A specialist engineering company has invested more than £700,000 to develop tools which provide greener, faster and safer solutions for decommissioning in the energy sector. Decom Engineering has updated its pipe coating removal (PCR) equipment, which cleans decommissioned or surplus pipelines of multiple coatings, so they can be repurposed for use on other projects. Based in Northern Ireland, Decom has also upgraded its cold cutting saws, which have been deployed on international decommissioning projects, as oil and gas operators replace or remove ageing infrastructure.
The latest modifications to its single-blade cutter will allow the company to target a new revenue stream, assisting clients in recovering conductors from decommissioned oil and gas rigs. Decom also believes there are opportunities for its patented saws to be deployed on offshore wind farm repair and maintenance projects, as well as onshore pile cutting.

For further information www.decomengineering.co.uk 

Speed, precision, flexibility: thanks to the new laser output of 15 kW, the Bystronic ByStar Fiber can cut steel, aluminium and stainless steel with a thickness from 1 to 30 mm, and brass and copper up to 20 mm.

On average, due to the 15 kW laser, the cutting speed of the ByStar Fiber increases by up to 50% (when cutting with nitrogen) compared with a 10 kW laser source. The new power level is available for the ByStar Fiber 3015, 4020, 6225 and 8025 models.

Bystronic’s BeamShaper function ensures clean cutting edges and high operational reliability across the entire range of thicknesses up to 30 mm. This function can be selected as an option when purchasing a new 15 kW ByStar Fiber, or added later as an upgrade. The BeamShaper enables the shape of the laser beam to be optimally adapted to thicker sheets and various sheet metal qualities.

Control of the high-performance flagship machine is via the ByVision cutting software and 21.5-inch touchscreen. According to Bystronic, operating the machine is as simple as using a smartphone.

In order to provide optimal material flow at the high speeds of laser cutting, Bystronic has a broad selection of automation solutions available for the ByStar Fiber 3015 and 4020. The offer includes loading and unloading systems, sorting solutions and individually configurable storage systems. Based upon the existing manufacturing environment and available space, it is possible to develop a seamlessly integrated automated laser cutting process.
ByTrans Modular is the newest loading and unloading solution on offer from Bystronic. This automation platform can be flexibly adapted to changing order situations and production rhythms in laser cutting.

For further information https://bystarfiber.bystronic.com 

Worcestershire-based MJH Fabrications has recently invested in two Amada ENSIS-3015AJ 9 kW fibre laser cutters with MPF load/unload automation systems. This significant capital investment is helping the company to better serve its UK-wide customer base in sectors that include shop-fitting, agriculture, yellow goods and factory automation.

Formed in 1990, MJH Fabrications has grown to become a progressive subcontract fabrication specialist with £2.5m annual turnover, 20,000 sq ft premises and 18 employees.
The company’s entry into laser cutting arrived a number of years ago when it acquired a second-hand machine. Several other preowned laser cutters followed before MJH Fabrications purchased its first new model: an AMADA F1 with automation tower. The company retained this “excellent and reliable” 4 kW CO2 machine for eight years before deciding to enquire about an upgrade.

“With the industry transitioning from CO2 to fibre laser technology, it made sense to think about new investment,” explains company founder Mike Hemming. “Thanks to the experience we’d had with the F1 – a machine that was nothing short of bulletproof – we had no hesitation in returning to Amada. With our F1 we never once had a requirement to call Amada out. The only visit was for annual servicing.”

An ENSIS-3015AJ 9kW fibre laser with MPF load/unload automation provided the perfect solution for MJH Fabrications.

“To be competitive we knew that adopting fibre technology was the only option and, sure enough, we immediately noticed a difference in speed capability with the new ENSIS – it’s unbelievably fast,” says Hemming.

MJH also takes advantage of Amada Variable Beam Control technology, whereby the laser beam is automatically adapted to deliver stable cutting across all material types and thicknesses.

For further information www.amada.eu