QFS Technologies, a specialist supplier of body-in-white (BIW) parts to the automotive industry has invested in a new Trumpf TruLaser Cell 5030 five-axis (3D) laser cutter. Although the company has an older Trumpf five-axis machine that has given many years of reliable service, QFS knew that investing in the higher performance and richer feature set of the TruLaser Cell 5030 would provide a number of competitive advantages, particularly in relation to new project work for a major customer.

“Once the investment decision had been made, it was always going to be a Trumpf machine,” states managing director Neil Holloway. “I’ve worked with other laser cutters in the past, but Trumpf machines are a lot more reliable. When you think about the curvature and complex shapes of a car panel, it’s easy to imagine the essential role of a 3D laser cutter at QFS. We cannot afford to run an unreliable machine.”

With its low machine-hour rate, the TruLaser Cell 5030 is suited to small and medium batch sizes, and for applications where components are frequently changed. Furthermore, TruTops Cell Basic software enables users to make quick adjustments to programs directly at the machine.

BIW parts produced on the new TruLaser Cell 5030 at QFS are mostly cut from aluminium, although some are made from high-strength steel, typically 1-3 mm thick.

“Our guys became accustomed with the machine really quickly,” says Holloway. “The controls on the TruLaser Cell are easier to use than on our older five-axis model. In addition, we were already familiar with the TruTops offline programming software, so our learning curve has been pretty shallow. We’re now in the process of migrating programs over to the new machine.”

For further information
www.trumpf.com