From CO2 to 20 kW fiber: the Brescia metal fabricator that chose power and automation
A fabricator that looks beyond fabrication
«Before, the laser used to run until 10 pm to finish the job. Today, for the same workload, it would already be done by mid-afternoon.»
In between there's a PLUS 20 kW and an automatic Storage Tower that never stops.
We're in Concesio (Brescia), Italy, at M3 Metelli, a metal fabricator founded 42 years ago on an idea by Roberto Metelli and two other partners. Our host is Cristian Pasotti, today the company's Legal Representative.
«I came on board about 15 years ago, and today there are two of us: Cristian and Roberto. Roberto is still a working partner, and he's never absent from the shop.»
The business started as light sheet metal fabrication, specialized in dishwasher enclosures and food-grade steel, serving hospital and hospitality furnishing. Today it counts 14 employees.
The shop floor has never been short on equipment: from shearing and punching systems all the way to a CO2 laser from an older generation, installed in the early 2000s and long the dominant system in the plant. Today M3 Metelli owns two fiber lasers.
The challenge: staying competitive without turning the company upside down
M3 Metelli was born as a fabricator focused on thin gauges. With the new PLUS by Cutlite Penta, the company made a real leap forward, reaching up to 15-20 mm in Stainless Steel and 25-30 mm in Mild Steel.
«Of course our focus stayed on thin gauges, but this laser lets us be strong on medium thicknesses too.»
The decision to buy a new laser came from the drive to stay competitive on the market, especially on thickness.
«With the old laser we replaced, running a 4 kW source, we didn't have the power you need to be competitive. With a new 20 kW machine that runs at incomparable speeds, we obviously took a big step up in quality.»
The goal wasn't just to buy a more modern system, but to move forward. And, factoring in cost and turnaround, the leap really happened: the Cutlite Penta machine works fewer hours but produces more, saving on both energy and assist gas.
It's a machine that improved everything, from the workflow to the bottom line. So yes, we're very happy with the decision we made.
The market has changed a lot in recent years, and companies increasingly need to be dynamic and flexible. Today the priority is urgency: customers order even small batches, because they in turn are trying to move fast for their own end clients. The answer is to be quick and to work smart on scheduling, Nesting, and precise definition of times and tasks, all while staying flexible.
Choosing Cutlite Penta: power, price, and listening
Managing the relationship with M3 Metelli was Alessio Venturini, Sales Area Manager for Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont.
What leads companies to choose Cutlite Penta systems is, first of all, the value for money. But what struck M3 Metelli most was the willingness to customize. The company has limited space, and for many competitors that isn't up for discussion: their systems are standard, and it's on you to adapt to them.
The engineering work behind the PLUS 3015 that Cristian and Roberto chose, instead, made it possible to meet the fabricator's needs, listening carefully and building the machine around the available space.
«We're a small company, and space was tight. They did a great job: today the machine fits perfectly, without turning anything upside down.»
Another plus was pairing it with the NEXAM Super Compact Storage Tower, which lets you work on an Automation Schedule and run production more leanly.
The competition may well have beautiful laser beams and, maybe, sell showroom-perfect cuts.
What I need is a shop-floor cut, and that's exactly what I found.
The heart of the leap: the super compact automatic Storage Tower
How M3 Metelli works with automation
Andrea Giolli, Sales Engineer at NEXAM, bridged the purchase. The old laser system already came with an automatic Storage Tower in the plant: the M3 Metelli technicians already knew what it was and how to use it. The new need came from an even faster laser, which calls for precise scheduling: this way one operator can handle the laser side first and then the Storage Tower, or be deployed elsewhere, optimizing time and cutting costs.
A lot also depends on the volume of work:
«We cut everything from a single part to full series. We're talking 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 pieces. At those quantities, it's great that the Storage Tower can collect them all in a single bay.»
Planning is managed by thickness: the engineering department builds nesting measured thickness by thickness, gathering all the orders on 2 mm, on 3 mm, and so on. The Automation Schedule is then sent straight to the machine's CAD.
One machine, three ways to work
Beyond the automatic handling of sheets, the PLUS can also work in Pallet Change mode: you can bypass the Storage Tower and use two pallets in alternation, the ideal solution for faster jobs.
«There are jobs where I don't need one sheet an hour, but one sheet in 5-6 minutes: Pallet Change, go, load the next one.»
The automatic Storage Tower and the triple pallet work side by side, so M3 Metelli picks the mode that best fits each order case by case: long runs on automatic, fast rush jobs on Pallet Change.
Space and inventory: one cantilever less
With 14 bays, the Storage Tower also helps clear out the shop. It stores huge numbers of sheets, already sorted by thickness, freeing up a cantilever rack and making inventory more accurate.
We got well organized with the Storage Tower: we'd never think of going back.
The solution at a glance
- Machine: PLUS 3015, fiber laser, 20 kW source
- Storage: NEXAM Super Compact Storage Tower, 14 bays, triple pallet + Pallet Change
- Materials: Stainless Steel 304/316/310, Mild Steel, Aluminium
- Sheet size: up to 3000×1500 mm
- Thicknesses: up to 15-20 mm Stainless Steel and 25-30 mm Mild Steel; strong on medium gauges (5-6-10 mm)
- Replaced system: 4 kW CO2 laser
A relationship that keeps going
Installation and start-up went fairly smoothly, apart from the usual small hiccups that come with assembling a machine this size. M3 Metelli had always stayed loyal to a single brand, and switching, however stimulating, means readjusting: getting to grips with the interface, the drawing programs, the software. The PLUS 3015, though, turned out to be extremely user friendly and easy to learn.
The next step, from Cristian's point of view, is more in-depth training to truly tap the machine's full potential and get ever-better cut quality, because some customers are very attentive to finish and part precision. A shared growth path, one that confirms a relationship built to last.
The vision: evolve, or stand still
To grow, you have to look beyond the tip of your nose. That's true not just for M3 Metelli, but for every SME, especially in Italy. To operate in a globalized world, you have to keep pace without being overwhelmed by the speed of processes and change, a journey shared by many companies that have moved to high-power fiber laser.
By investing in technology and automation, Cristian, Roberto, and their team managed to grow, win new orders, organize the work better, handling even the trickiest rush jobs, and specialize.
«The starting point is always a machine that can give you a precise, clean cut with the tolerances respected. That simplifies the whole job.»
Of the old laser systems, one was kept and dedicated solely to cutting thin Stainless Steel Sheet, to keep that slice of the market active. On the PLUS, instead, M3 Metelli chose to invest to improve on materials and thicknesses where it couldn't be competitive before, with great results.
It's a matter of evolution, of growth. Either you do it, or you stand still.
Frequently asked questions
What is a super compact automatic Storage Tower?
It's a sheet metal storage and handling system paired with the laser, which loads and unloads sheets on its own. In M3 Metelli's case it's the NEXAM Super Compact Storage Tower, with 14 bays and the ability to work both on automatic and with Pallet Change.
What are the benefits of Storage Tower automation in a fabrication shop?
It lets you work on an Automation Schedule, frees operators for other tasks, reduces clutter on the shop floor (one cantilever less), and makes inventory more accurate, optimizing time and cost.
Why switch from a CO2 laser to a 20 kW fiber laser?
A 20 kW fiber laser cuts at much higher speeds, lets you stay competitive even on medium thicknesses, and cuts energy and assist gas consumption compared to an old 4 kW CO2.
What thicknesses does the Cutlite Penta PLUS cut?
In M3 Metelli's case, the 20 kW PLUS 3015 cuts up to 15-20 mm in Stainless Steel and 25-30 mm in Mild Steel, staying very strong on thin and medium gauges too.
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