Sheffield, UK - Profiling and cutting specialists Charles Day (Steels) Ltd have invested 1.5 million pounds in three high powered machines. They have added two laser cutters 3 kW BySprint Fiber 3015 and 6 kW BySpeed Pro, and a Bycell Pro system with full sheet and plate automation. The company already had an existing capacity of four flat-bed laser machines, so this addition makes it one of the largest and most diverse specialist profile cutting companies in the UK.
The motivation is to establish the Charles Day (Steels) Ltd brand as the preferred destination for subcontract laser cutting of products, while also providing a platform for diversification into new industries. In addition to the firm's traditional flame profile cutting service, the company now offers a broad offering of flat-bed, plasma, and waterjet cutting from a total of six laser cutting centers.
This increase in capacity offers productivity across a full range of sheet thickness up to 25 mm in carbon and stainless steel, in addition to the ability to process high volume cut components utilizing the automation features of the BySpeed Pro. The result is a fully automated laser cutting cell incorporating sheet storage towers, eliminating downtime and reducing customer delivery lead times.
Fiber lasing cutting with the Bysprint Fiber 3015 is an advanced alternative to conventional laser cutting processes, ideal when working with reflective materials or yellow metals such as brass and copper. In the thin sheet metal range up to 4 mm, this unit ensures fast parts output together with high precision. The company believes this fiber laser system will be go together well with their existing in house waterjet cutting center.
The company's 8 m x 4 m cutting bed is the largest sub contract cutting bed in the UK, with multi-head cutting useful for either short or continuous profiling. This allows for the cutting of thicker variations of brass, copper, and bronze. The desired outcome is a move into new markets working with yellow metals, such as the medical or electronics sectors.
Charles Day Steels operates from a site where hundreds of years of steel history have taken place and is only minutes from the birthplace of stainless steel, which is celebrating 100 years in 2013 since its discovery by Harry Brearley.