Bedfordshire-based Steel & Glass Solutions is renowned for producing incredible architectural metalwork for some of the UK’s most iconic building projects – an accolade which means there is never room for compromise on specification or product quality.
With a growing order book, in 2022 the business decided it was time to invest in its own flat sheet metal laser cutting capability.
Steel & Glass Solutions had traditionally relied on outsourcing the laser cutting of the high-end polished steel fabrications and steel cladding panels used in its designs.
However, these would occasionally arrive with imperfections, meaning they would have to be returned to the subcontractor for re-cutting.
Additionally, outsourcing laser cutting meant the business couldn’t always react quite as quickly as it would like to more pressing customer needs.
With the UK’s leading, biennial machine tool show – MACH 2022 – fast approaching, the Steel & Glass Solutions team decided that visiting the event would be the ideal way of comparing the various fibre laser cutting technologies on offer.
Knowing they would need a fairly powerful 2D flat sheet metal machine, they drew up a shortlist of makes they would like to take a closer look at.
“Before going to MACH 2022, we had only given a cursory glance to Nukon’s fibre laser machines as, although built in Europe, the brand wasn’t really on our radar,” explains production director, Warren Few.
“However, at the show, we couldn’t ignore the quality, speed and value offered by Nukon models – or their exceptionally low running costs.
“Meeting Alan Pickering, joint MD of tube bending machinery manufacturer, Unison Ltd, on the Nukon stand, convinced us of the quality of Nukon machines,” adds Warren Few.
“Alan explained how Unison Ltd had been looking to complement its British-built tube bending machines with high-quality laser cutting technologies and how, after researching the market, established Nukon Lasers UK as the official Nukon dealer for the UK and Ireland.
“Having owned and operated an all-electric Unison Breeze tube bending machine at a previous company, I was well aware that Unison would only offer and support a product they had complete confidence in. It was all the reassurance I needed to go ahead with the purchase.”
Steel & Glass Solutions chose a Nukon Rex 315 Series 2D fibre laser machine for its ability to cut intricate shapes and pieces with speed and precision, supported by fast, easy programming – essential for a business dealing with short production runs and complex, different projects.
The Nukon Rex is able to accommodate sheet dimensions of 3050 mm x 1530 mm and is equipped with a powerful 6 kW nLIGHT fibre laser, with advanced Cutline beam shaping technology for a superior edge finish.
The machine also features the innovative Nukon NLCH cutting head that is fully field serviceable, further reducing running costs and downtime.
“Installation was quick and straightforward, and the training provided by Nukon Lasers UK was excellent,” says Warren Few.
“In fact, considering no one at Steel & Glass Solutions had ever used a laser cutting machine before, it’s hard to believe that we were successfully cutting customer orders in 1.5 mm to 10 mm stainless steel within two days.
“At a time of historically high energy prices, having our own exceptionally economical fibre laser machine on site enabled us to remain as competitive as possible.
“The Nukon Rex is a very fast machine,” concludes Warren Few. “But for us, the real benefit is the quality of the parts it produces and the ease of programming. The Nukon Lasers UK team helped immeasurably in getting our laser cutting capability up and running swiftly.
“Perhaps what’s most impressive is that if they don’t have an immediate answer to a cutting challenge, they don’t blag it, they solve it. For example, a nesting issue for a particularly complex design was resolved with a quick call to Lantek, who linked up with our PC in under 15 seconds.”
