Industry insights, product updates & customer wins

Bespoke metal fabrication specialist, Hurstbourne Forge, has found an elegant and efficient solution to its varied laser cutting quoting needs for its job shop in Andover, Hampshire, in the UK.

The family-owned business, run by Jack and Lydia Swanborough produces “pretty much anything in metal – with precision and care” and specialises particularly in small-to-medium volume bespoke and batch work.

“Quoting customers for these highly specialised jobs was taking time and effort, and we knew there had to be a more efficient way. We discovered Tempus Tools, and it ticked all the boxes for us. It was such an elegant solution,” said Jack, who has been in the current premises in Andover for the last 2.5 years.

“Tempus Tools gave us an automatic quoting system with a simple interface and a good front-end solution for self-service customers. Other solutions I looked into were needlessly complex, expensive, or both,” he said.

Hurstbourne Forge operates with a fibre laser, press brake, and a broad range of secondary processes, including welding, bending, forming, folding and ring rolling, powder coating, shotblasting, and refinishing.

“Tempus Toolsl is much better than anything we’ve used before, especially for larger and more complex quotes – and I like that it handles all the folding and secondary processes automatically. It’s ideal, because we just installed a new press brake to keep up with growing demand,” said Jack.

“We have a fairly small laser and press setup by global standards, but run a full drawing to final part service for fabrication in any material in-house, specialising in fast turnaround, one-off and weird and wonderful bespoke jobs. We have very attractive pricing for short run laser jobs that are often expensive to get done elsewhere, and Tempus Tools is helping streamline our quoting efficiency to further reduce our costs,” he said.

STEP-ping up with new features

Tempus Tools seeks feedback from customers and uses this to add new features and make improvements to Tempus Tools. The leadership team has more than 100 years of combined experience in the laser cutting industry, from hands-on, practical shop floor work, through to company management.

“One of the features we really enjoy is that we can get quick PDF quotes straight out to customers. The ability to directly translate 3D STEP files into a PDF quote is a game changer for the efficiency of our business,” said Jack.

With Tempus Tools, users can identify, extract, and unfold sheet-metal parts directly from 3D assemblies without a 3D software package. The flattened 2D drawings can be exported as DXF and DWG files with cut and fold lines for use in production or other systems.

Tempus Tools Director, Felipe Lechuga, says that the automatic 3D unfolding feature removes a number of previous obstacles for job shops. “3D software packages are expensive, trained operators are expensive, and finding the time to train people (if they have no prior experience) is hard too. We have designed Tempus Tools so job shops of any size can handle 3D files with ease, with no need for software or specialised skillsets.”

Hurstbourne Forge also utilises the Tempus Tools Web Store feature, so that customers can get a quick quote automatically through their own website.

“The Web Store interface is great for our small-to-medium volume batch work. It means customers can use our website as a self-service e-shop for our products, saving them time, and increasing business for us,” said Jack.

“And what further sets the Tempus Tools team apart is they are highly responsive to any questions or requests for support. I can reach out and discuss new features directly with the development team – and see them implemented – which is fantastic,” he adds.

“We’ve just added Xero integration – another highly useful feature – and our business is running at its highest level of efficiency. Tempus Tools has greatly contributed to this increased productivity, and I’m excited to see new features and improvements continue to be rolled out.”

To learn more about Tempus Tools, please click here.

Hurstbourne Forge can be contacted on:

www.hurstbourneforge.co.uk
Ph: +44 01264 527 017
Email:  info@hurstbourneforge.co.uk

Laser cutting job shops know that providing accurate and timely quotes to customers is crucial for business growth.

Trying to do this manually can be tricky – and can often lead to pricing inconsistencies or errors. This is where implementing software for calculating, preparing, and sending quotes can really benefit your job shop.

But how do I match my existing prices with a whole new system?

This is a very common question, and it’s a fear that can mean job shops put off upgrades that could be saving them time and earning them more money.

In most cases, if you aren’t using quoting software, the pricing policy is not clear or consistent to begin with, especially with different estimators using different criteria in their calculations. This can lead to confusion and inconsistencies in pricing, which can negatively impact your business.

But this is actually an opportunity to re-think your pricing strategy and generate a consistent and logical pricing policy for the future. The pricing policy must be aligned with the strengths and weaknesses of the shop, facilitating winning attractive jobs and avoiding low-profit or jobs outside the strengths of the company.

Rethinking your pricing policy

The best time to re-think your pricing policy is when implementing a new quoting software. The software can help you analyze your pricing history and identify areas where you can improve your pricing strategy. By taking advantage of this opportunity, you can create a more effective pricing policy that will benefit your business in the long run.

You can also make sure you’re providing fair and competitive prices to your customers – because they tend to be discerning enough to know when they are getting an unfairly high price. I’ve even seen customers use a quoting software to see if their laser vendor was overcharging them!

In addition to helping you create a pricing policy that focuses on the best jobs for your business, a quoting software will bring a broad range of benefits, too, including:

• Speed – with just a few clicks, you can generate a quote and send it to a customer
• Reduced costs – with fewer errors, and lower hours invested in preparing quotes
• Consistency – with the same job always being quoted at the same price – no matter who is creating the quote

With all these advantages, implementing a quoting system can be a highly cost-effective way to grow your job shop and stay ahead of the competition.

Don’t let the fear of change hold you back from taking advantage of these benefits and improving your business.

To see all the latest features of Tempus Tools, the leading quoting software designed specifically for laser cutting job shops, visit our Latest Features page.

Author: Felipe Lechuga, Director, Tempus Tools (pictured)

We’re excited to announce the launch of our innovative AI Chat Assistant, designed to transform customer support within Tempus Tools, our leading laser cutting quoting software.

Thanks to recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4, we’re able to provide a chatbot experience unlike anything before. Previous chatbots often lacked context and struggled with understanding questions. With GPT-4, our Tempus Tools AI assistant overcomes these challenges, bringing you on-demand support answers and general knowledge information within the context of laser cutting.

Key features of the Tempus Tools AI Assistant

1. Real-time access to support articles: The AI chat assistant quickly provides accurate information from our support articles.
2. User-friendly interface: Type your query in the chat window within Tempus Tools for instant support.
3. Constantly evolving: Our AI Chat Assistant learns and improves over time, offering increasingly efficient support. Give it a thumb up or a thumbs down if the answer isn’t what you were expecting, and that information will be used to improve future conversation.
4. Available 24/7: The AI Chat Assistant is always available, ensuring help when you need it.
5. Context of laser cutting in general: the Tempus Tools AI can answer questions with a general understanding of laser cutting.

Accessing the Tempus Tools AI Assistant

Log in or create a Tempus Tools account, find the help button in the lower right-hand corner, and click to open the chat window. Enter your question for instant assistance.

We believe our AI Chat Assistant will significantly enhance your Tempus Tools experience, and we can’t wait for your feedback. For any questions, reach out to our support team at support@tempustools.com.

Automation is often presented as “taking jobs” away from real workers, but Red Horizon Engineering owner, Steve Geroski, sees it as a company builder for smaller businesses.

“When I established my own job shop for engineering, maintenance, equipment design, and laser cutting, it was software and automation programs that allowed me to maintain efficiency and quality to match the larger players – it’s what gave me a chance to be competitive,” he said.

After 17 years as a senior operations manager for a major tire and rubber company, Steve decided to “bet the house” and establish his own engineering company, with a 6000W CNC fiber laser.

“There is a huge demand for laser cut materials here in Ohio and surrounding areas, especially from heavy industry. But I just don’t have time to manually quote all the orders while establishing and managing all areas of my business,” he said.

Red Horizon Engineering’s laser cutting machine is capable of cutting 1” mild steel, 1/2” Stainless Steel, 3/8” aluminium, and 1/4” brass, with titanium and other metals available too.

Steve wanted to avoid the headaches of using spreadsheets or clunky interfaces within Excel estimating software programs to quote jobs, so he did some research, and found Tempus Tools, a rules-based laser cutting quoting software specifically designed for laser cutting job shops.

“Tempus Tools has been one of the smoothest and most intuitive programs I’ve ever used. This meant I could implement it straight away and start quoting for orders while continuing to set up other parts of the job shop,” he said.

“I could easily train my business partner Joe to use the software when I’m not here, and as we expand in the future, training new staff won’t be a time-consuming exercise. The job shop estimating software is well laid out, it has point-to-click functionality, and it’s clear it has been designed by professionals who know this industry inside out.”

“And the support has been outstanding. I get quick responses, there’s a group for asking questions and providing feedback. It’s so rare to find a company so receptive to customer feedback, but Tempus Tools takes customer comments and uses them to create new features or enhance existing ones.”

Red Horizon Engineering’s laser cutting quotes are mostly going to heavy industry, which typically demands pre-welded parts on 1/4” plate or larger, and are often used for materials handling equipment, such as conveyors. But they also get jobs for signage, personal projects, and even commercial art.

“Heavy industry is where we see growth, but the other projects are a lot of fun. And with Tempus Tools, it’s so easy to adjust pricing on the fly. I haven’t had to turn down any work since we opened, because I’m not wasting time manually preparing quotes,” said Steve.

Investing in Tube Capabilities

Steve decided to further differentiate himself from the competition by adding a rotary attachment to his laser cutting machine to allow tube cutting.

“Not many fabrication shops have this capability – it’s usually bigger steel suppliers – and there was interest in it straight away. But tube is almost impossible to quote manually. With Tempus Tools, I can easily input the information and get an accurate quote every time,” he said.

The Tube feature allows the user to easily drag and drop rectangular, square, or round hollow sections into Tempus Tools. It flattens the part and calculates runtime in the quoting module.

Looking To The Future

As Steve continues to establish and grow his job shop, the next Tempus Tools feature he plans to implement is Web Store, which provides a 24/7 online store for laser cutting, which he can embed into his own website.

“With Web Store, customers can get quotes and place orders via my website, which multiplies the number of orders I’m able to receive. I plan on setting up a member’s login area where my valued customers can access this service 24/7,” he said.

“Tempus Tools has built some fantastic features into their Tempus Tools software, and I’ve been impressed with the responsiveness of their support team. Their price-point is also highly competitive, so it was the best decision for my business.”

To learn more about Tempus Tools, please click here.

Red Horizon Engineering can be contacted on:

redhorizonengineering.com
Ph: +1 (419) 619-2894
Email: SteveGeroski@RedHorizonEngineering.com

When you’re quoting for a laser cutting job, the major components that determine price are the material cost, the fixed and variable costs of your laser cutting system and the labour costs.

Material costs typically represent more than 55% of the part price and, of the remainder, the machine’s fixed and variable costs represent the major portion. Understanding material costs and knowledge of future trends in material costs are key factors in determining your quotation part prices.

Fluctuations in material cost are so easy to overlook. If you’re not careful, and not keeping pricing up to date, you could lose money on the job.

Material price changes

Let’s take the three most common metals for laser cutting jobs – mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminium, and see how they’ve changed over recent years. Prices can vary greatly due to geopolitical events, economic conditions, and global supply and demand.

Keeping an eye on markets and pricing changes, and updating your quoting system to reflect the newest prices will help make sure you are never in a situation where you are losing money on a job because of an inaccurate laser cutting quote.

Sheet Metal Price – raw data

For the purposes of this analysis, we will take a standard 3000x1500mm sheet with 5mm thickness. All prices are in US Dollars (USD).

The data above shows that for mild steel (which is used on approximately 85% of laser cutting jobs), prices have risen more than 30% from 2021-2023. Stainless Steel has seen an even bigger increase, with prices rising more than 50% during this same period. Aluminium has seen price increases of around 18% over that time period.

In some cases, the difference may not seem like a lot, but it can really add up as the volume of laser cutting jobs increases.

What if prices go down?

We haven’t seen this happen for a while, but what happens if material prices go down? Then, you have the opposite problem.

If you are still charging the higher price, but your competitors have updated their material costs, they will be winning more jobs, because their job shop estimating software allows them to offer more competitive quotes will be more competitive.

Let your quoting system keep you accurate and consistent

One way to keep material pricing data accurate is to use a rules-based laser cutting quoting software like Tempus Tools, where you can set the current market pricing of materials to assist you in delivering accurate, consistent, and fast quotes, every time.

Tempus Tools

also has a range of features – developed by professionals with decades of hands-on experience in the laser cutting industry – to make laser cutting quoting easier and quicker, so that job shops can reduce costs, save time, and win more work. Some of these features include:

• Automatic 3D unfolding, with the ability to turn 3D models into quotable 2D drawings
• Web Store, which gives job shops their own online store where customers can get 24/7 pricing and place orders
• Drawing Doctor® to fix up errors in customer drawings
• Part Library – save parts data to make repeat orders even faster
• … and many more time-saving features!

If you’d like to see how simple quoting via  is, you can start a no-obligation 14-day free trial.

Author: Bruce Thomas, Executive (Product)

Laser cutting is a precise and efficient way of cutting materials such as metal, wood, and plastics. This process involves the use of a high-powered laser beam to melt, burn, or vaporize the material being cut, but it can also be dangerous if the right safety precautions are not followed.

Here are some potential safety hazards to look out for in your laser cutting job shop.

Fire Hazard: Laser cutting aluminum and mild steel

One hazard associated with laser cutting is the potential for a fire. This is especially true when cutting aluminum and mild steel. When these two metals are cut together, they create a dangerous byproduct known as ferrite. Ferrite is a mixture of aluminum and steel powder that can ignite and cause a fire. To prevent these types of fires, it’s crucial to separate aluminum and mild steel when cutting.

In the event of a fire, it’s essential to have a fire extinguisher that can put out a metal fire. These types of fires cannot be put out with water, and using the wrong extinguisher can make the situation worse. A class D fire extinguisher is the most appropriate type for this type of fire, and should be kept on-site in your laser cutting job shop.

Nitrogen hazard: Oxygen deficiency

When cutting large jobs with nitrogen in a small, confined space, it can lead to a health hazard. Nitrogen is not poisonous, but it reduces the oxygen content, which can lead to oxygen deficiency. This deficiency can cause drowsiness, which heightens the risk of tripping and workplace injuries. Additionally, it is not safe to run industrial equipment in a drowsy condition.

This hazard is especially true for small workshops that are becoming more common in laser cutting. It’s essential to ensure that proper ventilation is in place to prevent nitrogen buildup.

An oxygen sensor is a tool that can be used to monitor the oxygen levels in the workspace. This sensor can help identify when nitrogen is becoming a problem and when it’s time to take action.

Nitrogen is an odorless gas, so you won’t have any indication from your sense of smell, as to when the Nitrogen content is reaching unsafe levels.

High-pressure nitrogen hazard: Noise exposure

Using high-pressure nitrogen can generate very loud noises as it exits the nozzle. Prolonged exposure to these noises can cause ear damage. It’s essential to wear hearing protection when working with high-pressure nitrogen to prevent hearing damage. There are apps available on mobile phones to monitor decibel readings and help identify when noise levels are reaching dangerous levels.

Laser safety

All Class 4 lasers should be completely enclosed, and all operators should wear safety glasses designed specifically for the wavelength of light from the laser. Most countries have a laser safety standard, and in Australia, it is the law to keep a copy of the standard on the premises and to have all operators trained in laser safety.

Forklift safety

Risk analysis in a laser job shop is very likely to show that the forklift is one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment on site, if not used correctly. A risk that is often overlooked is the effect of continually dragging the tines on the concrete floor. This causes the tines to wear and become weaker than their design strength, leading to failure on one or both tines. If one tine fails, the load will shift sideways, creating an extremely dangerous situation. It’s essential to ensure that all forklift operators are licensed and trained in proper forklift safety procedures.

Cutting plastics

Cutting plastics can also be a hazardous process. Teflon generates hydrofluoric acid fumes, which can cause chest tightness, choking, coughing blood, rapid pulse and more health issues. PVC cutting generates hydrochloric acid and toxic fumes. It’s important to check the material data sheet for the product being cut to determine what is generated when combusted. This information can be used to identify potential hazards and take the necessary safety precautions.

In conclusion, laser cutting is an excellent method for cutting materials, but it’s essential to take safety precautions seriously. Understanding the potential hazards associated with laser cutting can help you prevent accidents and injuries. Always follow safety guidelines and ensure that all workers are adequately trained in laser safety procedures.

Author: Bruce Thomas, Executive (Product)