More possibilities in thick plate with new fiber laser

It is therefore the basic requirement for any machine that lands on the production floor. That Amada has emerged as an in-house supplier should come as no surprise. The most recent purchase is the 9 kW ENSIS 3015 AJ fiber laser cutting machine. This expands Skiall's capabilities to evolve into larger series work in thick plate.

Entrepreneurship, it must be in the blood. As a school leaver, Chris van Steenwinkel took over a small metal company doing small press work at the end of 1983. Little by little, small welding jobs were added and Skiall came into contact with the medical world and ambulance manufacturers. Gradually the sights opened up towards general subcontracting. "We still work for the above-mentioned sectors, we are fortunate to have very loyal customers, but customers can also come to us for components for mechanical engineering and even designer furniture." So a wide range of applications end up on the production machines in Willebroek, but there is one common thread: flawless finishing. "Everything starts with a good drawing. All drawing work here has been done in 3D for almost twenty years. It is the prerequisite for achieving profitable quality. Flawless finishing is my hobbyhorse, which I try to pass on to all my employees. Each piece must be perfectly dimensioned and shiny, so to speak, before it goes out the door." 

Count on Amada's quality and service

In 1990 the first Amada bending bench was purchased and a few years later a first CNC punching machine. So the Skiall-Amada story has been a reality for thirty years. In 2008, the first laser cutting machine was purchased. "It was a prerequisite for my son Christophe to enter the family business. He was bitten by that technology. Moreover, it also allowed us to establish ourselves more and more as a one-stop shop for sheet metal work. With cutting, bending and welding, we can provide customers with a fully finished product." That, too, became another Amada. "The fact that we always return to it has everything to do with the quality of the machines and the excellent service. The pieces look good coming from Amada machines. And then when we do have problems we are always helped in no time. If this tandem sits well, then 'never change a winning team' applies all the more. This was followed later by a punch laser combination EML 3610 NT with automatic loading and unloading, and the first laser cutting machine was replaced by a FOM II Ri. A combination of flatbed laser and tube laser. The two bending benches also color black and red.

Spurred by youth

The arrival of Christophe and laser cutting clearly gave another boost to Skiall's growth curve. "I haven't regretted my decision for a second. The whole team here is driven to keep moving forward each time. So we are happy to take on new challenges or look for opportunities to serve our customers even better." That one came when he saw the ENSIS AJ 3015 fiber laser cutting machine in Amada's showroom. "I immediately said: write that one down for us," he recalls with a wink. "After all, this gives us the ability to handle cutting work in thicker materials: up to 25 mm in steel, stainless steel and alu , 12 mm in copper and 18 mm in brass. Work that we would otherwise outsource to partners. By being able to do it in-house, you get more flexibility and you can react more quickly. The machine is also technically sophisticated. With the side door, for example, which can be fully opened, we can easily check that everything is cut as desired."

Looking to the future

Corona or not. Skiall is always looking to the future. For example, the purchase of a 4 m x 2 m was briefly considered but was abandoned due to lack of space. A tower magazine was also not added for the same reason. "This will be for a later phase when the expansion of the buildings, planned for the next few years, is completed," Chris says. So Skiall's story is far from over.