Interview with Derek Kern of Kern Laser Systems (USA)
Kern Laser Systems is a family business out of Minnesota that employs over 30 full-time staff and produces lasers for companies around the world in their state of the art 35 000 sq. ft. facility. They offer turnkey laser cutting and engraving solutions for manufacturers around the world.
Kern Laser Systems recently joined CNCKingdom.com and as part of the process, I wanted to interview them for the blog to introduce them to the community.
Derek Kern is the second generation responsible for Kern Laser System’s success and has been the VP of sales and marketing for the company since 2007 and has been with the company since 2000. His father, Gerald is the founder of Kern Laser Systems.
What are Kern Laser System’s unique value proposition for the industrial laser marketplace? What were the reasons behind Kern’s founding?
Kern Electronics and Lasers, Inc. was founded in the early 1980’s by Gerald Kern. Mr. Kern started manufacturing stepper control systems (CAD/CAM) for a variety of motion applications. Once the sealed CO2 laser became commercially available in the early 1990’s Gerald traded one of his CAD/CAM controllers and an X/Y table to the late laser pioneer and founder of Synrad Lasers, Peter Laakman. In exchange Gerald received his first laser which was a 50W tube. This laser was integrated onto a motion system and shipped to Kern’s first customer Laser Magic in Apopka, Florida. This machine is still in operation today, a great testament to the quality Kern has put into their machines since the very beginning.
Today, Kern employs 30 full time employees in our 35,000 sq. foot facility. We have over 1000 laser installments worldwide. To present date we mostly go by “Kern Laser Systems” which more accurately describes our product range.
One thing that differentiates your laser systems from others in the marketplace are the open aspect of your class IV laser and gantry design, where others have enclosed their lasers behind various metal and acrylic shields, you left it wide open. What are the reasons and benefits behind this decision?
From the beginning our machines were designed with this Class IV open bed design. The main benefit behind this is the ease of loading and unloading parts. It really makes the operation of our laser equipment efficient and the perfect match for high production shops.
Kern Laser Systems produce some of the larger laser beds in the industry but you released a (up to) 150 watt micro laser system capable of cutting through metal with a small footprint of only 15 sq. ft. or 24 inches square / 609 mm square (micro24). How did this come about? What are some of the applications that a machine with such a small cutting surface are used for?
The MICRO laser system is actually a blend of old and new technology. In the 1990’s and 2000’s Kern manufactured a Split Gantry laser system available in both 24” x 24” and 48” x 24”. This was a very popular design with hundreds placed in to the market. As our company matured larger table sizes became more popular and this is ultimately what we are best known for today.
During the recession of 2009 it was decided a lower cost machine was once again needed The MICRO laser system is truly a blend of the HSE gantry and Split Gantry moving bed. The two technologies together allow for very fast processing speed in both cutting and engraving mode. This smaller format machine allows us to market to a price point we were previously not able to attract.
The MICRO machine is popular with R&D departments that are not worried about large production runs, schools and universities that have limited budgets and also shops that have space restrictions that would not allow for our large format machinery.
Although your lasers are capable of cutting through a variety of materials (acrylic, wood, foam etc.), they are mostly known for their quality metal cutting ability – what is the value proposition for going with a laser cutting solution for stainless steel, mild steel and aluminum vs. using a plasma cutter.
Many customers do not realize lasers as small as 150 watts can cut light gauge sheet metal with the help of an assist gas such as oxygen or nitrogen. For example, our 150 watt laser will cut about 2mm stainless and mild steel. The 400 watt laser will can cut up to 4.8mm mild steel and even more reflective metals like aluminum and brass.
The CO2 laser offers advantages over other CNC machines such as the water jet and plasma cutter. Two of the most notable advantages of the laser is a fine cutting kerf and faster processing speeds.
All CNC machines have their niche but the CO2 laser seems to be more versatile than most machinery in the market. Its ability to work with acrylic, foam, metal, stone and wood allows us to offers our machinery to a large variety of industries.
Can you tell me some of the unique features of Kern’s KCAM laser software? Are there any features that differentiate it from those of other software packages out there?
KCAM is truly the workhorse behind our laser products. This software is so much more than an interface to enter your laser power and processing speed. KCAM allows users complete control of their application with its multiple advanced settings.
Two of my favorite features within KCAM are the Cut Optimizer and Vector Path Speed Control.
What kind of warranties do you offer with your machines and do they include the laser tube? Do you also offer extended warranties with your machines?
We place a 2 year warranty on the motion package, chilling unit, vacuum blowers and computer system. The laser tube is also warrantied but the term differs by manufacturer. Anything below 100 watts typically is sold with a one year warranty. Lasers that are 100 watts and above are sold with a two year warranty. Replacement lasers are kept readily available to service our customers quick and efficiently.
Extended warranties are offered on our 100 watt and larger lasers. The pricing depends on the laser size and how many years are to be added.
True 3D laser engraving is a very difficult process to achieve good results on as laser systems have no feedback system for z-axis positioning and burning depth. What are some of the secrets to achieving fantastic 3D laser engraving on a Kern laser?
The secret behind our superior 3D engravings is 100% in our KCAM laser software. KCAM has the ability to read 256 shades of gray and associate a laser power level with each color shade. Our lasers need only a single engraving pass to get deep and crisp results. KCAM is only sold on the Kern machinery and gives our customers a competitive advantage over their competition.
I was incredibly impressed with your rotary cutting options, the video of your 150 watt CO2 laser cutting through a pipe produced fantastic results, you also offer i-cut Vision Pro solutions for perfect cutting using registration marks. Can you expand a bit on the benefits of each technology when integrated within a Kern Laser Systems package?
The rotary and machine vision options have become increasingly popular over the past few years. These are two features that are meeting the needs of our customers and giving them even more of a reason to purchase our lasers.
The rotary can really be used with any material that is cylindrical. Of course the most common material is metal pipes. A lathe chuck secures one end of the pipe while spinning it. A tail stock on the far side keeps the pipe spinning flat and true. Typical applications for the rotary include custom cut motorcycle pipes, filters and pipe joints. One of the neater applications I saw was when a customer used the rotary to spin wood dowels and make laser engraving walking sticks.
The machine vision option compensates for distortion and rotation in the material to be cut. A camera is mounted near the nozzle and measures the distance between registration marks on printed materials. The software then calculates for in accuracies by automatically adjusting the position of the cutting file. When you get is repetitive and accurate cuts each time the sheet of material is cut on the laser table.
You can find out more about Kern Laser Systems by visiting kernlasers.com.