Bring your files and your sheet metal: inside the Cutlite Penta DEMO area
The DEMO area is where a customer brings his own files and his own sheet metal, and watches the machine cut his parts before signing the order. At Cutlite Penta it is run by five people, and in busy periods three or four customers a day come through it.
It is led by Marco Mascagni, who joined the company on 31 March 2022. We asked him how a demonstration actually works: who prepares it, how long it takes, what happens when something goes wrong, and why the decisive moment is never the presentation but the part that comes off the machine.
Who is in the DEMO area and who does what
“Our department is made up of five people, each with specific skills”, Mascagni explains.
- Marco Pareti handles the technical side in the office: programming and nesting.
- Marco Scalzo, a highly experienced machine operator, runs demonstrations and sample cutting on flat and bevel machines together with Mascagni, and covers trade fairs around the world.
- Francesco Mugnaioni is the link with the sales area: with his technical background he presents the product when the salesperson does not, and can run a demo from the technical side.
- Gabriele Trafficante is the specialist for tube machines: design, time studies, handling critical issues and working with Research and Development.
- Marco Mascagni leads the department and stays hands-on at the machines.
What nesting actually is
It is worth spelling out, because it is the first thing the department does when a customer request arrives. Nesting is the arrangement of parts on the sheet: profiles are fitted into one another so as to get the highest number of parts out of the sheet and leave the least scrap. It is a different stage from programming, which translates the drawing into the machine's language. Together they are the office work that precedes every demonstration.
How he got here
Seven years before Cutlite Penta
“I started working at 17 in my uncle's haulage company, then during a school work placement I got into the laser sector. Right away I got hands-on experience, trying to get some laser machines and a system with a complex storage tower running again. Those were the first seven years of my working life, three on CO₂ systems and four on fiber.”
Joining, on 31 March 2022
“I joined Cutlite Penta on 31 March 2022, working at first alongside Fabio Mazzoni, today in charge of practical applications in Research and Development, and Daniele Pollastri, in charge of final testing on our machines: both with over twenty years in the sector. Under their supervision I found my place, and I keep learning from them about a world that gets more complex all the time.”
Why a customer comes to the DEMO area
“For a good share of our customers, especially those coming from abroad and from growing markets, visiting our DEMO area is the first concrete point of contact with the company.”
“In sheet metal work it is not only quality that makes the difference, but the versatility of the laser system. I am convinced that the margins of a business are built both on how efficient the machine is and on how well it adapts to the person using it. In the DEMO area we can stand next to the customer while he tries out what our systems do.”
Today the DEMO area has its own space and dedicated staff. It is no longer a room you set up when needed: it is a department.
Our machines, seen by someone who has used others
“The difference is considerable, and in a good way”, Marco says. “Our machines are far more intuitive. We develop the interface in house, and it is simple to use both for us and for customers, with icons, buttons and preset functions. In less than a month I was fully operational.”
Why we only do laser
“Many manufacturers present the laser as one product among others, next to machining centers, storage systems and press brakes. We evolved by specializing in laser applications only: from CO₂ systems for cutting dies and plastics, through to sheet metal cutting and fiber laser. Laser cutting machines have always been our core business.”
“From my very first days I realized I was surrounded by people who have been working with lasers for over twenty years. I understood straight away that I had a lot to learn, and realizing it gave me the confidence to take this step.”
Where the DEMO department sits in the organization
“We sit within Technical Sales”, Marco explains. “We do not do field service: we are the bridge between the technical and the commercial side. We support the sales team on the aspects that need specific expertise. It is an integrated system: where the salesperson stops, we step in, but the result only comes if the whole chain works.”
How a demo works, from the request to the cut part
In 90% of cases it starts with a time study
“The process always starts from the sales team, who identify potential customers”, Mascagni says. “In 90% of cases we begin with a time study: the customer sends us his files and we run a series of simulations, to help him see what changes with our systems. That is where the comparison with competitors begins.”
“It is a silent fight, because we cannot know what the customer is thinking.”
Then sample cutting, or the visit
“Once past that first selection, what usually follows is sample cutting or the customer's visit. These take preparation, attention to detail, imagination and speed. After that, the machine and the cut parts do the talking. At the same time, every question the customer asks has to get a precise answer. When the demo is over and the customer is satisfied, the ball goes back to the salesperson.”
How long a demo takes, and how many a day
“The length depends on what the customer needs”, Marco explains. “Some demos finish in an hour, others take the whole day. In the busiest periods we get through three or four in a day, thanks to how specialized the technicians are and to the range of machines we have available.”
And when something does not work
“It is rare, but things can go wrong: what counts is fixing them fast”, Marco answers. “Collaboration between departments here is essential, and that is what lets us deal with the unexpected in minimal time.”
A department of young people
“It is an asset”, Marco answers when asked about the average age. “Customers who come and see us find a group of young professionals who bring enthusiasm and a willingness to experiment. Each of us carries different experience and, when we need it, we lean on our senior colleagues, who are always ready to share what they know. It creates a balance between expertise and energy.”
Mascagni took over the department at 28. “Compared with my colleagues I have more management responsibility, but I stay hands-on at the front line, and they can tell. The atmosphere is relaxed: we are all young, we back each other up when things get hard, and we work as a team.”
What customers bring
“Sometimes they drop by with a USB stick in their pocket and the sheets in the trunk of the car.”
“The requests are as varied as they come”, Mascagni explains. “Customers can send us material and files, but they also just turn up like that: that is the beauty of live work. In the end it is the results that talk.”
The department covers nearly the whole range: “We handle most of the systems, the only exception being the 5-axis machines, for which we have dedicated technicians.” Between linear cutting and tube cutting there are different concepts to master, which is why the department brings together people with different training backgrounds.
From 20 to almost 200
“Today I would not change job or company”, Marco answers. “The structure is flexible: there are differentiated roles and responsibilities, but everyone manages their own work. Here you can really learn, by watching every side of this sector.”
He also acknowledges the flip side of growth: “Going from 20 to almost 200 people could have caused problems in a different company, but here anyone who shows commitment and competence gets recognized.” And on the future: “Expectations are positive. We are an Italian company that keeps growing, with ambitions that are turning into results, and a product built by people who do nothing but laser.”
Frequently asked questions
How do you book a demo at Cutlite Penta?
The request goes through your sales contact, who passes it to the DEMO department. In most cases it starts with a time study on the customer's files, and only then is sample cutting or a visit to the Prato site arranged.
Can I bring my own files and my own sheet metal to the DEMO area?
Yes, and that is what many customers do. You can send files and material in advance or bring them along: customers often turn up with a USB stick and the sheets in the car. The point of a demo is to watch your own parts being cut, not sample parts.
What is a time study and what is it for before buying a laser?
It is a simulation run on the customer's real drawings that estimates how long it takes to produce his parts on a given machine. It is used to compare configurations on your own numbers instead of rated figures, and it is the first step in 90% of cases.
Which machines can be seen running in the DEMO area?
Almost the whole range, from linear cutting to tube cutting, including bevel machines and high-power systems. The exception is the 5-axis machines, which have dedicated technicians. In busy periods the department runs three or four demonstrations a day.
Want to see your own material being cut?
Send us your files, or bring them to the DEMO area along with the sheet metal: we will show you the finished parts.
