New laser machine supports flexible striking power

Every well-run SME is characterized by strong operational flexibility. Especially in metal construction, this is a hard truth, where everything depends on an adequate, reliable machine park. Adapted to the fast-paced needs of a demanding clientele. This case story of Wouters Cutting & Welding fits completely into that philosophy. This summer, the Turnhout specialist installed a compact fiber laser from MicroStep at its customer Lumetal in Baelen. 

The or story

Lumetal S.A. was founded in 1993 by Luc Janclaes, who still works there today and, together with his son and nephew, among others, takes care of the most diverse welding, cutting and construction work for an equally wide range of customers. The company used to have both a water jet and a plasma cutting machine, but regularly found itself limited in both performance and quality. 

Luc Janclaes: "With plasma, we often did not achieve the desired accuracy. Especially with the thinner stainless steel sheet metal, this was a problem. With the waterjet, this was possible, but then the process again took far too long. In fact, we were constantly living with these two extremes, and the obligatory choice between good or fast."

Compact power

From there, the idea gradually matured to switch to laser cutting. The water jet remained in service, but the plasma machine was finally retired. In its search for a suitable solution, Lumetal turned to its partner Wouters Cutting & Welding Turnhout. They presented the customer with an MSF COMPACT 1501.30 L fiber laser from Microstep. A small machine at first glance, it can handle sheet sizes up to 3000mm x 1500mm. Appearances are deceptive, considering that the fiber laser with its 6kW laser source blows smoothly through stainless steel and mild steel up to 20mm. The assembly was installed by Wouters at Lumetal in May 2023, and in addition to the laser machine, includes a Donaldson filter unit for efficient extraction. 

Autonomy and response time

Luc Janclaes further explains the purchase: "It is true that there are enough companies in our region to which we could outsource laser cutting work, but we opted in any case for our own laser. This is in the interest of the autonomy it gives us: it strengthens our strength, response time and flexibility towards the customer. And these are precisely the aspects that have shaped our reputation as a solid partner since Lumetal's inception."

Choice of Wouters

"And then good service during machine breakdowns is all-important," Luc Janclaes continued. It cemented for Lumetal the choice for Wouters Cutting & Welding . 

Nic Wouters, from Wouters Cutting & Welding, puts it this way: "We are not just another machine store, quite the contrary. In the interest of the customer, we even carry an efficient response with our own service department very highly. Ultimately, service within our client's process should never be an operational bottleneck." Lumetal considered the freedom of choice with regard to the control system another additional added value.

Luc Janclaes: "We were not tied to a fixed package, as is the rule with many other vendors. Moreover, the driver was compatible with our software systems and drawing programs."

Another strong point in the cooperation is the limited distance to the supplier, as this also determines the feedback time. Lumetal is also very satisfied with the short delivery time of just six months, and with the complete set-up and commissioning, which went very smoothly. Luc Janclaes: "It was immediately apparent that the company had a lot of know-how and experience. Also during the training here on site, which took place in June. "

With its new, powerful fiber laser, Lumetal is thus able to accommodate the continued realization of - in many cases acute - jobs without having to sacrifice performance or quality. After all, the MicroStep laser unites the best of several worlds in a single process, is easily fed with sheet material and, thanks in part to its self-alignment, proves easy to operate.