With governments across the world now seemingly focused on delivering renewable energy solutions GF Laser are working for a number of customers in this fast-growing sector.
Flexibility
The flexibility of laser cutting and press braking makes it ideal for use in almost all sectors of the renewable energy industry. GF Laser have carried out prototype work for new electric vehicle designs and expect to be involved in mass vehicle production over the next few years.
Tooling
Working with EV manufacturers doesn’t always involve developing new techniques, sometimes it can be about using tried and tested technology for new uses. For example, GF Laser works closely with its sister company Moseley Brothers who are developing tools to produce the next generation of electronic and hybrid vehicles. Moseley Brothers can advise on tooling techniques to work with lightweight metals such as aluminium, something that is crucial to engineers developing these vehicles. GF Laser also have wide ranging experience in laser cutting metal for the hot forming industry where again traditional parts have been redesigned to be lighter and more energy efficient.
Fabrication
Our capabilities don’t just end at laser cutting and folding, we can offer a range of fabrication services from welding to nut insertion. This is especially useful for enclosures where laser cutting and folding is only part of the requirement.
Painting
Being based in the West Midlands means that GF Laser are surrounded by specialist painting, galvanising and powder coating firms. We have developed relationships with two firms that have passed our subcontractor approval process as part of our ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Approval.
Many of the parts we are now producing for this sector have a requirement for some kind of painting. GF Laser are ideally placed to offer this service using the specialists in this area that can offer a fast turnaround without compromising on quality.
Laser Cutting Aluminium
Aluminium is one of the favoured materials used in the renewable energy sector. It’s lightweight yet strong properties make it ideal for a range of uses. Many laser cutting companies don’t like laser cutting aluminium as it tends to burr very easily. GF Laser utilise their Fiber Lasers for aluminium as these modern lasers typically give a much better cut than their traditional CO2 counterparts. Furthermore, we have developed a range of cutting technology settings on our lasers to minimise burr. For very thick Aluminium where some burr is unavoidable we offer a secondary deburring service to ensure a completely burr free solution.