A Changeover From Laser Job Shop to OEM Manufacture

They process upto 25 mm thick sheets with
LC-4020F1NT (4kW) bought in 2010.

India’s largest integrated regional machinery
Precicut Laser is a laser job shop company expanding now in Chennai, India at a rapid pace. At present, they are engaged in sheet metal fabrication that makes full use of 3D Design CAD for sheet metal products and processes such as cuting, bending, and welding required for consistent sheet metal fabrication. Chennai has several industries such as automobile, construction equipment, agricultural equipment and railway wagon manufacturing. The number of supplier companies serving transportation industry is also huge.

The companies supplying required products in the required materials to industries such as M/S Precicut Laser generally get orders for various types of products. Precicut Laser is currently supplying to about 250 companies and there are about 60 to 70 companies which give repeat orders. They now supply to a wide range of industries such as automobile, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, medical equipment and precision
machinery.

Precicut Laser, the Present Head Quarters

Job shop Company founded in 2009
The company was started in the year 2009 by Mr. C. Kamal and the Board of Directors. Mr. D. Kanakaraj is its Plant Manager. Mr.C.Kamal, director, is also the owner of another company in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu which manufactures trailers, hammers, hydraulic systems, industrial hydraulic cylinders, air pressure cylinders, air compressors and jackhammers.

Mr. D. Kanakaraj, Plant Manager, has been working in sheet metal manufacturing industry for many years. He is well versed in the total processes in sheet metal manufacturing, namely, blanking, bending and welding with high-tech-know-how. He has been involved in sheet metal processes for their products such as trailers and hammers. However, with increasing demand for sheet and plate cutting in India, they decided to go for laser job shop where they can process and deliver sheet metal components in short delivery requirements. Thus, the Precicut Laser got established in Ambattur Industrial Estate, located in Chennai.

Mr. C.Kamal, the Director &
Mr. D. Kanakaraj, the Plant Manager
[from right side]

Growth Leveraging the Benefits of Laser Processing
Mr. D.Kanakaraj, the Plant Manager, expressed their interest in opening the laser job shop leveraging the advantages of laser processing as follows: “In the laser processing, as the head which forms the laser beam as well as table which carries the material to be cut are controlled by a computer, and with this, part of any profile can be processed. In the recent years, with high output laser beam, the processing range of materials and the material thickness have become widened. In the laser processing, material is burned or gets evaporated by the injected gas and as a result, the burnt material is blown off in the metal removal process. In laser processing the surface quality is much superior to the conventional gas or plasma cutting process. Another advantage in the laser process is that once the progress for cutting is ready, the actual processing time is very short and delivery lease time will be shorter. Also, the secondary processes such as de-burring and surface finishing would not be required. In these ways the cost of processing also can be controlled very effectively.

FO-M2 RI 3510 NT, Latest installation at 2012

The Bending Machine HDS 2004NT Installed after F1

The components of Food Processing Equipment , fabricated in Precicut Laser.

Engaged in New Plant Relocation Works
The company currently has two factories at nearby locations in Ambattur, Chennai: one for laser cutting and the other for bending, welding and other machining and assembly processing works. The company is now in the process of moving to its new factory in the next two months. Here they would have an integrated and a more efficient facility for all processes in one place. Till now the blank parts and components are stacked sideward and transported to the other factory for bending and welding. The condition of the road between the two factories is so bad that it gets flooded very soon making transportation of goods all the more difficult. Now that they are moving to a space which is thrice bigger, substantally reducing the distance between the factories, the situation is going to be more convenient.

Monitors to Verify Shop Floor Condition Live
from the Office

Introduction of RI FO-M2 RI in the new plant together with the transfer.
Along with the factory’s relocation,the company has also plans to strengthen its capacity too. They have procured new AMADA Laser machine FO-M2 RI 3510 NT equipped with shuttle table, which can not only process laser cutting of 3000 x 1400 sheets plate (5′ × 10 ‘), but also pipe cutting of maximum ?150 mm × 6m of round pipe , an 220 mm square pipe, as well as a new bending machine, HD-1703NT. They are enhancing their productivity with three laser machine systems by reducing the waiting time and thereby drastically minimizing waste. This company’s FO-M2 RI 3510 NT is the first laser machine in India with Rotary Index (RI) device.

5S Posters Showing Interest
in following 5S Activities.

The company plans to expand its laser job shop business as the first user of FO-M2 RI in India. Further, the company plans to use the sheet works, the sheet metal 3D CAD software system, to empower itself to undertake 3D CAD design drawings to change to OEM maker.

Two laser machine installattion in the first two years after foundation.
Mr. D.Kanakaraj, the Plant Manager, has stated as follows on the development path of the company after the installations of two laser machines (F1 and FO), and a bending machine (HDS) in 2011: The company started with a laser machine FO-3015NT (2kW). Sooner or later the company was not able to support their order volume with just one machine, and they introduced liner drive laser cutting machine LC-4020 F1NT, with shuttle table LST-4020F1. The oscillator capacity of the LC-4020 F1NT machine is 4 KW and it can cut up to 19 mm plates comfortably. As it is a linear drive machine, the processing performance is 1.5 times faster, and with the two laser machines, the company’s order handling strength had grown up.

The company introduced, new high end bending machine, HDS-2204NT along with the introduction of F1.” Other than blanking, the company expanded its capability to bending and welding and thereby all the processes in the sheet metal processing. Thus the company’s products’ value addition and profitability have raised.

High Capacity UPS and Voltage
Stabilizer to Prepare for
Unexpected Power Failure

Continues to grow more than 30% annually
Since its inception in 2009, the company has been consistently growing 30% annually and enjoys sound customer confidence. Other than their equipment capabilities, the contributing factors for this consistent growth are: the long-term experience and the rich high-tech expertise of the Plant Manager, Mr. D. Kanakaraj, his dedication and commitment and the quick decision-making and enthusiasm of the Director Mr. C. Kamal. The number of employees and operators inside the factory is relatively less compared with other companies. Two employees working on a single machine and sometimes three operators working on a machine are a common feature in the Indian factories visited. But in this factory, only one operator each was seen at all the bigger machines. The number of employees in each shift is 12 and it can be observed from this number that this company handles the equipment very effectively with less number of people in an elite manner. In addition, considering the environmentally friendly factory, at the installation site of LC-4020 F1NT, they constructed a wall between the machine and the shuttle table so that the air-conditoning is effective only on the machine side.

After the blanking process, the blank parts are segregated customer-wise and are kept in the part racks by the side of the machine. The operator in the following process such as bending or welding comes and picks up the corresponding parts. In this way they systematically reduce the unnecessary inventory as much as possible. Further, in the plant manager’s room, 16 monitors are kept to show the scenes at all machines in the two factories in real-time. With these facilities, if some defect occurs in the shop floor, the plant manager can rush to the process site immediately and work for fixing the problem without any loss of time. 5S posters are stuck in the shop floor indicating their interest and efforts to follow 5S activities. Such efforts naturally help improve employee motivation.

Environment Friendly Efforts for
Effective Air-Conditioning with
Wall Partiton Between Machine
and Shuttle Table.

Management’s judgment on Flexibility
The Management Director, Mr. C. Kamal, considers shop floor productivity and consistent quality improvement are important for good business growth. He always makes well-considered and bold decisions while making investments in equipment providing for flexibility and automation. Moving to the new plant was well planned in advance, combining the installation of FO-M2 RI 3510 NT as well as HD 1703-NT. These decisions testfy to the aggressive management strategy of the Director. Referring to the speed and timing of the management’s decision, Mr. C. Kamal says: “In 2011, we were invited to AMADA HQ where we had an opportunity to see FO-M2-RI on display at the solution center. It was the time when we had just purchase LC-4020 F1NT and we were very satisfied with their Laser processing facilities, as far as flat sheet cutting was concerned. However, we were impressed by the machine with Rotary Index device which can cut round pipes of ? 150 mm x 6 m and rectangular pipes of 220 mm × 6m”.

“In India round pipes and rectangular pipes were not cut by laser machines as demonstrated and those were commonly cut by conventional band saw machines. The laser cutting made the processing fast as well as cutting holes in the pipes was very convenient and impressive which were usually done in a different process. There we decided to go for FO-M2-RI immediately. Further as the processing capability of laser machine is raised, there is an increase in orders from customers for different kinds of products such as body components and covers of medical equipment and scientific instruments.

By Dr. P. Thanapandi, Japan,
Translated from the original article of
Mr. Ishikawa, The President,
Machinist Publishing Co., Ltd,
Isehara, Japan Published in
“Sheet Metal machine and Software”
a Japan Magazine

The orders are received from the design of components to the delivery of the final products. Even in the blank processing jobs, 50% of the orders are received as 2D CAD drawings in digital form, and the rest 50% are received as paper drawings, or scribbled drawings or pictures. In such cases, we support starting from design and preparation of drawings. “From now on it is an era of 3D and 3D CAD. When we process pipe cutting and product cutting in FO-M2 RI, working with sheet works, the sheet metal 3D and CAD/CAM for Pipe Index device, namely, Dr. ABE TUBE became necessary. As part of this opportunity we decided to go for 3D CAD design and we wanted to bebecome an organization which can take up 3D CAD design data while receiving orders, and thereby we could become a full-fledged OEM maker.

We are happy that AMADA has AMADA SOFT INDIA in Chennai, where we thought we can easily take training in sheet works for 3D CAD design and processing as well as Dr. ABE TUBE. As we are blessed with such a favorable and conducive environment, we thought that it was an ideal and opportunetime to transform ourselves as a real OEM maker from the present laser job shop business.” It is interesting to watch this company grow steadily under the strategic direction of an excellent director who is comfortable taking fast management decisions, along with the dedicated efforts of the Plant Manager, well versed in processing and shop floor mana management.

For more information
Web: www.amadaindia.co.in