Over the Winter of 2020 we fully upgraded our existing Bystronic press brake suite, as well as installing a new automated Antil laser and handling system.

Our machine shop is now home to one Bystronic 6 kW fibre laser cutting system which has been recently fitted with automation (including a storage tower with automatic loading) and unloading, which feeds 6 Bystronic press brakes where laser cut sheets are folded into shape.

Upgrading the automation and software, and standardising the Bystronic platform has allowed our night shift to run automatically, reducing the number of skilled operators required in this department. The overall capital upgrade has increased capacity dramatically over the past 2 years. Choosing Bystronic as a supplier has enabled easy control of software and automation and builds on the experience gained with the Bystronic team and the historical use of press brakes from the same stable.

To further improve throughput of the sheet metal fabrication, one of the next steps is to bring our powder coating capability in-house. Space is available within the new site, and this will improve the cost and lead time of currently outsourced coating and painting of sheet metal work. Further investment in capital equipment will include a CNC router and an additional 3-metre press brake to handle the larger folding requirements.