FEATURE ON PROFILING

Copper specialist grows manufacturing capacity

Metelec, based in Wolverhampton, is continuing its growth trajectory in added-value manufacturing by committing to a further circa £400,000 investment in cutting-edge machines that will increase its capacity and productivity. The company recently took delivery of an EHRT compact punching machine from Germany that effectively doubles capacity and complements the single-punch EHRT with 10 tool holders that arrived in 2021. 

The EHRT compact punching machine has three integrated multi-head tools, minimising tool changeover times with the ability to produce products in high volume. Moreover, software integrates manufacturing design management and production scheduling with the existing EHRT, which already covers Metelec’s full product range.

Metelec’s EHRT was the first of three recent machine investments. The company has since taken delivery of a Cosen G320 bandsaw, replacing an 11-year-old Cosen C320 to provide greater efficiency and productivity. In addition, June saw the arrival of an Amada EG-4010 electric press brake that increases the speed and range of products available from Metelec.

Steve Dove, operations director at Metelec, says: “We’re delighted to reveal our continued commitment to investment and growth with the purchase of these three industry-leading machines. Each offers different capabilities and benefits, but they all ultimately help to improve our quality, proficiency, precision, speed and capacity.”

Dove says there is huge potential for growth in copper, particularly around electric charging infrastructure and data management.

“Investments such as these will help ensure we lead the way in the production of switchgear components and kits of parts for years to come. Two big challenges facing the UK economy at present are growth and productivity. Here at Metelec we’re proud to be addressing both in our pursuit of manufacturing excellence.”

More information www.metelec.com 

New micro-cutting technology installed

Nanoker from Spain specialises in technical ceramics and advanced nano-composites for various extreme applications. Now, the company is pushing boundaries using micro-waterjet technology. After winning a tender from CERN, Nanoker scanned the market for a suitable machine system. After a thorough evaluation they decided for a NCM 10 micro machine from Water Jet Sweden. The first challenge was to win the tender, second to find and select the right machine, and third to implement the new technology into its own production flow.

For every new set of parts, the machine needs to fine-tuning to get perpendicular cuts with tolerances of ±0.02 mm. Measuring the perpendicularity of machines after installation is standard procedure at Water Jet Sweden. However, for the NCM 10 Micro machine, laser measurement and ball bar verification also take place.

Water Jet Sweden always finalises training at the customer’s site, making sure the customer gets up and running. The company stays until after the customer produces a series of approved parts.

Sergio Rivera, product and business development manager at Nanoker Research, sums up the project: “The micro-water jet machine enables access to a very precise technology that cuts very hard materials in ‘close-to’ 2D geometries. Apart from the business related to the ‘big science’ industry, the machine will present new avenues for us to produce parts according to customer specifications with a different machining strategy.

He adds: “This technology will also allow us to access other markets, such as industrial. Previously, the production of ‘close-to’ 2D geometries in hard ceramics were limited to electrically conductive materials by using wireEDM. Now however, thanks to micro waterjet, we can machine both electrically and non-electrically conductive materials.”

For further information www.waterjetsweden.com

Lantek delivers major productivity gains

Australian laser subcontractor Online Laser can manufacture twice as much as before with the help of Lantek’s sheet metal CADCAM and ERP software. Based in Bendigo, Victoria, the company has two Bystronic Bystar fibre lasers and previously used a proprietary software system, which is now no longer supported, to manage the machines and the workflow through its factory.

Ben Harris, programming and production manager, says: “We were looking for an end-to-end system to manage our quotations, programming and production. With our old system there was no integration and we had to repeatedly enter the same information.”

Online Laser installed the Lantek system in July 2019 comprising Lantek Expert CADCAM, MES, Integra and WOS. This year it added the Lantek Opentalk connection directly to the laser machines so that validation of the status of the machines and the parts being manufactured is automatic.

“The vast majority of parts come as CAD models in several different formats, and we can import them directly into the Lantek software,” says Harris. “The integrated Lantek Expert can quickly analyse the laser cutting times and – within the Integra software – combine them with subcontract costs such as folding, powder coating or machining to produce an accurate price for the whole job. Previously this could have taken a few days, now it can be done in 1-2 hours and sometimes in minutes.”

Where the material type and thickness are the same, the company nests parts from different customers in the same sheet.

“The inventory system is worth the investment on its own,” states Harris. “We can manage remnants of material to use them up and keep track of stocks so that we don’t suddenly run out of material.”

For further information www.lantek.com

Kerfs cuts bottleneck at subcontractor

As a subcontract manufacturer, Q-Laser offers laser, waterjet, press brake and fabrication services throughout the UK. When the main division at Washington, Tyne & Wear, realised its waterjet cutting department based in nearby Hebburn was reaching full capacity, the company needed a solution. Kerf Developments provided the answer with a Semyx Optima 420 twin abrasive waterjet cutter.

Founded in 2012, Q-Laser set up its waterjet cutting division in 2019 to complement its laser, press brake and fabrication services, starting with a five-axis waterjet machine. Except for the pandemic, the waterjet division has grown exponentially, and the existing waterjet machine was struggling to meet the capacity demands of the business, so Q-Laser turned to the Optima 420 twin abrasive waterjet.

With two cutting heads, the 4 x 2 m bed machine instantly doubled cutting capacity in comparison to the company’s existing machine. In a sector where clients expect a quotation in hours and components cut and delivered in less than a week, the addition of the machine has alleviated the bottleneck, created additional capacity and immediately reduced lead times.

Company director Colin Hewitt says: “We gave Kerf a range of trial parts. The productivity, precision, cut quality and edge finishes were beyond anything else we had seen, so our decision to invest was made. A few months after the installation, Kerf has excelled in its service and consumable supply, which was a critical element for us. Kerf stocks all spare parts for the machine in the UK and they are available on a next-day service. This gives us complete confidence.”

For further information www.kerfdevelopments.com   

NEO range and service focus drive laser sales

The new NEO range of laser processing machines and a strong focus on customer service helped Yamazaki Mazak UK to record its most successful ever year for laser sales in 2023. NEO machines, which complement Mazak’s 2D laser and 3D tube cutting models, have opened up new markets for the company at both OEMs and subcontractors.

Ian White, general sales manager – laser products for Yamazaki Mazak, says the NEO machines – including the Optiplex NEO 20 kW 2D fibre laser and the FG-400 NEO fibre laser for long tubes, pipes and structural materials – have added new capability to the Mazak laser range.

“The NEO machines have helped us penetrate new markets, particularly where laser users are working with heavy plate – in the energy and construction sectors, for example,” says White. “We’ve also recorded especially strong results in medical, a sector that requires exceptional accuracy and cut quality.”

The strength of Mazak’s service offering for laser users has also driven market share, as White reveals: “Mazak has invested in its service and support for customers, and we now have 25 applications staff ready to advise. We’ve also introduced our industry-first 24-hour service hotline for laser users, which is available even if the machine is not under warranty or a service contract. The hotline enables customers to speak with a UK-based engineer to get their machines back up and running at any time of the day.”

White is confident that 2024 will deliver even more success, especially with the launch of the new Optiplex Ez machine, a cost-effective laser processing range with multiple advanced cutting features.

For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk