Sheetmetal
started thinking about a replacement.” By then, Kellys Welding had built up a robust customer base; sufficient to afford a brand new laser cutter. Around the same time, the company relocated to the unit next door, which at double the footprint would provide the perfect home for its new laser cutter. The question now, was which one to buy? “We looked at lots of machines over a 12-month period,” states Joe. “At first we only considered brands that were familiar to us, but soon realised they were way out of our price range. We started looking at other brands, including from Asia, but they were poor. We even went to see one in action. Although it was cheap and did the job, it seemed unsafe. It had a CE mark, but it only stood for ‘Chinese Export’.” He continues: “Then we came across the ACCURL Masterline and knew it was the one for us. It’s had all of the right parts. A lot of machines from Asia come with parts we’ve never heard of. The ACCURL is different with its PRECITEC cutting “Our customers need a quick response and if we weren’t in position to meet their requirements they would quickly go elsewhere.”
head, for example. The machine also carries an official CE mark and features integrated Class IV safety systems. Axe & Status did some test cuts for us and we were very happy to proceed.” Eight times faster Kellys Welding estimates that the ACCURL Masterline 3015 6kW fibre laser cutter from Axe Status is about eight times faster than the company’s previous CO2 laser cutter. Moreover, the ACCURL offers far more economic running costs. “The ACCURL Masterline uses around five times less electricity than our CO2 machine, which equates to a saving of around £4000 a month,” reveals Joe. “These savings pay for the finance on the machine, so it’s like having a laser cutter for free!” The company also reports that the ACCURL fibre laser uses far less gas and requires a lot less clean-up: parts come off the machine ready to weld. The CADCAM nesting software for the ACCURL brings further savings. “We nested a job the other day for 5mm thick stainless steel. Whereas previously we would need three sheets, now it’s just two because the software can place parts closer together. At £500 a sheet, it’s a big saving.” Benefits for customers Kellys Welding laser cuts mild steel from 1 to 20mm thick, stainless steel from 1-12mm and
43 Machinery & Manufacturing
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