The Benefits of FAYb
FAYb and YAG Laser Markers – A comparison
The use of a FAYb (Fibre Amplified Ytterbium) Laser when compared with the technology offered by a traditional Nd:YAG (hereafter YAG) laser offers significant user benefits as summarised below.
High energy concentration and an excellent beam quality
By utilising “single mode” to guide the beam from laser light source to scanner head, a very narrow beam width of just 60µm is achieved having an extremely high beam quality (beam quality factor M2 = 1.4) thus guaranteeing a high power concentration. Since the beam is pulsed at a very high rate, very sharp character edges and smooth contours with negligible heating is achieved on the surface being marked. Since the beam is pulsed at a very high rate, very sharp character edges and smooth contours with negligible heating is achieved on the surface being marked. Because of the optimised fibre geometry that utilises a unique-to-Sunx laser source (redundant laser diodes) the power output of the Sunx LP-V10 FAYb laser marker is comparable with that of a conventional 50 Watt YAG laser.
Small housing size
The ultracompact laser head of the LP-V10 measures just 120 x 220 x 368.1mm (L x B x H). The laser source is housed in a compact controller unit. This simple construction permits installation in even the most restricted spaces within new or already built assembly lines.
Low power consumption
The FAYb 12 Watt laser source has a working efficiency of 15% so that the LP-V10 consumes just 390VA max. Traditional YAG lasers with an efficiency of approx. only 4% generally have a power consumption several times greater for a similar beam output power.
Air cooling
The surface area of the glass fibre in the FAYb laser marker (when compared with the YAG crystal) is significantly larger. This, combined with low power dissipation ensures that simple air cooling is sufficient for the FAYb type. This implies that the additional YAG-related costs for maintenance, connection, de-ionised cooling water and the resulting down time are eliminated.
Operational life
Compared with a comparable YAG system the operational life of a FAYb laser is significantly longer. Direct feeding of laser power from the diodes into the beam-generating glass fibre permits short duration pumping and hence achieves a significant prolonging of the operational life of those pump diodes. The operational life of 30,000 hours also can be taken for the marking time. As an example, for marking 4 components per minute over a three-shift uninterrupted process, the life would be in excess of 12 years. It is not always easy to directly compare marking life with operational life. With fibre lasers an operational life of between 50,000 – 100,000 hours can be possible.
It is significant to note that Sunx has a market leading position in the application of this new laser technology for industrial-use systems. Additionally Sunx was the first manufacturer globally to apply a marking system on a fibre laser basis. Thus, Sunx can look back on an application experience of over 6 years. The combination of outstanding marking capability (even on difficult surfaces) and low power consumption with virtually no maintenance over a long operational life (life duration of laser source) gives rise to a significant potential for medium and long-term cost savings. Taking into account total cost of ownership and use such cost savings are fundamentally important and deserve full appreciation.
