Developing laser technology to enhance our world
Luxinar has been at the forefront of laser technology for over 20 years and is a leading manufacturer of sealed carbon dioxide CO2 laser sources, and more recently, femtosecond laser sources. Yannick Galais, Global Sales and Marketing Manager, Luxinar spoke to Fibre2Fashion, about how the company has progressed through the years leveraging on its niche of CO2 laser sources which it supplies to OEMs around the world and the tradeshows it will be participating next.
Please give us a brief background of Luxinar--what the company is into, its core competencies and footprints if any around the world.
At Luxinar, we have a singular focus: developing laser technology to enhance our world. Luxinar has been at the forefront of laser technology for over 20 years and is a leading manufacturer of sealed carbon dioxide CO2 laser sources up to 1000W and, more recently, femtosecond laser sources. To date, we have an installed base of over 20000 lasers worldwide.
Our CO2 laser sources are manufactured in the UK for use in industrial processing and marking applications; they are sold through the company’s sales & service organisations in China, Germany, Italy, South Korea, UK and US and by our distributors located worldwide. They are used in a broad spectrum of industries including automotive, electronics, packaging and textiles and for numerous applications such as cutting, drilling, marking and welding.
What differentiates your products from similar products from other companies?
Luxinar’s SR series and Multiscan HE lasers have IP66 ratings which means that they are hermetically sealed to withstand dust, heat and water spray. This makes them ideal for siting in hot climates such as India and in the harshest of industrial environments such as the beverage industry, where liquids or dust may be present. The IP66 rating gives our customers confidence to install them on production lines anywhere in the world without having to spend engineering time designing sealed “laser modules”.
When we ship our lasers, we guarantee at least 20 per cent additional power to our customers and our expected laser tube lifetimes (at rated power) provide more than 20000 hours of continuous running. Both features extend the lifetime of the laser and contribute to reducing the cost of ownership for the end user.
Our sales, applications and aftersales teams are focused solely on our range of laser sources so they can provide excellent support and expert technical advice. Sales and aftersales are located together at Luxinar’s UK headquarters and our regional offices in China, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the US so they can coordinate and respond quickly to customers while offering local language and same time zone benefits. Our experienced application engineers process customer samples in well-equipped labs, providing a quick turnaround, free sample reports and friendly advice.
Which are the biggest markets for your products?
Luxinar supplies to OEMs. Our CO2 laser sources are sold worldwide to a variety of industries including textiles, automotive, electronics, and packaging.
How has Luxinar progressed through the years and earned a name for itself in the world market?
Luxinar has over twenty years of growth and innovation starting in 1998 when it was established in Willerby, Kingston upon Hull, UK, as part of the worldwide Rofin group. The first CO2 laser sources were shipped that year, followed by the first MULTISCAN dot matrix laser marker in 1999. More new products were released over the next few years, including 300W and 600W laser sources and the MULTISCAN vector marker, and our annual turnover exceeded £10 million in 2006. In 2007 we were awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, following the release of our first 600W laser. This was followed by the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Export Growth in 2011. Turnover exceeded £20 million per annum in 2012, and we shipped our 10000th unit in 2014. In 2014 the SR series and OEM series replaced the older product ranges, followed by the release of the SCX 35 in 2016, bringing our entire product range up to date.
Following a period of rapid growth, in 2016 we moved to a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility in Hessle, Kingston upon Hull, UK. Built on two levels, the building provides 7500m2 (81000ft2) of manufacturing space, with room for future expansion. Our facility is located conveniently close to transport links to the rest of the UK and the world.
We shipped our 15000th unit and exceeded £30 million annual turnover in 2017. The company was acquired by CMR shortly afterwards, following our divestment from the group formed with Coherent’s acquisition of Rofin. This prompted the rebranding of our company, and in June 2019 we became Luxinar.
As an independent company, Luxinar continues to be at the forefront of CO2 laser technology, launching new laser sources including the OEM 100iX and SR AOM and innovating in new technologies such as femtosecond laser sources with the launch of our LXR series; our lasers are sold throughout the world in a variety of industries and for a multitude of applications.
What benefits do laser cutters provide to garment manufacturers?
•A fast and consistent process that reduces time to market.
•Suitable for a wide variety of materials and easily automated.
•The non-contact nature of the process means that handling of the fabric is minimised.
•As a digital technology, design changes are easy and quick to implement, reducing downtime.
•Complex shapes can be cut out with ease and precision, minimising fabric waste.
•Adaptable and reliable, processing with consistently high quality.
•The laser seals the edges of the fabric to prevent fraying, avoiding further finishing.
•All the waste is removed by the laser, decreasing total process time significantly.
•No consumables, e.g blades, mean that production is uninterrupted and cost-effective.
Which products are in most demand?
As Luxinar’s range of CO2 laser sources are sold across the world for a wide array of applications, the products that are most in demand can vary: for instance our SR AOM series is ideal for high-precision applications such as thin film cutting in the flat panel display market and our OEM 45iX is widely used in denim finishing applications and is the benchmark in this market.
Which are the upcoming tradeshows you will be visiting and future products to be showcased?
We plan to exhibit at various laser tradeshows such as Laser Taiwan (December 2021), Photonics West (January 2022), Laser World of Photonics (China, March 2022 and Germany, April 2022) and Laser Korea (July 2022). In addition, we are looking to visit, or possibly exhibit, at several smaller exhibitions in our target markets. At these tradeshows we will showcase our range of CO2 laser sources from the OEM, SR and SR AOM series and our new femtosecond laser sources from the LXR series.
What role does Luxinar play with respect to laser cutting machines and where do these machines find application in?
Luxinar manufactures CO2 laser sources and supplies these to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) who produce the cutting or finishing machines. These machines can cut or engrave fabric, such as denim, and leather for jeans, handbags, shoes, and other clothing. They can also create patterns on jeans, mark designs on buttons, engrave heat transfers for t-shirts and add texture to the base of shoes for increased grip or decoration. Technical textiles including carpets, curtains, sails, and those for the automotive industry, such as upholstery, seatbelts, and airbags, can also be cut by laser.
What is the advantage of CO2 laser cutters? How fast is the technology growing?
CO2 lasers can be used to cut textiles and fabrics such as jersey shirts and leather.
The fashion industry is seeing new opportunities in finishing technologies. CO2 lasers have been introduced, as a disruptive technology, around 10 years ago at the finishing stage of the denim garment manufacturing process. As the fashion industry moves towards more sustainable technologies, CO2 lasers offer the advantage of eliminating chemicals in the manufacturing process. The adoption of this technology is growing rapidly. There are approximately 6 billion pairs of jeans made per year and only 35 per cent of them are made in a sustainable way.
How sustainable and energy-saving are your products?
Our lasers are sold worldwide for a variety of sustainable and energy-saving applications:
Jeans industry - Laser processing is an eco-friendlier alternative to bleaching or stone washing for fading, tearing and patterning, as it allows denim manufacturers to create the same effects without damaging the texture of the material and with dramatic reductions in water usage and harsh chemicals.
Food marking – Our lasers can be used to mark products in an environmentally friendly way by avoiding the need to use labels, glue or packaging.
Packaging – CO2 laser coders can be used as a replacement to inkjet printing to apply text, graphics and bar codes to a wide variety of packaging materials including glass, plastics, wood, paper, card and painted metals. Not only does this eliminate the need for inks, solvents and chemicals, but it also reduces plastic waste in the form of empty cartridges.
What can be some of the upcoming areas of application for laser cutting machines?
•Higher power for faster outputs.
•Increased applications in automotive and textiles as handling speed improves.
•High-precision applications such as microfilm cutting and micro-machining.
How does laser cutting of fashion items differ from that of technical textiles?
Robots may be used more frequently when laser cutting technical textiles. This enables tight tolerances to prevent fraying as the laser seals the edges of the fabric.
Is there a proprietary software required with your laser machines? What is the kind of user support provided?
No, the proprietary software is provided by the machine builders. Luxinar provides user support for its laser sources through its knowledgeable global aftersales teams located in Europe, China, South Korea, and the US.
How do you want to grow as a company in the next few years?
Luxinar is constantly developing new technologies to open up more application opportunities and we are working more closely with our customers to help develop additional markets globally.
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