Having seen a business opportunity 14 years ago, Matthew Levett and his wife Maria founded ML Fabcuts to provide a sub-contract service for water-jet and laser profiling.

When they relocated locally to premises in Crayford in 2015, they saw an opportunity to review the company’s output and put a greater emphasis on laser profiling — while retaining some water-jet capability.

Two years on from that move, the company has been winning new business by investing in a flat-bed laser with integrated tube-cutting capability — a BLM LC5 from Ampthill-based BLM Group UK Ltd (www.blmgroup.com).

ML Fabcuts built its reputation on its rapid response, which it achieved through its willingness to stock sheet in various materials and ensuring that the job gets completed on time.

The result is an extremely diverse customer base, ranging from motor-sport, the construction industry and the sign-making sector — plus one-off commissions for artists.

Production manager James Waldron-Stevens says: “We are all motivated to deliver on our promises, and our list of long-standing customers shows we are achieving that.”

While Mr Levett identified the potential opportunities presented by tube laser cutting, he did not want to commit to a dedicated tube laser machine. However, during a visit to the last EuroBLECH exhibition, Mr Levett and Mr Waldron-Stevens had what they describe as a ‘eureka moment’ after seeing the BLM LC5 5kW fibre laser with integrated tube-cutting module.

Mr Waldron-Stevens said: “When we saw that it was possible to combine tube cutting with flat-sheet processing in a seamless package, it was almost an instant decision to place an order.

The combination of flat-bed and tube gave us peace of mind, as the machine could still be used as a flat-bed machine if the tube business didn’t develop.”

In fact, the machine — installed in May — is already running 50/50 on tube and sheet work; the aim is to increase its use on tube processing to 75%.

Good efficiency

The efficiency of the BLM LC5 is enhanced by its use of a single laser source and cutting head for both sheet and tube processing; this makes switching from one process to the other extremely quick.

Mr Waldron-Stevens said: “We simply push a couple of buttons to stop processing sheet, cut some tube, then return to where we left off with the sheet, once we have finished the tube work. I’m sure that we will make very good use of this feature to meet urgent deliveries.”

Automation is central to the design of the LC5; it comes with automated tube-bundle loading, capable of handling tube up to 6.5m long and up to 120mm in diameter.

Sheet loading is handled by the BLM Electric sheet pallet changer, which can be specified with sizes of 3,000 x 1,500, 4,000 x 2,000, or 6,000 x 2,000mm.

Machines can also be configured for transverse or in-line configuration.ML Fabcuts also took the option of automatic nozzle change; as well as changing the nozzle (up to 18 nozzle positions are available), the system automatically adjusts the nozzle for changes in material and thickness; a vision system monitors nozzle wear and provides
verification that the change has been completed.

Mr Waldron-Stevens says: “While we bought the LC5 for its tube-processing capabilities, the option of being able to instantly switch to flat sheet means that we have also increased our sheet-processing capacity, which adds to our aim of being a ‘one-stop shop’ for customers.

“We have also seen an improvement in cut quality, due to the additional power that BLM fibre offers over the company’s existing lasers.

“This has improved cutting performance and virtually eliminated any deburring requirement, particularly when cutting aluminium.

“The entire process — from looking at the machine at EuroBLECH to it being installed at our Crayford factory — was straightforward. During the initial discussions, BLM’s Jon Curtis answered all our questions and gave
us the confidence that we were ordering exactly what we needed.

“Our challenge now is to keep the machine fed with work; its efficiency means that it is a hungry beast, but the reaction we are getting from customers now that we have this combination of tube and flat sheet is very positive.”