PROFILE OF SUCCESS LASER SHARP INNOVATION WITH WAKA AND ITS In the years since CO2 lasers became commonplace for cutting and engraving, manufacturing and engineering developments in China have seen the rise in popularity of the glass-tubed high-voltage DC laser – low initial cost, potentially shorter life, notoriously difficult to transport, and without service capability. Online marketplaces have made it possible for individuals to order low-cost CO2 lasers directly, with many of them put together in uncontrolled low-tech assembly factories cloned throughout China. The frame and component quality is variable and inconsistent, and many of them do not function on arrival. Twisted frames, faulty laser tubes and dubious and illegal electronics trap many in a poor investment that may not function at all. Support deficiencies from the manufacturers become apparent during prolonged fault or service requests, often involving multiple emails that lead to the standard response, ‘Please send us pictures.’ You get what you pay for. After many years of watching the market and investigating dependable sources of supply, ITS made contact with Thunder Laser. The quality of their machines is matched by their ability to improve performance and reliability through R&D. A close relationship between ITS/Waka and Thunder Laser has developed, leading to regular factory visits and continuous improvement of machines. The machines are steadily proving themselves in high-demand industrial development applications and in educational institutions such as Auckland, Canterbury and AUT Universities and schools through to large corporations with serious R&D requirements and small owner/operator businesses in rural settings. 32 Profile of Success 2018 James Dowle of Waka and Mike Carringan of ITS have been working together since the early 1990's when they introduced some of the first laser cutter/engravers into New Zealand. They bring to their partnership and client-base complementary passion and skills in mechanical engineering and electronics, with decades of experience and involvement in a wide range of trades and industries. New sources of CNC routers have been added in recent years to provide a full range of options, and with Mecsoft's CADCAM software distribution in New Zealand and Australia Waka and ITS can provide consultancy and advice to empower decision making and the completion of specifications for fully-supported turnkey manufacturing systems. Palmerston North’s Milson Foundry has this year invested in a CNC router for their patternmaking requirements, selecting Waka NZ as their supplier of a full system including the CNC machine, extraction and CAM software. The K1224 TUHI CNC router system features a 6kW manual collet spindle, 300mm Z-axis clearance to accommodate large 3D work, 500mm Z axis travel for long cutting tools, a T-slot and vacuum hold-down table, filtered cyclone extraction system, and Mecsoft VisualCAM for Solidworks software. Waka has also supplied the standard and specialised tooling required, and full support to ensure rapid integration and ongoing productivity. Factory manager Lincoln Davis says that he has been impressed with the way the machine has been productive from the first day in February, and there has been no downtime since. The experience and support provided has ensured a rapid learning curve and no lost time. This investment in technology has transformed this aspect of Milson Foundry’s operations by bringing it in-house, and provided a release from faltering dependencies and dated methods. LASER TESTIMONIALS “Having local support for maintenance, repairs and advice has been vital. We would not have succeeded with a laser engraver without their support. We would have been lost without them and the engraver has become a critical part of our business.” Julie and Andrew Austin, Naturally Wood, Hokitika. “The Thunder laser system has drastically decreased the prototyping time for our Bachelor of Engineering Technology and Bachelor of Architectural Studies students. This allows more time to be spent on the learning and design aspects of the courses while still producing high quality prototypes and models.” Dylan Owen BEngTech, Ara Institute of Canterbury “The Thunder laser has proven itself as reliable as it is indispensable…. while it would be quite easy for the University to source this machine directly from China, the decision to purchase thru the local dealer has been pure gold for us.” David Read, Technical Officer, University of Canterbury Mechanical Engineering “… our biggest contract -- we wouldn't have been able to do it without our own CO2 laser.... Since having our laser in house, the different types of work we now produce has increased our scope of work considerably as we’ve been able to experiment. Local support is paramount.” Paul Reeves, SignBiz Christchurch LASERS ROUTERS James Dowle Mike Carringan
eMag-ProfileOfSuccess-Dec17
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