The MLBA™ separation process for flat glass

This prevents subsequent breakage - the norm under usual circumstances - and can help the customer to cut production times by up to 50%. The selective separation of individual glass panels in a stack is a world first, as is the single stage separation of contours, opening up a whole new range of possibilities in glass processing. Current further developments in MLBA technology by H2B in connection with the new ROFIN disc laser generation have extended the area of application to include borosilicate glasses with significantly increased separation speeds.

The benefit for the customer is obvious: the MLBA™ method is clean and contact-free and does not contaminate the glass with additives (cooling agents, cutting oil) or glass splinters. It is thus especially suited for processing sensitive glass products or for use in sensitive environments. Its high-quality edges are free of splinters and micro-cracks, and thus increase the stability of glass components by a factor of 2! Production losses through glass breakage or mechanical damage to valuable glass products are thus reduced to a minimum.

On the process: MLBA™ uses a YAG laser beam which - in contrast to the usual CO₂ laser beam - is absorbed by the entire glass volume. The laser beam is guided through the glass a number of times by a specially developed reflector system. This method allows optimal utilisation of the laser energy, separating the glass cleanly by thermally induced spontaneous cracking in one process step.

The Tubocut separation process for tube glass

The Tubocut process also makes use of YAG laser beams to separate tube glass and hollow glass effectively and splinter-free. The special alignment of laser beam and workpiece allows the most efficient use of the laser energy and results in a separation and edge quality on a par with those familiar from the MLBA process. This significantly reduces the reject rate for subsequent thermal process steps and provides the customer with a high degree of process stability.

The disc laser opens a new realm of applications

It makes full use of its special capabilities in glass separation just as in other areas of application. The performance stability, scalability, and outstanding dynamic properties of the ROFIN DS series within the 750 to 3000W power range enable flexible, high-performance solutions with a broad spectrum. The use of YAG laser beams enable the use of fibre optical waveguides. This makes the laser a very flexible tool which is easily integrated into virtually any production environment. Coupling multiple fibres to one laser enables the implementation of highly efficient, customised solutions and puts the investment in a laser beam source into perspective with regard to the cutting system.

Products for customised solutions

H2B Photonics develops tailor-made cutting solutions for its customers on the basis of MLBA technology. Its portfolio includes the necessary reflectors and laser cutting heads, which are equipped according to the process and customer requirements and integrated into the existing installation.

H2B can also develop and implement customised solutions equipped with MLBA cutting technology and provided on request as complete solutions. With regard to additional requirements on process control, H2B is also able to supply integrated measurement technology and sensors to provide further cutting options for complex cutting tasks.

Systems and processes are installed and implemented by specialists from H2B Photonics and ROFIN in co-operation with the customer. Employee training and consultation can be provided either at the H2B Photonics application centre in Garbsen or on location at the customer's premises. We make exclusive use of high-performance industrial lasers made by our co-operation partner ROFIN for our system solutions. Many years of experience, competence and an efficient global service network guarantee our customers' operations run reliably and smoothly.