Salvagnini L1Xe fibre laser profiling centre for Kent Metal Developments (KMD)

The new system replaces two eight-year-old CO2 lasers, a move that has led to a considerable cut in energy consumption, without any loss of capacity, thanks to the new machine's speed of cut, automation and output capability. When looking to upgrade its facilities previously, the company had a problem. "Unfortunately, at our premises we don't have much available power," KMD's sales director, Phil Chapman, explained. "For this reason, we couldn't upgrade to more powerful CO2 lasers, as they tend to draw a lot of electricity. However, every time we saw a new laser, we realised we were missing out and something had to be done." However, power consumption for Salvagnini's L1Xe fibre laser profiling centre is drastically lower than for CO2 technology. Fibre laser source on the L1Xe cuts hourly running costs significantly as a result of factors that include: up to 70% reduction in energy consumption, thanks to high source efficiency; cost per part reduced by more than 50%; lower impact on consumables, due to the absence of optical path, mirrors and bellows; reduced maintenance costs; the elimination of laser gas; and the eradication of standby currents and source warm-up times. As well as being an ecologically responsible solution, the L1Xe is exceptionally fast, as Mr Chapman underlines. "After our initial enquiry, Salvagnini sent me a DVD of the machine in action," he said. "To be honest, I was so shocked by its speed that I thought the DVD was on fast-forward. We subsequently went to Italy with Salvagnini to conduct cutting trials and meet some end users. I was sceptical that the machine could match up to the DVD, but we came back thinking we simply had to have it." Installed in November 2010, the Salvagnini L1Xe has been set to work processing mild steel up to 15 mm thick and stainless steel up to 8 mm. Small, repeat batch sizes of 10-40 are the order of the day at KMD, so quick changeover times are essential, but here the L1Xe excels with its simple configuration. What's more, there are no routine service requirements for the laser source and power consumption is up to 75% less than comparable CO2 models. "Using less power has enabled our business to replace two CO2 machines with a single fibre laser, but without any compromise to capacity," Mr Chapman said. "The use of the shuttle table in tandem with high cutting speeds has meant we are to meet all our regular commitments. For example, one previous job made from 4 mm thick stainless steel used to take 4 hours, but on the new L1Xe the same job takes just 1.5 hours."