With the advent of new Fiberlaser Technology bracing our shores around 4 years ago, we have learnt a lot through continuous experiences, the good and the ugly. It is with this in mind that we are endeavouring to point out a few key aspects of what to look at when acquiring a Fiberlaser Cutting Machine.

Fiberlaser Technology is a relatively new technology and has hit the South African market, as well as global market by storm. Pricing on these machines is very competitive, as it is far easier to manufacture machines to integrate this technology. Having said this, there are a myriad of suppliers form the East, Europe and the Americas. We are bombarded daily with emails and offers from unknown suppliers from all over the world. This can cause much frustration and confusion as to making the correct decision on which fiberlaser machine supplier or manufacturer/agent to choose from. The entire process becomes very overwhelming. There are established household brands in our market, which can be trusted and compared to either a Mercedes Benz or Toyota. The challenging fact being that these household brands are generally more expensive.  Many of these emails that we do receive from the less known brands, which obviously will be much cheaper. The pitfall here, however is that price is not the only decision making factor, in the acquiring of the fiberlaser cutting system.

So what do you look for when purchasing a Fiberlaser Cutting Machine?

• The supplier has to be represented globally.
• They have to be able to speak English, as to be able to assist you with services and repairs. The technical staff that supply aftersales service have to be able to speak English. So often we receive calls from disgruntled non-customers who are at a loss, as the supplier is not able to offer support in English.
• The agent/representative in South Africa has to have a physical address and administrative personell, as well as qualified factory trained technicians. This is paramount in being able to offer aftersales service and support. (Not a one man band) Should anything happen to this representative and he is no longer in business, you have to be able to speak to the supplier to ensure continued service and support.
• Supplier or agent needs to be able to give you at least 3-5 referalls to qualify the level of service that they offer. Make sure that you speak to customers directly, when the agent is not present.
• The agent or supplier has to have a stock holding of spare parts and consumables, so as to guarantee first line service at all times

Construction of the Machine

The following technical aspects have to be in place before even evaluating the purchase of the Fiberlaser Cutting Machine

• Machine has to be fully enclosed on the area where the cutting head is mounted onto the gantry. See through glass has to be certified to meet the relevant safety standards
• Software needs to be intuitive and user friendly
• Remote Diagnostics to enable remote login for technicians, has to be standard
• European Standard electronics and drives and motors should be fitted (if this is not the case, local support is very difficult)

Due to the fact that this should be a one time purchase it is imperative that the purchasing of the correct machine from the correct supplier, with the support of the correct agent, is taken into account. Should the wrong machine be purchased you could end up to be one of the many non-customers that we receive weekly calls from that are very overwhelmed, disgruntled and unhappy and are not able to cut their own parts or even deliver orders timeously. “ A good price is long forgotten once the deal is done.”