Cutting and bending investment

The purchase of a Bystronic 6kW BySprint 4020 Fiber Laser led the company's investment back in spring and, six months on, the state of the art cutting equipment has transformed the face of the business, with the metal cutting specialists seeing an improvement across every aspect of the manufacturing process.

“We continuously invest in the latest equipment to ensure our customers receive unparalleled levels of precision and an outstanding metal profiling service that we believe is the best in the UK,” explains company director Jon Till.

The company now has the capacity to handle 4m by 2m sheet metal and the ability to process a previously unseen range of materials and thicknesses including 30mm aluminium, 15mm brass, 12mm copper, and 25mm mild and stainless steel. As a result of the increased sheet size, the fibre laser also allows for a better nesting strategy to be applied.

“Prior to the upgrade, we would previously split larger 4m jobs across more than one sheet as our maximum cutting bed size was 3m x 1.5m,” says production manager Neil Tomkins. “With the fibre laser, this is no longer the case as we now have the extra capacity to fully utilise the available space, offering customers greater flexibility for larger parts.”

This investment has paid dividends for the business resulting in up to a 300% increase in cutting speed when processing thinner sheet materials. It's these impressive fast speeds and quicker feed rates that have allowed for extra capacity to be released.

“The BySprint Fiber laser is an exciting piece of equipment to have on the shop floor,” comments Mr Till. “A job that used to take three hours can now be processed in a third of the time. For example, 3mm mild steel can be processed at a rate of 13,300mm per minute, almost three times faster when compared against conventional CO₂ equipment. This is brilliant news for our customers, as they can benefit from an even faster cutting service and we can turnaround orders much more quickly.”

The equipment's ability to process materials at greater speeds, means leadtimes are at an all-time low for Accurate Laser's customers and orders can be delivered in as little as 48 hours.

Company director Steve Morgan affirms: “Our ongoing commitment to invest in the latest manufacturing technologies allows this high standard of service to be continuously sustained and improved upon wherever possible.”

Although CO₂ laser remains a valuable tool for the processing thicker materials, Mr Till believes it only a matter of time before they become a thing of the past.

Reflective materials such as copper and brass can now be processed with ease and to a high standard. This was previously unachievable using CO₂ cutting equipment without damaging the optics. Other advantages of using fibre technology also include low maintenance levels and high levels of reliability. An accurate cut is another advantage, as a smooth edge finish is easily achieved without burring or any other defects.

A 320/4m pressbrake and 150/3m pressbrake also formed part of Accurate Laser's investment plan. The duo of advanced folding equipment operated in conjunction with the fibre laser offer an increased capacity of up to 4m and a maximum thickness of 25mm. The manufacturing process is completed under one roof at the company's Oldbury headquarters, giving Accurate Laser Cutting's customers the option to single source their components and add further value to their orders.

“Over the past six months, we have witnessed a surge in demand for our secondary operations and are delighted to now have the facilities to provide our customers with a complete metal profiling service,” Mr Tomkins explains. This is also reinforced by a £60,000 investment in tooling and an additional £55,000 in a CAD/CAM software package, allowing the firm to cater for an array of bending requirements.

It is evident that six months later, Accurate Laser's investments, in particular the Fiber laser, have brought many advantages to the business and its customer base alike.

Mr Morgan concludes: “Since our equipment was commissioned back in spring, we have seen production rates increase by 40-50% and as time goes by we anticipate further improvements across the board.”

ACCURATE LASER CUTTING
www.accurate-laser.co.uk