Econ Engineering (Ripon, England), featured as the cover story in the November/December 2019 issue of Industrial Laser Solutions, manufactures more than 80% of the winter maintenance and repair vehicles used on Britain’s roads. To aid its production capabilities while reducing its energy costs, the company has invested £850,000 for the technologically advanced ByStar Fiber 6225 Dynamic system, which replaces its older ByStar L 4025, a CO2 laser-powered unit that uses nitrogen in the cutting process.
This has increased cutting speeds by up to 600% on metal with a thickness of 3 mm and below, and 400% on 4–10 mm materials. The new machine uses only 50 kw/h of electricity against 98 kw/h, saving approximately 75 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Colin Trewhitt, Econ Engineering’s Fabrication Manager, said: “Now installed, the new laser cutter is already delivering benefits for our business. We did not close down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but adapted our working practices and continued throughout, while carefully observing strict health and safety policies ensuring the welfare of employees and customers.
“Since its installation, the new machine is cutting aluminum, stainless steel, and mild steel faster than its predecessor while using a fraction of power, which was a key consideration for us in purchasing it in the first place.
“With winter just four months away, this is traditionally our busiest period, manufacturing gritters, snowplows, and spares for the growing Econ fleets across the country. And thanks to the investment in the laser cutter, we are now achieving this more efficiently, and with reduced energy costs.”
In October 2019, the company launched a new engineering hub in Scotland to service its clients in the northerly part of Great Britain, and will officially launch a second hub in Wales in the fall of 2020.
For more information, please visit econ.uk.com.