US-based Duggan Manufacturing was formed by friends Rodney Westich and Tony Pinho in Almont, Michigan 22 years ago. The company owes its success to hard work, smart investments and great customer service, with Prima Power at its side. Today the company has 90 employees working in a main facility of 72,000 sq ft and a satellite building of 28,000 sq ft.

“We devised a plan to get business rolling, and from that point on, it’s been a steady reinvestment plan for the latest machine technology,” explains Westich. “We put as much money back in the company as possible.”

A large part of that investment plan has been dedicated to Prima Power 3D fibre lasers.

“When we began our search for lasers, Prima Power was one of several options,” says Westich. “The company was very helpful and open. They arranged for us to visit other customers who were doing laser-tube cutting and knew we were looking at something special. Their lasers are versatile and robust, with high uptime – but if there is a problem, Prima Power’s service department responds quickly and with excellent telephone support.”

Duggan purchased a 2 kW Prima Power Rapido fibre laser in 2010 and another in 2011. The company purchased a Prima Power 4 kW Laser Next in 2016.

“We’re not a huge company, but our three Prima Power lasers allow us to punch above our weight, meaning we have much more influence than we anticipated because they give us the same attention that you would expect for a large customer with multiple machines,” states Westich. “This type of key investment definitely helped us to grow.”
For further information www.primapower.com

Bystronic Malaysia has installed the first large-format, high-performance laser-cutting system at Leon Fuat Metal, which earns the company the distinction of having the first 15 kW ByStar Fiber 8025 in Asia.

Chinhan Ooi, general manager of Bystronic Malaysia and sales director for SEA, says: “This is a significant milestone for the APAC region that also demonstrates the potential for the sale of reliable Bystronic high-power solutions in Malaysia.”

With more than 38 years of experience in various sectors, Leon Fuat specialises in the processing of steel products.

Says Calvin Ooi, executive director of Leon Fuat: “Prior to this new machine, we already had a 4020 10 kW ByStar Fiber in the factory. We were impressed with its cutting speed, which is significantly higher than that of a CO2 laser cutting system. The new machine, with its even higher cutting performance, will further increase our production output and enable even shorter delivery times.”

In its early days, the Leon Fuat Group owned 11 CO2 machines from a different manufacturer. With the upgrade to its first Bystronic ByStar Fiber 4020 in 2018, the company eliminated previously existing production restrictions and high operating costs. And even with only five CO2 machines in operation, the company was able to increase productivity and revenue with the Bystronic fibre-laser system.

Due to its excellent experiences and trust in Bystronic, the Leon Fuat Group invested in an additional Bystronic machine – a ByStar Fiber 3015 6 kW. This machine was installed at the company’s affiliate Supreme Steel Makers for processing applications in thinner sheet metal materials.

Looking to the future, Leon Fuat is convinced that its new ByStar Fiber 8025 will overcome the limitations of its existing laser-cutting systems; now the company can load raw materials with bigger dimensions.
For further information www.bystronic.co.uk

Precision sheet-metal firm KMF has invested £1.2m in two new laser-profiling machines.
The Trumpf TruLaser 3030 (L95) new-generation machines will increase cutting speeds, reduce operating costs and allow the processing of a greater range of materials. The company has replaced two existing lasers, comprising an early technology fibre machine and a traditional CO2 laser, both of which have been operational in a 24/7 capacity since early 2012.

With more capacity to cut through heavier gauge and a larger range of sheet-based materials, both new lasers allow a cutting thickness of 25 mm in mild steel, 20 mm in stainless steel and 20 mm in aluminium. The machines also cut up to 8 mm thick copper and brass.

Commercial director Keith Nicholl says: “The new lasers mean our machines are operating much faster, and we can continue to offer competitive solutions at a time when resource costs are rising. Not only are the machines faster, they’re also more accurate and allow us to build on our reputation for producing consistent-quality products in large numbers. After an incredibly productive start to the year – and in line with our continued growth – the new lasers are certainly helping us to accommodate our customers and their ambitions.’’

The machines join a full array of high-end Trumpf sheet-metal processing equipment at KMF. Laser profiling is the first stage in the processing of sheet metal-based products, so any gains are felt throughout the manufacturing process.

“We’re delighted that the new lasers have been installed,” says Nicholl. “With these now in place, we hope to continue offering our customers competitive solutions.”
For further information www.kmf.co.uk

GF Machining Solutions has recently supplied two high-performance Mikron machining centres with Heidenhain controls to Mechlam Precision Tooling, a precision mould tool, fixturing and subcontract manufacturing specialist based in Haydock.

The new MILL E 700U simultaneous five-axis machine, equipped with an integrated seven-station APC, and the new, large-capacity VCE 1200 Pro three-axis machining centre are major additions to Mechlam’s 8000 sq ft facility.

The machines are now being put through their paces producing a range of complex, high-precision parts that include intricate components for mould tools. Materials machined include aluminium alloys, tool steels, stainless steels, Inconel and plastics.

A hallmark of Mechlam, and one that helps explain the company’s continuing success and the strong position it occupies, is the quality of the parts it is able to machine: exacting tolerances of ±5 µm and surface finishes down to Ra 0.2 µm are the rule not the exception.

Explains Martin Atherton, Mechlam Precision Tooling’s owner and director: “We’ve always invested in GF Machining Solutions’ technology. The machines are reliable, represent great value and deliver the accuracy, repeatability and surface finish we require, and our customers demand.

“The MILL E 700U gives us simultaneous five-axis machining capabilities which enables us to machine complex and intricate features and details on mould tool parts and precision components that cannot be achieved, quickly or easily, using 3+2 operations,” he adds.
“Furthermore, because we can machine parts to completion in a single set up on the MILL E 700U, processing times are reduced, production bottlenecks are avoided, accuracy is maintained and customer lead times are more easily met.”

The productivity and efficiency gains delivered by the MILL E 700U have been amplified with the integration of the workpiece pallet changer.
For further information www.gfms.com/uk

A major supplier of aerospace parts in Italy is counting on a Starrag-developed flexible manufacturing system (FMS) to deliver exceptional machining rewards and reduced piece-part costs. Once commissioned, the four-machine, minimally-manned automated solution will operate around-the-clock to meet rising demand for aero-engine components.

Based on a quartet of Heckert HEC 500 X5 multi-axis machining centres, each featuring a five-axis trunnion-type table, the FMS will be served by an integrated pallet system and a centralised tool storage facility that will house 2000 tools to cover all eventualities in the single set-up, multi-task machining of the family of parts.

In addition to highly efficient cutting and cycle times, the Heckert machining centres will also ensure high-accuracy cutting – to within 2-3 µm – of the titanium and high-alloy steel workpieces which range in size up to 500 x 500 mm.

These systems may contain varying Starrag Group machines plus the integrated technologies of, for example, workpiece handling/holding and transport, cell control and tool storage systems, as well as complementary processes such as grinding, deburring, component cleaning and finish inspection.

In this case, the HEC 500 X5 machining centre was the optimum choice in terms of specification and performance. Not only does the machine’s XYZ envelope of 1000 x 800 x 1000 mm (and 800 kg capacity 500 x 500 mm pallets) meet all workpiece size demands, but the up to 82 kW/1500 Nm/15,000 rpm/65 m/min (rapid traverse rate) spindle also provides the required power and cycle time capabilities. Additionally, the machine’s B axis can rotate 360° at 80 rpm, while the A (swivel) axis operates at -45° to +91° at 15 rpm to enhance the machine’s multi-axis capabilities.
For further information www.starrag.com