News - 03.11.2019

The Real-World Benefits of Datum Innovation

We believe that the best innovations don’t matter much if you can’t point to the real-world applications and benefits it provides.

Datum Alloys
Ian John

Recently I wrote about the innovation happening at Datum. I received some questions about why this is important, and why we need to innovate this technology. So I would like to take this time to go over some of the more detailed applications of our recent work.

I believe that the best innovations don’t matter much if you can’t point to the real-world applications and benefits it provides.

Our recent advancements in developing our own laser cutting technology has impacted our own business immeasurably,

and we hope it will change the industry as a whole eventually.

Here are just a few of the benefits of this laser technology that we are already experiencing.

This laser tech has allowed us to process stencil blanks in record time. These blanks require mounting features which include apertures around the perimeter of the blank that interact with a frame system. These sheets can now be processed directly from a cil, instead of individually. They are sheared to length and stacked immediately after cutting, which saves time and money throughout the whole process.

Using this laser technology our parts can be cut from 0.02mm to 0.50mm thicknesses, 700mm wide, and to any length we want to (because it is attached to the coil during processing). This means we can cut any small parts that normally need to be etched or stamped, we can process with a higher throughput than normal chemical etching. This is particularly true for large format parts.

Besides the actual detail of the processing, we can process larger sheets than etchers, in small or large batch runs. So not only is the quality of the work increasing, the amount you get with each working day also increases. Since our sheets of small parts are held in place by tabs during cutting, there is no loss of productivity when switching between large pieces or small pieces.

To top it all off, our laser cutting technology is much cleaner than chemical etching, when performing etching or stamping.

This list of benefits only shows what we have discovered in the short time since its development. We don’t know what else we will uncover in the months or the years to come, but you can be sure we will find out. Our drive to continue to innovate, and improve upon the exiting technology will carry us into the future of technology.

We hope you’ll join us.