We’re excited to be installing a new CNC unit here at Custom Laser. Its large capacity and high speed capabilities allow us to reduce cycle times & provide high-volume production to our valued customers.
Also, we’re still hiring for CNC Machinists. Get in touch with us to learn more.
This custom created fire pit ring has us dreaming of warmer weather…. and maybe a s’more or two!
We are proud to be playing a part in supplying hospitals with some of the equipment needed in the fight against Covid-19. These laser cut, stainless steel tubes are some of the components needed to manufacture IV stands used in medical centers around the country.
Fresh out of our powder coat oven in Prismatic Powders Bronze Chrome!
Whether it’s your own custom parts or as the final step in your manufacturing process, we can provide a high quality finish on our in-house powder coat line! Email us at quote@customlaserinc.com.
It might not look like much now, but this part will become someone’s face shield in the medical field! We are proud and excited to be helping out!
Face mask plastic
Countless industries, such as agriculture, architecture, construction and food service – to name a few – turn to tube laser cutting technology to create the components, parts or replacement pieces needed to keep going day after day. Custom Laser’s tube cutting laser can produce incredibly precise and repetitive cuts in metal, creating an exact alignment for connections, fittings or passthrough points for wiring or plumbing. But despite the name, not everything manufactured has to be a “tube.”
While most people think immediately of metal tubing when they hear “tube laser cutting,” the truth is the name is a bit deceiving. Much of the work performed by tube laser cutters indeed is to handle round, square, rectangular and flat-sided oval tubing. However, at Custom Laser, our tube laser can also handle “open profile” metals, meaning that we can process both angle iron and C-channel as well.
For angle iron, our laser can accommodate pieces up to L4 x 4 in size. With C-channel, we can handle C4 and smaller sizes. Custom Laser can also process both C-channel and angle pieces in a range of metals with varied different maximum wall thicknesses. This includes carbon steel (up to 5/16”), stainless steel (up to 3/16”) and aluminum (up to 1/8”).
Using the tube cutting laser to process angle iron and C-channel offers a number of benefits for end users. First and foremost, the laser offers far more rapid processing, allowing for a quicker turnaround for manufactured pieces. In addition, since it is machine handled versus manually cut or fit, production is far more consistent, resulting in a seamless manufacturing process for large orders.
The tube laser setup also allows for more custom cutting that can be difficult to handle with other technologies. This can include irregular shapes for channel or angle ends, narrow slots or holes – or those placed close together – or to accommodate slot and tab construction with literal laser precision. See even more applications in this article from The Tube & Pipe Journal.
In addition, components processed with the tube laser cutter require less finishing than other cut materials. The high accuracy and precision of the laser means that there is little or no need for deburring, while cuts can also be made with pre-beveled edges to expedite welding work. Between the precise cut and the reduced time to make pieces ready, choosing tube laser cutting can save operations a ton of time and money – and reduce headaches from imprecise fits from manual measure-and-cut or drilled components.
With C-channel beams and angle iron open profile metals commonly used in a variety of roles for structural work, vehicle frames, merchandising and retail, construction, roofing and agriculture – to name just a few applications – the uses of the tube laser are too many to count. We’ve helped countless clients with cutting and processing open profile and tube metal work, and can put our precision and performance to use for your next project.
Find out how Custom Laser can help you get the precise parts, reverse-engineered replacement components or other fabricated pieces you need for your operations. Call us today at 716-434-8600 and let’s discuss how we can help with your next custom fabrication job.
It is an honor to have Custom Laser featured in the most recent edition of The Fabricator Magazine.
We can’t wait to be in our new building! Look how far it has come along!
There are many ways that components and products made at Custom Laser can be finished to make them ready for our customers, but one of the most common and durable options is powder coating. Available since the ‘60s, powder coating has been highly praised for its benefits for metal items for more than half a century, but has become even more popular in recent years for its eco-friendly benefits.
Is powder coating the right choice for your next project?
Powder coating is what’s known as a dry finishing process that delivers a colorful, durable and consistent finishing coat. Typically, this is done with metal products or components, but can also be applied to other materials like fiberboard and plastic. The Powder Coating Institute notes that powder coating now represents more than 15 percent of the total industrial finishing market today across all markets and applications.
The powder itself is a polymer resin base with additives used to give the powder its color, change the flow rate or curing time and control other factors of the coating process. Using an electrostatic spray deposition process, the powder is applied to the surface of the part or component, creating a charged attraction between the coating and the grounded part. After application, the piece goes through a curing oven which causes a chemical reaction that creates long molecular chains which link the coating with the surface, resulting in the finished item.
Beyond the ability to create a finished look in a full spectrum of color choices, powder coating is incredibly popular for its durability. A powder coated item has much greater resistance to scratching, chipping and fading, meaning that finished pieces will stay looking sharp and protected for longer than painted items. In addition, powder coating offers greater resistance to the elements, protecting the surface from moisture, UV rays or other environmental factors. This is also why you frequently see powder coating on heavy machinery, grills, outdoor furniture and other components and parts that are exposed to weather conditions and tough work environments.
You may also be surprised to learn that powder coating is also incredibly ecofriendly – more so, even, than paints. Because powder coating is completed in a closed and sealed space, it eliminates the risk or spills or contamination. Powder coating is also recyclable, with unused powder able to be reclaimed for future use. The process from start to finish also produces nearly no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), making it much easier to be compliant with environmental regulations and standards.
Finally, with a far greater life expectancy for powder coating versus paint coating that may need to be reapplied, the finishing process offers a smaller carbon footprint. This not only helps reduce overall impacts to the environment by eliminating the need to repaint, but also prolongs the life of the finished part, component or product, helping diminish the need for replacement.
While powder coating offers many advantages for finished components, there are a few instances when it isn’t the best choice for customers. For example, powder coating is nearly impossible to apply thinly, so if your component has very stringent thickness requirements or tight part clearances, you may need to choose an alternate finish option. In addition, powder coating can be difficult to color match precisely from one batch to another due to the nature of the powdered coating. If you need to color match exactly, you may be better using a paint or other coloring process.
At Custom Laser, we offer a full range of finishing options for our custom-cut components and parts, including powder coating. Simply let us know what kind of coloring and specifications you have for your project and our team will work with you to create finished items that meet your exact needs. Find out more about our full range of laser cutting and metal fabrication services today by calling us at 716-434-8600.
4885 IDA Park Drive
Lockport, NY 14094
Phone: 716-434-8600
Fax: 716-439-4805
Email: Quote@customlaserinc.com
