HVAC Fabricator Installs New Laser-Cutting Machine

M & M Mfg. Co., Fort Worth, TX, has installed a new Mazak Hypergear 2D FMS laser-cutting system to increase capacity to produce prefab HVAC components. The firm fabricates round, rectangular and spiral HVAC duct pipe and fittings.

“With our Mazak laser we can cut different part designs, of differing sheet thicknesses, without ever changing the machine setup,” says operations manager Barney Shackelford, “with superior edge quality and free from burrs and with narrow kerfs.”

The 4000-W laser offers automatic features that reduce operator workload. Automatic setup allows the machine to go from ultra-thin to thick sheet, including painted and galvanized sheet, with minimum direct operator involvement. The machine can process mild steel to 1 in. thick.

“This is an investment in our future,” says M & M COO Rob Felton, “to ensure that we remain an industry leader in HVAC and custom sheetmetal fabrication.”M & M outfitted the laser-cutting machine with a high-capacity material-storage tower to store and retrieve as many as 10 different sheet specifications; a pneumatic load system to accurately position the sheet; and several versions of automatic unload. The machine’s line controller software allows M & M to locate material for the next job, direct material retrieval while the laser continues cutting, download nested cutting programs for storage in the CNC control, alert factory personnel to problems, and provide comprehensive production reports.