The Laser Cutting Co, Sheffield, has invested almost £1 million in the latest Adige LaserTube processing system to provide its customers with greater production security and the cost-effective manufacture of complex tube components.
The Laser Cutting Co provides a sub-contract laser cutting service, delivering tubular, open sections and flat metal parts on a daily basis to customers throughout the UK.
The company also operates a programme of continual investment to ensure that its production capabilities can meet the demands of its ever-increasing customer base, which expects a rapid response and 24hr working.
The Adige LT8 LaserTube — from BLM Group UK Ltd, Ampthill, Bedfordshire (
www.blmgroup.com) — replaced a competitor’s tube laser and complements two existing Adige LaserTube machines, two flat-bed lasers and one six-axis tube laser.
Established in 1981 The Laser Cutting Co has developed a reputation as a ‘one-stop shop’ for laser cutting, whether tube or flat sheet; it also provides customers with secondary operations such as bending and sub-assembly. However, it is in the potential of LaserTube that managing director Jon Day sees significant growth potential for the business.
“We are convinced that customers can make major cost savings by switching their production to our Adige tube laser machines. By virtue of the process, many of the jobs we produce are self-jigging, which reduces the secondary fabrication times.
"This also has the knock-on benefit of reducing the reliance on highly skilled welders and fabricators, as the accuracy of the laser-cut parts — to tolerances of 0.005in — allows complex joints to be welded easily and consistently.”
Justified investment
The Adige LT8 LaserTube has only been installed at The Laser Cutting Co for a matter of weeks, but it is already in full production and generating significant savings over the machine that it replaced. In one particular case, a cycle time reduction of more than 40% was achieved.
“The performance of this machine justifies the investment we have made, and we are confident that the additional security of supply provided by this increased performance and capacity will ensure that customers take advantage of this new capability; and while the Adige LT8 LaserTube is the most complex machine we have installed, it is also one of the easiest to use, such is the simplicity and intuitive nature of the control system.”
The machine accommodates tube from 12 to 220mm in diameter and 200 x 200mm square. Moreover, it features a 45deg tilting laser head that can undertake 3-D cutting on all sections of material, including open sections and special profiles.
Further enhancing the machine’s productivity is its dual independent loading capability; an automatic bundle loader with a carrying capacity of up to 5,000kg at the rear of the machine is supplemented by a single-bar automatic loader at the front of it.
Meanwhile, the Siemens touch-screen control features cost-saving elements, such as BLM’s automatic nesting software and the ability to minimise bar-end scrap. Furthermore, the system allows production runs that feature a mix of components from the same tube — or switching batch runs in process.
In conclusion, Mr Day says: “Even after many years of laser tube processing, there is still a huge market for the benefits that the process brings. We continue to introduce customers to the associated cost savings that can be achieved when compared to the more-traditional multiple-operation processes. With the Adige LT8 LaserTube, we can combine operations previously undertaken separately — cutting manufacturing costs and lead times for customers.”