Since 1915, Midland Tank & Ironplate (MTI) has been producing sheet metal products for a wide range of industries making parts such as heat exchangers, prototype vehicle parts, door components and many architectural metalworking products including bespoke staging and lighting systems, and the wings for the ‘phoenix’ in the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

MTI’s laser cutting experience goes back 20 years, and its current machines, a 4kW Prima Platino CO2 laser and Platino fibre laser were installed in 2007 and 2013 respectively. Both machines are fitted with tower-type material handling and storage tower systems.

Managing director Geoff Cox says: “Automated handling is an essential part of the system as it enables us to work unmanned, running batches of material of up to 3 tons. We have CCTV cameras on each machine and a system which alerts the operator by phone should the machine stop out of hours. He can then return to the factory to correct the problem, which keeps production on track and minimises our labour costs.”

As part of the ongoing maintenance, Prima Power trained MTI engineers in maintenance procedures for the CO2 laser. “UK service has been very good and, with extra training, we now know how to take the optics apart and clean all the lenses and mirrors ourselves. This makes a big difference to the performance of the machine as the operator can recognise the signs of a falloff in cutting capability and carry out maintenance and adjustment himself, ensuring that we are always operating at peak levels, with minimum interruption to production.”

The fibre laser was purchased because of the speed advantages it gives on thin material, it also allows non-ferrous metals such as copper and brass to be cut.

Mr Cox says that the combination of Radan programming and process management with the Platino fiber laser, allows MTI to offer very short lead times. For a recent job, the customer required 20,000 parts at the rate of 1000 per day. MTI was able to deliver the first batch within 6 hours of the order.

The automated material handling and storage system makes a big difference to productivity. With up to 15 pallets in one tower, a range of different materials and finished sheets can be stored ready for processing or further operations.

While the parts are being laser cut the system positions the next sheet on the waiting sliding table. Once the first sheet is finished, the tables switch over, minimising idle time, cutting then restarts, and the completed sheet is stored in the tower.

Geoff Cox says: “Accuracy from the lasers ensures high quality parts, but it is also essential for successful assembly by our robot welders. Automated handling allows us to run out of hours, quickly change between jobs, and dilute costs with overnight running and, because the majority of parts go through the Prima Power machines, reliability is paramount.”