Winter maintenance and repair vehicles maker ploughs £850k into new laser cutter29 January 2020

Pictured: The Bystar Fibre 6225 Dynamic

Econ Engineering, a company in North Yorkshire that manufactures winter maintenance and repair vehicles, has ploughed £850,000 into a new laser cutter.

The £850,000 Bystar Fibre 6225 Dynamic – which will replace its existing Bystar L 4025 – uses nitrogen in the cutting process as opposed to oxygen, said to increase cutting speeds by up to 600% on metal with a thickness of up to 3mm and 400% on materials of 4mm to 10mm.

The new machine also uses 50kW/hr of electricity against 98kW/hr, Econ adds, helping to save approximately 75 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Econ Engineering factory manager Colin Trewhitt says: “The purchase of this new laser cutting machine represents a significant investment for Econ, but one that will bring significant benefits.

“On average, we laser cut some 9,000 components every week, ranging in size from 100x50mm to 5500x1800mm, in aluminium/stainless steel and mild steel, and between 25 and 30 tonnes of steel plate.

“The new machine will not only allow us to cut faster but will also use a fraction of the power, which was a key consideration for us.”

He adds: “This new technology can individually etch each component with an identification number – even on stainless steel - which will help us to meet the ISO 9001:2015 for parts identification. We expect this to increase our productivity both in the factory and within our service division, as it removes ambiguity around part identification.

“Additionally, we are now exploring the viability of creating our own on-site nitrogen generation plant compared to our current method of buying in bulk.”

Adam Offord

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.