Flex Cut I Laser Cutting System

Our Flex Cut I is a high-speed, high-precision system designed for remote laser cutting of thin foils and coated foils, such as the materials commonly used in lithium-ion battery electrodes. This system represents a major advancement in technology, efficiency and flexibility in the manufacture and assembly of components using thin-coated foil materials. Changing component shapes requires swapping only two sets of fixture plates – all other changes within the system are handled by program control.

Wayne Trail’s Flex Cut I laser cutting system plays a key role in efficient, flexible manufacturing and assembly of components using thin-coated foil materials, such as those found in the electrodes used for the production of prismatic style lithium-ion batteries and special purpose large capacitors. This high-speed, high-precision remote laser cutting system uses an array of high-speed scanner-based optics, coupled to dedicated high power single mode lasers, to replace traditional hard-tooled solutions.

This automated laser system cuts multiple complex shape components per system cycle at cut speeds of up to 10 meters per second. The output of one Flex Cut I system equals that of up to six conventional hard-tooled stamping or shearing systems.

And the “flex” in the Flex Cut name is no misnomer: To swap component shapes, you only need to change out only two sets of fixture plates – all other changes within the system are handled by program control.

Incoming material is delivered in coil form. After the components are cut, scrap is evacuated and the cut parts are transferred to a conveyor and cleaning system. Here, the system removes debris and fines from the material, prior to high-speed robotic stacking. Having multiple coils in queue and multiple stacking areas for finished cut and cleaned parts enables continuous operation.