Cutting Systems Expertise across all Cutting Technologies

Knuth, a leading machine tool supplier, has bundled its jet cutting activities by setting up a dedicated Cutting Technology Competency Center.

This center presents systems for plasma cutting, water-jet cutting or laser cutting, all set up next to each other for comparison demos and hands-on testing.

Expert consultants, service technicians and design specialists will assist potential customers in finding the best options for their applications and then develop the most efficient solutions for them.

• - All processes are demo-ready for direct side-by-side comparison.
• - Profit from our experience in batch production and contract work.
• - Experienced technicians from all areas of application stand by for consultation.
• - Let us help you find the optimum production solution for your needs – from simple to complex.
• - We can work with you to develop custom solutions and integrate these in a fine-tuned design.
• - Run tests with your materials and contours and plan with “real” data.
• - Retrofitting and options: technological developments never end - we will help you to keep pace with these changes.

Take advantage of this opportunity to get competent and practical advice from our specialists. You can only win!

Service technicians for all needs!

Our service technicians received special training in all 3 technologies and attend regular training courses to stay on top of newest developments. We also make sure that they can be on site quickly with all the necessary spare parts.

KNUTH Laser Cutting Systems are available in various series to meet a wide range of cutting requirements:

• - This state-of-the-art laser cutting system features a gantry-style construction and belongs to the ACE Laser group of products. With drives on both sides and a large working area of 3 m x 1.5 m ( 118" x 59"), it can accommodate most of the common plate sizes. The automatic laser cutter head with Auto Focus function (motorized focus positioning), automatic height control, and collision guard uses a material database to ensure the most efficient tooling times. Ergonomic software-guided handling and automatic adjustment of the required process parameters ensure efficient processing of all cutting jobs. An automatic shuttle table system minimizes production downtimes, since the table can be loaded and unloaded during the cutting process.
• - The D.Laser MT 3015 is designed for large sheets (featuring a work space of 3 m x 1.5 m [118” x 59”]) and provides superior cut quality and high productivity. High productivity is ensured by an automatically changing shuttle table system with two transversally moved tables. With this system, the cut parts can be removed and new sheet metal can be placed, while cutting continues on the other table.
• - The high-speed cutting system series D.Laser RP and D.Laser LM allow cost-efficient cutting of even larger sheet sizes with lengths up to 12 m (472”), and widths up to 2 m (79”). The RP series features high-precision rack-and-pinion drives, while the LM series is equipped with linear motors for an extremely high dynamic cutting process. Both series include an automatically changing shuttle table system.

All listed laser cutting systems are equipped with fiber lasers from the world leader, IPG or Raycus. Depending on the application, beam powers from 0.5 to 4 kW (0.7 Hp to 5.3 Hp) can be installed (possibly even up to 8 kW (10.7 Hp)). For the compact Laser-Jet models, we also offer pulsed fiber lasers with lower medium beam power as an economical alternative. Fiber lasers also provide a higher efficiency factor that results in significantly reduced power consumption.

Compared to CO2 lasers, the fiber laser provides the advantage that regular maintenance of mirror optics and cutting lenses is completely eliminated. However, when using a fiber laser, it is necessary to work inside a totally closed housing.

The superior cutting quality is guaranteed in all series, since all models use Precitec or Raytools laser heads. These laser cutting systems are equipped with the Auto Focus function ensuring a user-friendly design and constant cutting results in a wide variety of materials and material thicknesses.

Take advantage of the services offered by our Cutting Center to get competent and practical advice from our specialists. You can only win!

Our water-jet cutting portfolio includes a wide spectrum of systems to cover every need, from low-cost systems with small footprints to large high-performance systems. In water-jet cutting, a very fine water jet is used to which fine abrasive powder is added to increase its cutting efficiency. Since this a “cold” process, i.e., the material is not heated up, very low cutting speeds can be used for cutting very thick workpieces. It is suitable for applications using any materials, from metals to non-metals of any type: minerals (ceramics, stone, glass), synthetic materials, composite materials, foam, etc.

KNUTH Water-Jet Cutters have been successfully used in industrial applications for more than 10 years. We listened to customer feedback and implemented their experience into our systems, while continuously expanding the machine portfolio.

The entry-level model, Hydro-Jet Eco 0515 SL, is suitable for plate sizes up to 1.5 x 0.5 m (59” x 20”). A special benefit of this system is its compact design. It can be used for Micro-Water-Jet cutting to create extremely delicate (filigree) parts.

The Vario Series is the perfect solution for entry-level operators and users that want more flexibility.

These machines feature a flying bridge design and high-precision preloaded ball screw drives on all axes. They easily can be upgraded with a wide variety of additional options.

The cutting capacities of this series range from 0.8 x 0.8 m (32" x 32") (Hydro-Jet 1313 2.5D) through 1.3 x 1.3 m (51" x 51") (2D models) with a travel distance of 4 × 2 m (157" x 79").

When cutting large sheets of material and when more cutting capacity is needed (higher cutting speed, or use of dual-head cutting), the Water-Jet Series is an optimal choice, since it features cutting areas from 2 x 1 m up to 8 x 3 m (79” x 39” to 315” x 118”).

A particularly attractive option of the Hydro-Jet Vario systems is a 5-axis cutting head that can be integrated and allows bevel cuts with 60 degree angles. Additionally, the TaperControl function can be used to compensate for the small native cutting angle in order to achieve high-precision cutting results. Using the appropriate machine software, you can even make true 3D cuts. The cutting system features endless rotation, i. e., it does not have to be moved back during cutting.

Take advantage of the services offered by our Cutting Center to get competent and practical advice from our specialists. You can only win!

Plasma / Oxi Cutting Combination Systems - for higher productivity in thicker materials

Plasma torches create an extremely hot ionized gas jet that can reach temperatures of about 30.000 deg C (54,000 deg F) for effective melting of the kerf material and driving out the resulting melt. Compared to laser cutting, much thicker plates can be cut: e.g., up to 80 mm (3”) thick materials can be cut using an amperage of 400 A. However, this cutting process generates significantly more heat in the material, which results in 10 times wider kerfs, and the heat affected zone along the cut surfaces will reach deeper into the workpiece. Accordingly, plasma cutting is not so much a high-precision cutting process, but rather a technology for producing massive cuts in a highly cost-effective way. This is the ideal solution when the quality of the cut is not that important, and if no complex cut geometries are to be generated.

If even thicker (e.g., up to 200 mm [8”]) unalloyed steel has to be cut, an oxy-fuel flame head can be hung in the cutting system in place of the plasma torch, thereby heating the material with a propane flame and cutting it by burning iron with the oxygen jet. The oxygen-fuel technology can, however, not be used for high-alloyed stainless steel and aluminum materials.

Currently, three series are available. Two of these series use the industry-leading Hypertherm Technology for plasma source, plasma torch, control and software, while the third series utilizes a simple Hypertherm plasma source.

The Plasma-Jet DSL series systems are robust high-capacity systems for plate sizes from 3 x 1.5 m (118” x 59”) to 24 x 4 m (945” x 157”). These systems can be equipped with an optional tube cutting system and/or a 5-axis cutting head for chamfering.

The Plasma-Jet DSL Compact series systems feature a space-saving design, but still include the same high-quality technical components as the DSL series, so you can achieve the same superior cutting results. This series is designed for plate sizes 2 x 1 m (79” x 39”) and 2 x 6 m (79” x 236”). These systems also can be combined with an optional tube cutting device.

The Plasma-Jet Eco Compact series features an excellent price/performance ratio and is designed for individual use applications. The cutting functionality is the same as in larger systems, however, only the Powermax plasma source can be used for this system. This means that it is limited to cutting with air (as plasma gas), and can only cut unalloyed and low-alloy structural steel.

Take advantage of the services offered by our Cutting Center to get competent and practical advice from our specialists. You can only win!