Industry insights, product updates & customer wins

Most laser job shop owners will agree that a brake press operator is one of the most expensive people in the jobshop – and is often the hardest to find. With bending being an essential component of most job shops’ processes, having the right brake press (and operator) is a must.

So, if you’ve finally found a qualified brake press operator who is a good fit for the business – the worst thing you can do is take their valuable time with quoting and estimating tasks.

Instead of having a brake press operator (or CAM specialist) prepare quotes, or perform the calculations necessary to generate an accurate and repeatable quote, use a front-end laser cutting quoting software like Tempus Tools.

Typically, the brake press is situated at the back of the factory because this makes sense with a lot of workflows. So, if a customer service person needs to take a long walk to get input from the brake press operator for every quote, that’s two people’s time consumed in the quote preparation process.

With Tempus Tools, anyone can prepare a quote lightning fast, meaning qualified staff can perform the tasks they are trained in, and the business can respond to more quotes, win more quotes, be more efficient on the job floor, and drive growth.

The Laser Estimator’s Time-Saving Tempus Tools

Tempus Tools generates repeatable, consistent quotes, typically in less than two minutes.

Our data, based on more than 1,000,000 laser-cutting quotes, shows the average number of line items is 5.5, with an average time of 5 minutes per line or 30 minutes per quote.

Using Tempus Tools as a front-end sales tool, an average quote of 5.5 parts takes just two minutes – that’s 15 times faster, and it’s totally repeatable every time.

Tempus Tools has a range of other useful features, too, including unfolding 3D parts, secondary processes support, folding, tube, a part library for fast repeat quotes, and more!

Try Tempus Tools for free for 14 days to see how much time and cost it could save your business.

Start Trial – first 14 days free

Choosing The Right Brake Press

For laser job shops, how do you know which brake press is right for your business?

Every setup is unique, but as a general rule, the first brake press should be as large and flexible as possible. This is likely 3m since most laser beds are 3m long. The tonnage will be determined by the power of your laser because this will determine how thick you can cut.

For your second press, you can optimise its size to accommodate most of your work. In this case, typically, a small 1m 50t press could be enough for about 80% of your work, with the larger press handling the bigger jobs.

Our advice for new players is not to buy two 3m presses unless your work specifically requires it. This will be an added expense and take up more floor space without offering your job shop any additional benefits over the smaller press.

On top of this, with energy prices soaring across the globe, a larger brake press will consume more energy, adding to a jobshop’s costs and environmental footprint.

Industry-specific, sales-focused quoting software means you spend less and sell more

Most laser, plasma, waterjet, oxy cutting, folding (and secondary processes) jobshops are using inefficient estimation methods, because they are not aware that industry-specific software exists.

The lack of a streamlined and inexpensive estimating procedure may be one of the biggest roadblocks for jobshop growth, because the inability to send accurate and timely quotes (at a low cost) prevents companies from selling more, increasing production, and expanding the business.

But it doesn’t have to be that difficult.

Let’s take a look at the biggest quoting problems jobshops are facing, and how an industry-specific sales-focused quoting software can boost competitiveness and foster business growth.

The problem with non-specific software

Different types of software provided by machine manufacturers, or CAM software, are excellent production-focused tools… but they are not sales software. They haven’t been specifically designed so that you, as a jobshop, can quote quickly, quote accurately, and maximise the number of quotes you win.

A typical estimation and quoting process using these types of software (or worse, a spreadsheet with all the information stored in one person’s head!) often encounters the following roadblocks:

• A heavy reliance on the manager or owner for quoting, because only they know the pricing policy and what discounts can be applied
• Difficulty keeping up with sheet price changes
• High risk of not bidding on larger jobs because of the complexity of quoting. This could be because of:
  • Too much time needed to quote
  • Shared resources (labor/software) for estimating and production
  • Multiple drawings
  • Multiple materials
  • Multiple secondary processes
• Multiple estimation stages, which means:
  • More resources are involved
  • Highly skilled labor is required
  • High cost of software licenses needed
  • Higher error risk (multiple points of information processing and information circulation)
  • Longer processing times
  • Higher risk of delivering late quotes

Here’s how a typical quoting flow looks like with these systems in place:

Typically, only 30-40% of jobs quoted are won, meaning that a large portion of the estimating cost is lost, lowering the company’s competitiveness.

Inefficient estimating means that jobshops buy more CAM software licenses and employ more highly skilled labor than they really need.

Production software isn’t efficient for jobshop quoting

Laser machine manufacturers focus their software on production, because that’s what’s required to run the machines. So, when quoting is added to this software, it’s often difficult to use. You may notice:

• The software is designed to be used by experts such as designers and machine programmers
• There is no automated drawing cleaning – you’ll have to do this yourself
• 3D assemblies are processed manually on a 3D software package for 2D parts extraction
• Only output time and material usage are included – no pricing
• Most secondary processes (powder coating, tapping, mig welding and a range of others) must be estimated on a different software, spreadsheet, or done manually.

But what about ERP or CPQ systems?

Some jobshops see the inherent weaknesses in the production-focused software, and the next option is to explore Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Configure Price Quote (CPQ) systems.

These systems have their advantages, but they fall short when it comes to providing quotes as a sales tool, to grow the business. This is because, with ERPs and CPQs:

• There are no standard quoting modules
• There are no industry-specific business rules
• Costly workarounds are regularly required to accommodate cutting, material, and secondary processes in quotes due to the standardized characteristics
• Quotes do not include thumbnail drawings of the parts (simple point of error detection by customers)

Laser / Plasma / Waterjet / Oxy cutting (+ Secondary processes) quoting should be done in an estimating-specific software, not on an array of production, spreadsheets and generic ERP software packages that add cost and stifle efficiency.

Where can I find industry-specific sales focused software for jobshop quoting?

You’ve come to the right place. Tempus Tools, has been designed as a sales software. It is a customer-facing solution that has been designed to help jobshops sell more.

Not only is it a sales software, but Tempus Tools is rules-based, which enables lesser skilled customer-facing service staff to prepare and issue quotes. This means it’s not taking highly qualified CAM specialists and brake press operators away from their productive tasks to assist with quote preparation.

Tempus Tools has all the tools a jobshop needs to get more quotes to customers, win more jobs, and grow the business.

Remember that convoluted and long quoting flow diagram from earlier? Here’s how it could look with Tempus Tools:

Tempus Tools sounds interesting – how do I know if it’s right for my jobshop?

The best way to see if a software works for you, is to try it. If you have a laser, plasma, waterjet, or oxy cutting machine, we believe Tempus Tools can save you time and win you more business.

To prove this to you, we are offering a no-obligation trial where you can try Tempus Tools for free for the first 14 days.

START TRIAL – FIRST 14 DAYS FREE

Adelaide-based laser cutting and CNC router specialists, Lasercut Solutions, have discovered a solution that allows them to provide quotes to customers simply, accurately, and quickly.

Previously, Lasercut Solutions was pricing laser cutting jobs using an in-house developed excel based quoting system, which the business had outgrown. Due to the volume of quotes, the process was slow and tedious. “Quoting times would vary depending on the amount of work required, but we knew it was taking up too much of our time,” said Lasercut Solutions Owner, Gary Cabot.

Lasercut Solutions provides laser cutting, laser engraving, and CNC profiled parts to a wide variety of fabricators and manufacturers.

“We have a broad range of customers across a variety of industries, and they require fast quotes to compete in their respective markets,” he said.

A fuss-free laser quoting system

After trialling different types of software, Lasercut Solutions discovered ox, by Tempus Tools. Tempus Tools was developed by laser industry professionals who, combined, have more than 100 years of experience in the laser industry, extending from hands-on work on the jobshop floor through to international commercialisation of their technology.

“Tempus Tools gave us a fuss-free and simple to navigate quoting system. Right from the beginning, we found the interface very user-friendly and setting up the system with our business requirements was straightforward,” said Gary.

“With Tempus Tools in place, we have noticed most quotes take a few minutes to return to the customer, regardless of the amount of detail in the job. The speed at which we can produce quotes with Tempus Tools is excellent. We can deliver fast and accurate pricing, which allows us to maintain a competitive edge in the market,” he said.

We found the system to have enough flexibility to tailor to our needs, in contrast to other software we trialed, which became cumbersome with the amount of data entry required.”

Tempus Tools is rules-based, which enables lesser skilled customer-focused service staff to prepare and issue quotes. This means it’s not taking highly qualified CAM specialists and brake press operators away from their productive tasks to assist with quote preparation.

The first quote has a higher chance of winning

Tempus Tools’ data, based on more than one million laser cutting quotes, shows that the first quote the customer receives has a higher chance of winning.

Tempus Tools CEO Ivan Cooper says that this is crucial to business growth, because laser jobshops, on average, win between 30-40% of all jobs quoted.

“If you’re winning less than 40% of all jobs quoted for, an effective way to grow the business is to reduce the time it takes to produce each quote. Our data shows that the average number of line items is 5.5, and average time per line is five minutes. That’s 30 minutes per quote. Using Tempus Tools, the same quote would take just two minutes,” he said.

“Tempus Tools is a sales tool that helps you generate quotes quickly and accurately, setting it apart from other MRP/ERP quoting solutions. It gives users a unique set of tools to get more quotes out, win more jobs, and grow their business.”

Responsive service and support

Tempus Tools designed to help laser jobshops with the real issues they face day-to-day with quoting, and the Tempus Tools team is consistently updating the cloud-based platform to include new features.

“We worked closely with the Tempus Tools team throughout our trial period and into our subscription. They were extremely responsive and receptive to new ideas. We have been happy to see some of our suggestions already implemented into the Tempus Tools system, and other ideas on the development list,” said Gary.

Recent updates to Tempus Tools include integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, and availability on the AutoDesk app store. A new feature that’s planned for release later this year is tube quoting, where users can create quotes from a STEP file without using a solid modelling program.

The new tube quoting feature follows on from Tempus Tools’ successful 3D module, which is already part of the Tempus Tools system. The 3D module takes a sheet metal STEP file and flattens it, ready for quoting.

Ivan Cooper says that they value the feedback of Australian laser jobshops like Lasercut Solutions, as they seek to add new features that benefit all Tempus Tools users.

“Sometimes it can be a really minor update that can make a big difference to the user. We like to remain flexible, so that we can update our software with new features that continue to deliver value to our Tempus Tools customers,” he said.

It’s widely considered at this point that fibre lasers are supreme in the manufacturing industry— greater power, speed, and no need for laser gases, higher electrical efficiencies and less maintenance requirements are some of the most discussed reasons that job shops are investing in new fibres, most replacing their CO2 lasers for fibre ones.

However, these factors aren’t the only things to consider for the job shop considering new machines. For the fabricator just getting into laser, or those who have only used CO2 in the past, here’s the guide you need to the differences between CO2 and fibre lasers, from the technology and its expenses to the results you can expect in your product.

CO2 and fibre lasers’ big difference comes from their respective methods of generating the laser. CO2 lasers operate through exciting the carbon dioxide molecules in a gas, which is the lasing medium that delivers the beam that cuts your material. It operates at a frequency of 10.6 microns (µm) which is far-infrared. Meanwhile, fiber lasers generate the laser through using ytterbium crystals as a medium (in a solid – glass) within optical fibres. These crystals are “pumped” using powerful laser diodes and the laser beam is emitted as a near-infrared beam of light to cut your material, typically operating at 1.08 µm.

Fibre lasers are generally considered to be faster than CO2 lasers, due to several factors. Powerful lasers allow for thicker materials to be cut at a faster pace—while there are many power levels available for both fibre and CO2, high-powered fibre lasers are less expensive than their CO2 counterparts, and therefore more economical to purchase.

In materials like aluminium and copper, the speed increase is also due to the better absorption of the laser.

The shorter wavelength is to thank for this, with some materials reflecting most of a CO2’s beam rather than absorbing it and allowing itself to be cut. Non-ferrous metal like copper or brass just aren’t able to be cut economically by a CO2 laser, taking longer and wasting power. A job shop primarily dealing in these sorts of materials should absolutely go with fibre over CO2.

For their part, CO2 lasers work very well cutting mild steel and organic materials like acrylic, paper, timber and cardboard. Laser cutters work with these materials in a number of industries for a great number of purposes, such as cutting out cardboard boxes to be folded and used as packaging or storage. CO2 lasers can work just as effectively as a fibre laser at thinner material thicknesses, and will generally produce a superior, smoother cut and with greater capacity for detail in these cases.

The other downside for fibre lasers is that the cut on a fibre can be of a marginally lower quality for stainless and aluminium, resulting in microburrs that may require removal. This extra processing cost impacts the fibre’s time advantage. So for job shops working with materials cuttable on both types of lasers, it’s worth reconsidering whether much time will be saved, or if a noticeable drop in cut quality will impact your productivity rate.

There is a much shorter maintenance cycle for CO2 lasers; the optical components placed inside the oscillator must be cleaned and replaced periodically in order for the machine to work at its best. CO2 lasers typically operate in a vacuum and require gas circulation so there are many mechanical components compared to a fibre. In comparison, fibre lasers can have better longevity and maintenance performance, as their oscillators are isolated from outside factors. Their maintenance cycle is placed at roughly 20,000 hours to a CO2 laser’s 4000 hours.

Naturally, different lasers come with different expenses depending on the machine, even putting aside its generation method. CO2 lasers aren’t nearly as energy-efficient as fibres, generally operating at only 10% efficiency to fibre’s 30%. This means that you’ll be consuming far more electrical power, and paying a lot more. Additional regular costs include the consumed gases and maintenance of the laser’s optical components, expenses not attached to fibre lasers.

Every job shop has different requirements when purchasing a laser, and so there’s no universal answer for the question of which kind is overall the best. The real question needs to be whether a laser suits your needs—is it financially feasible you to not only purchase a CO2 laser, but also pay for its expenses? Are your materials better suited for being cut on one or the other? Can you ignore imperfect cuts, or will you need to allow for secondary processes? These are questions one needs to ask themselves when finding the right machine for their job shop, and we recommend thinking carefully about the answers before committing to any one laser.

Steel prices have been on a steady climb from August of last year, going from an average price of $473 USD to the current $1,770 per ton of HR steel in North America. Given the last major high even remotely close to this in the past decade was $915 per ton in July 2018, fabricators have more than enough reason to be concerned that current prices will continue to rise.

The ultimate fear is that job shops won’t be able to make enough money to remain afloat, especially those who had recently invested in new technology. Without the ability to buy materials at a feasible price, those machines simply take up space. It may be necessary to adjust prices while materials are expensive—make sure to inform regular customers that an increase is due to the current market. The Fabricator is an excellent source for industry news and analysis should they ask for more information regarding material prices.

Even with price adjustments, know your limits when it comes to incoming quotes and orders; some might just not be practical to fill while still paying expenses. Don’t eat away at margins at the detriment of your own business.

The hope is that prices will finally peak in August at $1825, with a gradual drop over the next year to a more reasonable $1000 per ton.

In the meantime, what can small laser-cutting job shops do in order to make profit? Laser cutting itself is a very flexible part of manufacturing; there is a plethora of jobs out there that need reliable fabricators, and use materials far cheaper than steel currently is. The job shop needs to be as flexible as its tools—what kind of jobs are you capable of expanding into that you usually don’t take? Consider whether keeping within your business’ comfort zone is truly in your best interest in the current market, or if taking new business opportunities could be your greatest ally.

For job shops with ongoing demand for steel from their customers, waiting out the peak in prices simply isn’t an option. It’ll be necessary for those fabricators to maximize the amount of usage they can get out of the material. Here, automated nesting and grouping like orders from different customers are invaluable. Not only do these methods guarantee the greatest amount of parts cut from each sheet, saving material from the scrap bin, but you’ll also save time from planning, changeovers, and allow you to execute orders in tandem. These all work together to save you a bundle in this time of stress. Our sister company ipLaser provides quoting software with the capability to collate parts cut from like material, schedule the orders together, and fully nest them to maximize material usage.

Finally, it’s also a good idea at this time to analyze your scrap process, as resell value will be increasing at the same time as prices for raw material. In order to make the most of this source of income, have a clear plan and process for your job shop, with used scrap organized by material and by size. Read our previous article on selling scrap here.

While high expenses are stressful, remember that it’s not impossible to find ways around this problem. Keep an eye on current prices, predictions for the next 12 months, and keep yourself and your job shop informed on new opportunities and workarounds to get the edge on your competitors.

For more advice from experienced fabricators, like this article on the impact proper nesting can have on your profit margin, check out our Industry Insights and social media.

Gemma Randall

Marketing, Tempus Tools

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Like all consumable materials, nitrogen is an ongoing cost that must be included in the budget of any laser cutter. It can account for as much as 60% of the total laser running costs. Several cylinders of gas can be used every hour that the machine runs, and depending on the size of the job shop and number of lasers running at once, the expense quickly builds. For the job shop attempting to minimize expenses, what can be done?

Some may find success using pressurized shop air (the air we breathe is roughly 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen), but this presents its own complications. Firstly, one must have the machinery to pressurize the air and remove moisture in the first place—job shops in arid regions may have more difficulty with this. Secondly, for job shops that frequently cut stainless steel, cutting with mixed gases will have an effect on their product. While the oxidization caused by cutting stainless steel with a small percentage of oxygen isn’t severe, it will leave a ‘stain’ on the cut edge that some customers will not accept, and will require further processing to get rid of. Even if you avoid the up-front expense of the nitrogen, it’s quite likely that you lose more money through the extra time spent on these products.

So while it’s expensive, it’s still necessary for many to have a steady supply of nitrogen. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to save without sacrificing quality. Nitrogen generators are becoming an increasingly attractive option for many reasons. Depending on the current price of nitrogen being sold to your competitors, you can be looking at long-term savings between 40-80%. Downtime also decreases—there’s no wait time on deliveries or danger of unexpected delays in the supply line, helping you be in control and self-sufficient. For environmentally-minded fabricators, there’s even ease of mind knowing that your carbon footprint has been reduced from fewer off-site deliveries.

The other option for fabricators with high production demands is to install large bulk storage tanks for liquid nitrogen. These can be refilled periodically, and over time are more economical than regular smaller deliveries of liquid nitrogen, and even more so than cylinders of gas nitrogen. On the other hand, bulk storage can be costly in rental and maintenance, is at the mercy of supply, and has the same issue of off-gassing as smaller containers of liquid. Liquid nitrogen will continually convert itself to gas and vent off, consuming upwards of 20% of your bought supply. Given a long enough delay between usage, your supply may run out entirely without being utilized. It’s therefore important to purchase amounts fairly close to what you’re reasonably going to be able to use in order to minimize this expense.

Every traditional purchase should be examined in order to streamline your business costs. When it comes to nitrogen tanks and cylinders, these purchases are contractual and look to the long-term, but their fluctuating prices, high wastage and unstable supply are to the fabricator’s detriment, creating future risk with your expenditure. Next time you look over your nitrogen expenses, consider whether a change in supply method now could benefit your business in the future with better pricing and a controlled supply.