With business booming at Wetherby-based fabrication specialist Kellys Welding, the company wanted to replace its pre-owned CO2 laser cutter with a new fibre laser. With a shortlist of ‘wants’ that included quality, speed, energy efficiency and a very competitive price, Kellys Welding spent nearly 12 months assessing the UK market. The company discovered that only an ACCURL fibre laser cutter from Axe & Status (ACCURL partner in UK) could meet its requirements and provide the impetus for further growth. Such has been the impact of the ACCURL MasterLINE 3105 that the monthly savings on electricity consumption alone pay for the finance on the machine. According to Kellys Welding, “it’s like having a laser cutter for free”.

Kellys Welding is a family-run business launched by Owner Joe Kelly in 2017. In just seven years the company has grown from a one-man start-up to a 10-employee enterprise that is on track for a turnover of £1.3 million in 2024. The reasons behind this impressive growth are many, but ironically the company gained its first real break during the pandemic. Although welding jobs came to a halt, Kellys Welding was also selling raw material online, an activity that boomed. “After the pandemic we had enough money to buy our first laser cutter, a pre-owned CO2 model,” says Joe Kelly. “It was perfect at the time but we soon ran out of capacity due to our growing workload and the machine’s lack of speed. It also consumed a lot of electricity, so we 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 realized 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 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 aluminium up to 6mm. The company processes everything from 1-offs and small batches up to thousands. Investing in the ACCURL fibre laser is not only good news for Kellys Welding, but also for its customers. “Keeping our CO2 laser would have created such a backlog with our workload today,” explains Joe Kelly. “Our customers need a quick response and if we weren’t in position to meet their requirements they would quickly go elsewhere." Kellys Welding has a strong and growing pool of local customers in sectors that span construction, automotive and retail, with many now trusting the company as its main supplier. The business has seen its turnover double every year for the past five, based on an ethos of short lead times, competitive prices and top-quality products. “As a small company we usually have the flexibility to price match and win orders. In contrast, many of our competitors have expensive monthly machine payments to meet. We looked at a European machine with the same specification as the ACCURL and it was over £500,000. The ACCURL was less than a third of that, with a three-year warranty for parts and labour.”

High-Level Support

Kellys Welding is pleased to report that the ACCURL MasterLINE has proved totally reliable since its arrival, with the company enjoying high-level support from both Axe & Status and ACCURL. “During commissioning we had the engineer from ACCURL optimise the parameters for every single material we cut here,” says Joe Kelly. “Since then, Axe & Status set up a What’s App group. If we ever had a query we simply post a message and get a reply around two minutes later. The group is even linked with the ACCURL factory, which will be useful if we ever need their input in the future.”

Fabweld Steel Products (FSP), a leading manufacturer of access covers and steel products for the construction, water, energy and security sectors, has made a significant capital investment as it bids to almost double turnover in the next five years.

Shropshire-based Fabweld Steel Products has brought a 15kW Accurl Fibre Laser to increase its production capacity and scope to boost growth.

The new machinery replaces the firm’s 3KW fibre laser, which handled 95 per cent of products at the Telford factory.

Managing director Wayne Carter said: “It’s my aim that we will grow our business from £4 million annual turnover to £7 million within the next five years.

“The Accurl laser is the latest investment to help us achieve that, and follows previous work to extend our welding capability and nitrogen gas generation. All three investments will ensure we have the right infrastructure for the growth we want.

“After more than 10 years of hard work, we had outgrown our 3kW fibre laser. This new machine will provide us with far greater cutting speeds and scope, ultimately removing a major barrier to growth and creating many new opportunities for FSP.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those staff who worked additional hours to get us ahead of our cutting schedule so we could get the new laser installed and commissioned with as little disruption as possible.

“Going forward, the increased speed, capability and capacity will quickly put us onto an upward trajectory to achieve our full potential.”

The process to decommission the 3kW, remove it, install and commission the Accurl, train staff and get up to full production capability was due to take almost three weeks and was completed at the end of October.

Wayne added: “With 95 per cent of our products going through our laser, this upgrade has taken a considerable amount of planning. Ultimately, we had reached a point where we were unable to grow the business or expand our scope. Upgrading our laser will enable us to do both.”

For more than 30 years, customers from various industries have been relying on the specialist for conveyor systems technology: MFP – Maschinen-Förder-Produkte GmbH+Co. KG. A broad product portfolio and the use of state-of-the-art production equipment characterize the family-owned company from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. MFP relies on different technologies for cutting. The latest investment is a smart 2D laser system of the MasterLINE series, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”.

The family-owned company MFP (Maschinen-Förder-Produkte), which is certified in the field of "development, manufacture and sales of machine conveyor systems", was founded in 1989 by Andreas Melchers with the support of his wife. More than 30 years later, MFP has grown to around 50 employees and is now jointly managed by the founder and his daughter Janina. At the company's headquarters in Finnentrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, everything is provided from a single source on more than 5,000 square meters, including: design, production and assembly. In addition, interested parties can gain a first impression of conveyor systems technology products in the in-house showroom, which are individually tailored to customer requirements for various industries.

Three cutting systems for more flexibility and capacity

In 2014, the family-owned company moved to the production facility in Finnentrop, which was expanded in 2019 and equipped with state-of-the-art production machinery. These include bending systems, an own powder coating and three CNC cutting systems. In just three years, the specialist for conveyor systems technology invested in the three cutting machines, thus making itself independent of contract cutters and securing more flexibility and capacity.

Variety of technologies for even faster processing

Until 2022, the family-owned company used two plasma technology cutting systems. One system was used for processing thicker sheet metal up to 35 mm and the second system was used mainly for thin sheets in the 2 to 3 mm range. Due to changing requirements for the accuracy of the parts to be processed, MFP decided to replace one plasma cutting system with a laser cutting system and thus position itself even wider and also significantly faster in cutting. "We know that we can rely on MicroStep Europa for the installation of the system as well as for training and service. Therefore, it quickly became clear to us that it would be a machine from MicroStep Europa," says Janina Melchers, Managing Director at MFP. The decision was made in favour of a laser cutting machine from the MasterLINE series, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL” with an automatic shuttle table. The powerful 2D laser has been in use since the beginning of 2023 and cuts around 70 percent steel and 30 percent stainless steel with a maximum thickness of 3 mm. As a result, the company is even faster in processing thin materials and can optimally serve the different and individual requirements of customers with the setting of laser, plasma and water steel cutting system. "The advantages are clearly the high level of vertical integration and the clean cuts as well as the speed of the fiber laser," emphasizes Janina Melchers.

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When architects, urban planners, companies or municipalities want to make streets and squares more livable with trees, then products from Humberg GmbH come into play all over Germany. This is because the family-owned company from North Rhine-Westphalia is the market leader in the field of urban systems for tree protection and square design. Individual systems are necessary to meet the needs of different tree species and to adapt the protection to the environmental variables for long-lasting life. For this reason, flexibility and speed are also elementary in the right cutting technology. The specialist company chose the MasterLINE laser series from ACCURL, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”. "I am very satisfied with the solution," says Franz Humberg.

At hundreds of locations in Germany and neighboring countries, the innovative products of Humberg GmbH provide long-lasting greenery in the midst of urban areas. No matter whether it's Mercedes Square or Humboldt University in Berlin, Hafen-City in Hamburg or numerous other squares, avenues, shopping centers or schools in large cities and small communities. Because the family-owned company based in North Rhine-Westphalia is an expert in tree protection and square design and offers complex solutions for all aspects of urban tree planting.

With the tree knowledge to green results for decades

When it comes to planning and design, Humberg GmbH benefits from three decades of intensive collaboration with luminaries in the field of root systems and tree growth "Our strength is our know-how about trees. We know what a tree needs to be able to grow for 30 years at this location with the respective subsoil and environmental conditions," explains managing director Franz Humberg. The family-owned company develops and sells its own systems and is now the market leader in the field of urban products for tree protection. The task of creating solutions that meet the individual situation is a constant challenge. "Everywhere, correctly, more and more trees are being planted. Everywhere where a tree actually cannot grow because we want to use the space as a traffic area," Franz Humberg describes the situation. Roots receive enclosures and water storage systems, trees are protected from several sides. There are many questions to be answered: Which tree species with which root system will be placed? What is the subsoil like? How is the irrigation and drainage? What forces are affecting the area from above? Is it a busy park area with tons of traffic or a quiet pedestrian zone?

Individual production necessary, therefore speed and flexibility elementary

These and more questions are answered by the specialist staff in terms of the longevity of the trees. Although Humberg GmbH relies on proven basic concepts, these must be individually adapted to the respective situation. "For this reason, pre-production and warehousing do not make sense for us. We rely on cutting quickly in-house," says Franz Humberg.

From purchasing to plasma technology and to the desired laser solution

In the early years, the cutting parts were still purchased. After a larger location became necessary due to the good development of the company, the management decided to invest in an own cutting system. More flexibility, more speed was the order of the day. At first, a used laser cutting system was considered, but after intensive consultation, the decision was made in favor of a 2D plasma cutting system. The products were adapted to the strengths of this technology. The installed plasma power source was upgraded to a SilentCut noise-reduced system. "Our employees really liked that. That was good," says Franz Humberg.

As of April 2017, the plasma cutting system was running, but the demand for laser parts grew steadily despite the in-house cutting system and production adjustments. "Every year we increased in sales and realized we were purchasing more and more after all. We couldn't handle a third of the cutting orders." So the idea of investing in our own laser cutting system grew again. But the constellation of performance, size, price and manufacturer we were looking for was not to be found. It was not until MicroStep Europa (ACCURL partner in Germany) presented its new laser series to the market in 2020 that all the desired parameters came together. "Everything fits here. A 2D laser with shuttle table at good conditions. Plus the physical proximity to MicroStep Europa. I am very satisfied with the solution," says Franz Humberg. MicroStep Europa took care of selling the still young plasma cutting system and installed the new fiber laser system in August 2021.

Spittelmeister GmbH is based in Pforzheim, between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. The company, founded about 75 years ago as a locksmithery, is now a specialist in the construction and design of balcony systems. The search for the right solution took a while. For many years, parts were bought in, and later the company cut parts itself using plasma technology. Now, the laser cutting system of the MasterLINE series, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL” performs a wide range of cutting tasks. A solution that perfectly fits the company's needs.

Spittelmeister GmbH, based in Pforzheim, and its 80 employees primarily take care of balcony systems for housing estates. The orders are usually quite large: around 300 to 400 balconies per residential construction project. The second mainstay is the installation of elevators. Whether in new buildings or as part of energy-efficient renovations in old buildings, the balcony elevator systems can be planned accordingly or installed later or attached to the building in a separate shaft. An in-house engineering office is also an essential part of Spittelmeister GmbH.

Bringing cutting into the company

For many years, the company relied on external service providers for cutting. Over time, this became an increasingly unsatisfactory situation for Frank Herrmann. He planned to bring cutting into the company in order to be able to respond to customer requests faster and more flexibly – and so he decided on a 2D plasma cutting system. The company developed positively: the quantities became larger and larger, the orders more demanding; as a result, the previous hall became too small, logistics costs grew and parts handling became increasingly uneconomical. Frank Herrmann and his team came to the conclusion in 2019: a new building was needed. At the end of 2021, the company moved into a new production facility not far from its previous headquarters, consisting of two halls, each measuring 20,000 square feet, and 11,000 square feet of office space.

From plasma to laser technology

Frank Herrmann had been thinking about switching to a laser cutting system for a long time in order to be able to cut even faster, more precisely and with higher quality. However, the necessary space was lacking. With the new building in 2021, this was finally possible. Herrmann looked around intensively on the market of laser manufacturers. In the end, he decided again on a system from MicroStep Europa (ACCURL partner in Germany). “After our previous good experiences with the plasma system, it quickly became clear to us that we wanted to buy the laser cutting system from MicroStep Europa again. Above all, cost-effectiveness was important to us when purchasing the system,” says Herrmann. Since the beginning of 2022, the company's new hall has been home to the MasterLINE laser series from ACCURL, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”. The high-quality 2D fiber laser cutting system is equipped with a 4 kW laser and an interchangeable table for loading and unloading sheets. “Switching from plasma to laser was completely hassle-free with MicroStep Europa. Thanks to the existing shuttle table, we also have a much higher capacity. We are absolutely satisfied with the laser – this is the right technology for us!”

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