and lease charges, the 7kW system will show an increase in turnover of $3,435,865 over the five-year period of the lease.
These figures only reflect the increase in turnover after costs and do not include any extra savings made by way of decreased cutting gas usage.
The new 7kW system is capable of cutting up to 32mm mild steel, 36mm stainless steel, and 15mm aluminum.
This article originally appeared on www.ferret.com.au.