The laser welder is now speeding up letter production at Applelec’s signage manufacturing site in Leeds where it is used to construct stainless steel built-up letters. The machine fuses together each letter’s face to its return to create a far more durable letter than those produced by hand soldering techniques. The rapid letter production ensures labour time is reduced with any savings passed on to Applelec’s customers.
Andy Armitage, Applelec’s Business Development Manager, explains: ‘The machine is the latest addition to our Leeds factory and is used in conjunction with our automated return shaper to speed up Applelec’s metal letter making processes. This creates a highly organised letter production system that delivers tangible labour time-savings and production efficiencies. With faster production, we are working towards passing the benefits directly to our customers in the form of reduced costs for Applelec’s built-up metal letters.’
Complementing the automated return shaper which was named Delilah, the new laser welder has been given the name Samson to create a mechanical double act of biblical proportions! The machines are situated in a purpose built room in Applelec’s signage factory and managed by Applelec’s experienced letter making technicians.
Speed is the name of the game with the laser welder which can fuse stainless steel together in thicknesses of 0.7mm to 3mm. In letter production, the letter face and return is first tacked into position by the machine in a swift, neat start to the construction process which takes just a couple of seconds to complete. Next the letter is fully welded by the machine to create a continuous or intermittent seam depending on the requirements of the project.
The durability and strength of letters produced with the laser welder is increased considerably in comparison to a traditional hand soldering process. The laser welder fuses the metal of the letter face and return to create a high strength seam which is significantly more durable than a letter seam created by applying solder with a soldering iron. Indeed, the laser welded letter is so robust it can withstand powder coating processes up to temperatures of 170˚-190˚, eliminating the need for a high temperature solder.
The machine speeds up processes across the production line, and can additionally be used to quickly tack shaped returns to letter faces before they are passed to the letter workers to be soldered. Similarly, the laser welder is used to weld bridges for fixings which are incredibly strong and hard wearing.