Riding the Wave of Innovation
High performance manufacturing is the key to maintaining higher margins, shortening customer lead times and creating competitive differentiation. OEMs and job shops that continue to ride the wave of new fabricating machinery innovations are setting themselves apart from their competition. Seizing the window of opportunity derived from new innovations like the Fiber laser is how leading edge companies continue to grow exponentially and reap higher financial rewards.
Windows of Opportunities
Fiber laser cutting machines have by far created the biggest window of opportunity for fabricators. And the opportunities are easy to realize. A high power fiber laser is capable of cutting up to 5 times faster than a conventional CO2 laser and utilizes half the operating costs. But the opportunities do not stop there. There are many aspects of operating a CO2 laser that does not exist with operating a Fiber laser. For example, the Fiber laser does not need any warm-up time — typically about 10 minutes per start-up for a CO2 laser. The Fiber laser has no beam path maintenance such as mirror or lens cleaning, bellows checks and beam alignments. This can consume another 4 or 5 hours per week for a CO2 laser. Fiber lasers have a fully sealed fiber optic beam path both at the power source and at the Fiber delivery to the cutting head. The beam is not subjected to beam path contaminates as is the case with CO2 lasers. Because the integrity of the Fiber beam remains consistent from day to day so do the cutting parameters, requiring far less adjustments than a CO2 laser.
Creating more machine capacity
What becomes of all of this saved time? Higher productivity and extra machine capacity! With the Fiber laser capable of 5 times faster speeds, creating 3 to 4 times more parts per unit of time, and coupled with 50% less operating costs as compared to CO2, this represents a large opportunity based on having created more machine capacity. If you are running multiple lasers, perhaps you could consider running one less laser or you can also seize the opportunity to run additional laser jobs and create a higher revenue stream?
Own Your Market
How are you to gain additional work to fill this capacity? With the additional opportunity created by the Fiber laser’s ability to process parts faster and more economical than anyone else can! You can own your market by producing a far less expensive cost per part and delivery in less than half the time.
Riding the wave of innovation can create opportunities. When that innovation represents a game-changing technology such as Fiber laser cutting, the wave of opportunity not only becomes larger but can be ridden for a longer time. You can own your market if you ride the wave of innovation.
Click here to learn more about CO2 vs Fiber laser technology.
By Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing, NAFTA Region
Bystronic Inc., Elgin, IL – Voice.bystronic@bystronic.com