Laser drives machine for cutting long tubes

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 10, 2005

A recent installation of SolidCut Laser for tube cutting machines at Ferral Systems BV in Holland is the largest tube cutting machine of its kind in the world, built specifically for Ferral by Balliu.

Ferral Systems, based in Holland, manufactures steel and aluminium structures, primarily for the greenhouse industry.

In 2004 the company purchased a Balliu LTC 13000 tube cutting laser machine, capable of cutting 13m length tubes - the longest of its type in the world.

The length is significant as the tubes are delivered on 13m length trucks - a standard shipping length.

Camtek and its local reseller Produsoft worked closely with Balliu to provide support for the machine's advanced features within TubeCut, PEPS SolidCut Laser's tube cutting system.

The system was installed in 2004 and five days training was provided.

Guido Hofstede, Main Programmer commented: "We found the system very flexible and easy to learn - an engineer only needs basic understanding of AutoCAD to understand the concepts".

"Features such as the diagonal cut allow us to cut straight through a pipe or tube and still be able to place a plate under an angle".

Many of the structures that Ferral manufactures require parts to be welded together.

A new product was designed using SolidCut Laser that allowed items to be slotted and screwed in place.

This provided several benefits to their customers - items were easier to pack and ship, and were less prone to damage.

Also, customers could assemble the items easier.

There were also knock-on effects within Ferral's production processes, as the items only required 4-5 minutes additional laser time as opposed to 20 minutes of manual welding.

Hofstede commented: "Customers like the concept that nothing is welded, and some are even investing in special tools to connect to our new design, to be able to work faster".

As a customer under maintenance Ferral receives regular software updates, and several improvements have been noted.

Hofstede said: "The 3D capabilities and editing functions have been greatly added to and enhanced".

"We can select multiple cuts and place them elsewhere".

"Later versions also further reduced the number of head movements, delivering a reduction in cutter time due to improved NC code".

Ferral is looking into the possibility of expanding production capacity by adding a second tube cutting machine, as it is already running at 90% capacity across two shifts.

Hofstede concluded: "We have seen a 30% increase in business over the last 12 months, and in that time we have seen many changes within SolidCut Laser".

"We chose the system for two main reasons - Camtek has experience in creating software for cutting machines and also because of the short line of communication between software and hardware vendor".

"We've been able to increase our customer base because of the new services we can provide in tube cutting, as SolidCut Laser is such a vital link in the cycle".