Tividale, West Midlands, England - Accurate Laser Cutting, a laser sheet metal profiling subcontractor that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has invested £2.5 million ($3.9 million) to upgrade the services that it offers at its Rotherham and Oldbury facilities, and to position the company for the next decade.
In June 2015, the company’s first fiber laser cutting machine was delivered—a 6kW BySprint 4020 Fiber, which raises the maximum size of sheet the company can handle from 3 × 1.5m to 4 × 2m. They also installed two Bystronic Xpert CNC press brakes in May 2015.
The company has grown quickly, with turnover projection at £4.5 million ($7 million) this year and by adding 24/7 operation. The fiber laser machine has opened new opportunities for them, as they now can cut thick, reflective materials every week. They say the fiber laser cutter is fast and economical, helping to keep costs down for customers.
General fabricators are Accurate Laser Cutting’s main customers, so the firm rarely knows what jobs will come in next. It could be a thin-gauge sign for a restaurant frontage or a heavy chassis member for an earthmover. To execute this diverse work, the subcontractor has relied on the versatility of Bystronic's laser cutting equipment since 2008, when it purchased two machines powered by a 4.4kW and 6kW CO2 laser source, respectively. By 2012 a night shift had been added, so the company uprated both machines to more modern BySpeed 3015 CO2 models rated at 6kW.
Mild steel in the 5–25mm thickness range accounts for 80% of production currently, although the range of materials is likely to widen now that the fiber laser is on the shop floor. Accurate Laser Cutting targets mid-range contracts in batch sizes within the range of 1 to 100, with 30 or 40 being a typical run.