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Honda Laser System Cuts Steel Blanks at Production Line Speed
Honda Motor Co. is implementing a high-speed laser system that can cut sheet steel into blanks quickly enough to keep up with assembly line production speeds, The Nikkei reports.
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Honda Motor Co. is implementing a high-speed laser system that can cut sheet steel into blanks quickly enough to keep up with assembly line production speeds, The Nikkei reports.
The Honda system can cut blanks 10 times faster than existing laser cutters, according to the partners. Its ability to easily change patterns helps cut the cost of producing vehicles at low production volumes.
Blanks traditionally are stamped out of sheet metal using a separate set of cookie-cutter-like dies for each desired shape. The blanks are then fed into presses to form body panels. Honda’s laser system, which was developed with manufacturing systems supplier Hitachi Zosen Fukui, eliminates the need to design and build an expensive die set for each shape. Instead, a quick software update enables the system to cut a new shape.
Honda has installed the first of the new laser systems at its Yorii factory in Japan to make Fit minicars and Venzel compact crossover vehicles. The company says it may extend the technology to other facilities, including those in the U.S., according to The Nikkei.
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