Kings Lynn-based Optima Metal Services has expanded its offer with a £3m investment in a dedicated facility to house a LaserTube LT8 3D tube laser from BLM Group.

Says Optima’s operations manager Andy Knowles: “The BLM LaserTube was commissioned in January with the expectation that it will generate 10% of the company’s turnover in its first year. Part of our work now is to explain to customers exactly what this machine can do.”
BLM’s LaserTube LT8 can cut tube up to 240 mm diameter (virtually any tube profile can be processed) and up to 12.5 m
in length. The maximum unload length is 8.5 m, while the maximum tube weight that can be profiled is 40 kg/m. In addition, the machine can be specified with either a 3.5 kW CO2, or 3 or 4 kW fibre laser source, delivered through a 3D tilt cutting head.
Along with the mechanical specification, it was BLM’s use of software to enhance the manufacturing process that was key in helping Optima make the final investment decision.
“BLM Artube software is excellent and extremely flexible,” says laser tube manager Clyde Stratton. “We particularly like the way we can import a SolidWorks model and see it separated it into individual parts for production, on the fly. This saves lots of time and effort and, again, adds value for customers.”
The versatility or Artube allows the user to quickly add, edit or remove features from an imported drawing, while it also offers suggestions for jointing techniques.
“Our view is that if we are going to invest, we will not cut corners and definitely won’t settle for second best; it simply has to be right for us and our customers,” concludes Knowles.
For further information www.blmgroup.com

Redruth-based Partridge Ventilation, a specialist in high-end kitchen ventilation systems, has installed an automated Amada laser cutting machine in order to take its business to the next level. Replacing a plasma cutter, the Amada machine has made a vast difference to throughput rates.

With three generations of the Partridge family designing and installing kitchen ventilation systems, the company possesses a wealth of knowledge that vastly exceeds its competitors.
With its mind made up, Partridge Ventilation duly acquired a pre-owned and fully refurbished Amada LC-3015F1 laser cutter with MPF automation system.
“In short, our business is growing, which is why we decided to upgrade our sheet metal production capabilities,” states one of the company’s project managers, Oliver Partridge. “We were running machines such as a guillotine and a plasma cutter. Although satisfactory in terms of output, we knew that an injection of the latest technology would provide a springboard for our business.”
Partridge Ventilation reviewed various potential suppliers of profiling technologies over a period of 12-18 months, leaving no stone unturned.
“We examined the market thoroughly and found Amada to be on another level,” says Partridge. “In particular, the Amada care package was superior to others, while the cut edge produced by our Amada laser is far better than our previous plasma-cutting method. Plasma cutting produced burrs – that we would have to remove – which are simply not present with laser cutting.”
With the automated Amada LC-3015F1 now in place, standard parts such as tops and filter banks are profiled in advance and stored flat, ready to bend whenever necessary. As a result, lead times are minimised, which in turn keeps customers happy.
For further information www.amada.co.uk

An Essex-based manufacturer is using its expertise in cutting systems to design and make vital equipment to support frontline medical staff in the fight against COVID-19. Blackman & White has responded to the national call for urgent PPE by getting its CAD engineers to create a visor that is made from polycarbonate or acetate to make the most of its in-house cutting capabilities.

The firm is looking to utilise spare capacity in the demo room at its facility in Maldon, where Orion and Genesis V machines can use dual motion control routers and laser capabilities to produce 300 units a day. Bosses are now appealing for other businesses to support their efforts by: helping to source material that is currently hard to find or not of the right quality; assisting with product specifications; and identifying healthcare facilities in need of this vital safety equipment.
Eiko White, director at Blackman & White, says: “We can easily make 300 per day, but we’re struggling to source the right quality material; this is where we need help. The big stumbling blocks are 1 mm polycarbonate and 1 mm acetate.
“Our customers, who have been quick to come forward and offer their assistance, have been making do with alternatives, but supplies are drying up and, inherently, the costs are climbing,” she adds. “If we can get access to the right material, we can hopefully do our bit to protect NHS and care workers on the frontline.”
Blackman & White, which employs 28 people, is the UK’s only manufacturer of cutting systems, with all machines designed and manufactured from start to finish at its factory.
For further information www.blackmanandwhite.com

Concept Metal Products has invested in an additional Kimla machine to boost its 10 m metal-cutting offerings.

Having already purchased 10 x 2 m (4 kW) and 4 x 2 m (6 kW) Kimla fibre lasers, the company has ordered a third machine to increase further increase its capacity. The 6 kW, 10 x 2 m machine will be installed at the firm’s Manchester factory by MBA Engineering later this year.
One of the only companies in the northwest to cut and bend up to 10 m lengths, Concept Metal specialises in fabricating larger items for a range of different industries, including highways, rail, nuclear and waste management.
General manager at Concept Metal Products, Dean Barnard, says: “Being able to provide a larger scale of laser-cutting capabilities to our customers and a range of industries is of huge benefit to us. It’s great to be able to offer these services with the high level of efficiency and precision that comes hand-in-hand when working with Kimla machines.
“As this is our third laser-cutting machine investment, we needed a machine able to manufacture long parts as this is something only we can offer in the northwest,” he adds. “Combined with our LVD tandem press, which is capable of forming parts up to 9 m long with first-bend depth up to 605 mm, the additional Kimla laser cutter will assist in boosting this area of the business.”
Managing director of MBA Engineering, Bradley McBain, adds: “This is another example of how we deliver solutions to match a company’s business strategy, rather than simply supply an off-the-shelf solution.”
For further information https://mba-eng.co.uk/

Accujet, a small engineering company that specialises in profiling and fabrication, is becoming the go-to business for artists, sculptors and designers. Based in Upton, near Poole, Accujet has created art installations and sculptures that are on prominent display around the country. Well-known artists, including Luke Jerram, Tom Hiscocks and Stuart Semple, take their concepts to the team at Accujet, which turns them into reality.

The company was set up 10 years ago by Ken Battrick, who had no idea that within a decade, a third of his growing business would be in the art and design sector. “I sold my house and bought a waterjet cutting machine; it was 2009 and the country was in recession,” he says. “I envisaged working as a subcontractor for other engineering firms and that’s how we started.”
The first art commission for Accujet then arrived from Dorset-based maze maker Adrian Fisher, and from then onwards the company’s reputation grew and it started to take on other art-related work – often at very short notice.
“I bought a second waterjet machine and hired another engineer who has experience in graphic design and 3D modelling,” says Battrick. “Later, we invested in our own laser-cutting machine and fabrication department.”
The company is now a team of seven and has taken over three units on the Upton Industrial Estate.
“Our art side of things is something we want to develop further,” says Battrick. “In engineering, you never really see the end product, but with art I can go and see a piece of work that we have made for an artist and be proud of it. Artists choose to work with us because we are able to understand their concepts and designs, and show enthusiasm for their work.”
For further information www.accujet.co.uk