Midlands-based Syspal Ltd — a specialist fabrication company that manufactures handling and other equipment mainly from aluminium and stainless steel — has installed a flat-bed fibre laser cutting machine to expand the range of materials that it can process.
Its customers are in the medical, pharmaceutical and food industries, as well as other sectors where hygienic and durable materials are essential.
The fibre laser — a BySprint Fiber 4020 from Coventry-based Bystronic UK Ltd (
www.bystronic.com) — broadens Syspal’s abilities to process antimicrobial materials such as copper alloys, which ‘inactivate’ MRSA and other bacterial infections, as well as micro-organisms like moulds, fungi, algae and even viruses.
They can therefore reduce the spread of bacteria from touch-surfaces, which is especially important for hospitals, cruise ships and public spaces.
Managing director Chris Truman says: “We have operated a number of CO2 laser profiling machines for many years and continue to do so, but they are not able to cut copper, as reflections can damage the optics and the beam delivery system. Fibre laser machines, on the other hand, can cut copper and its alloys — such as brass — up to 8mm thick, which will allow us to produce components and assemblies from the latest anti-bacterial materials like KME Plus copper sheet.
“Due to its high reflectivity, even aluminium sheet, which is one of our main materials, is problematic to cut with a CO2 laser, while processing stainless steel tends to be slow. We regularly cut both metals up to 10mm thick, which are tackled efficiently by the fibre laser, and up to 15mm can be processed if needed. The CO2 machine is now mainly used for profiling thicker ‘conventional’ materials.”
Greater speed
Another advantage of a fibre laser is its speed. Mr Truman says that when cutting aluminium and stainless-steel sheets, it is generally twice as fast as the CO2 laser machine, while thin gauges in some other materials can be profiled three- to four-times faster. He also points out that running costs are lower; the consumables are less costly, and a fibre machine draws only about one-third of the power used by a CO2 machine.
“Moreover, with the BySpeed Fiber, cutting parameters are more consistent over the different grades of material that we process. This leads to more-repeatable cut quality, which is further helped by automatic nozzle change and alignment after a predetermined number of piercings. With CO2, the focal length of the lens can drift and the mirrors can become dirty, so while the cut quality close to the laser source may be OK, it deteriorates as the nozzle moves further away, leading to loss of accuracy.”
Syspal was an early adopter of CO2 laser cutting and has long experience of the process, having installed its first machine more than 25 years ago. However, its latest fibre machine, which is fitted with the latest CNC system containing advanced nesting software, is not only faster but also provides increased utilisation of the 4 x 1.5m sheets that are the standard size at Syspal; and while so-called common-line cutting has theoretically been possible for some years (during which a single cut simultaneously produces one side of a component and another side of a second component), creating suitable programs has hampered its adoption. Using the nesting software in the latest Bystronic control, such manufacturing cycles are now routinely programmed. Overall, 10-20% more product can be cut from any given sheet.
Automated operation
To achieve long periods of minimally manned running and maximise production output, Syspal opted to automate the fibre laser machine with a ByTrans 2040 Extended sheet-handling system. This receives its instructions from the program running in the machine control, delivering raw material to the shuttle table and unloading processed sheets.
It was the first of this large size of auto load/ unload equipment to be installed in the UK, following its launch at the EuroBlech show in Hanover last October. When dealing with larger sheet sizes, which are significantly heavier than the more usual 3 x 1.5m stock, eliminating manual handling avoids the risk of operator injury — and helps protect material and components from accidental damage.
The automation equipment, which comprises two 3-tonne cassettes one above the other, offers a range of possibilities for material handling. Each cassette can be loaded by fork-lift truck with a different type of palletised sheet material (pallets are prepared at one of the output stations serving Syspal’s 100-location Stopa automated sheet-metal storage and retrieval system). Alternatively, the second cassette can hold cut parts or protective separators that are interspersed with cut sheets to prevent damage to sensitive material.
The space beneath the bottom cassette can be used for temporarily holding a processed sheet or accommodating skeletons ready for recycling. Sub-contract services account for around 10% of Syspal’s turnover. The work carried out includes laser cutting on the fibre and CO2 laser machines, as well as on a CNC tube laser cutting centre; the company also has a 4m automated press brake and other machine tools.
Another part of Syspal’s business is the design and manufacture of hydrotherapy equipment, elements of which have been patented. The first version, which was designed for canines in consultation with vets and introduced in 2006, was followed a year later by a version for humans. More than 500 systems are now in use world-wide.