News Productive Advantage
Fiber lasers help fabricator increase its processing prowess in less space
Having a trustworthy steel supply partner is of paramount importance to the success of any manufacturer, and Alliance Steel’s growth over the past decade is a result of its customer-centered culture and strong business relationships.
“Alliance Steel has sought to pursue further down-stream and value-add business for several years,” says President and COO Drew Gross, and these goals resulted in the creation of Alliance Fabrication & Manufacturing. “We always look to offer our customer base more and more value, and that is what we have accomplished with our capabilities and supply chain support at Alliance Fabrication & Manufacturing,” Gross says.
Fast Fabrication
Alliance Fabrication & Manufacturing is a separate division of Alliance Steel. It is located at the company’s Gary, Indiana, headquarters. It offers everything from welding, metal forming and bending to kitting, mechanical assembly and logistics—and processes carbon steel, galvanized, galvannealed, stainless steel, aluminum and copper, with thicknesses from 20 gauge to 1 inch.
Jim Campbell, vice president of Fabrication & Manufacturing, says the vast majority of the material processed falls between 11 gauge and 0.25 inch thick and leans heavily toward carbon steel.
The new division runs multiple fiber lasers from 6kW to 15kW. “Alliance has been using Bystronic equipment since 2016,” Campbell says. “We currently use their fiber lasers with load/unload cells and the BySoft programming software.”
The first fiber laser Alliance acquired from the manufacturer was a BySmart 3015 6kW with ByTrans Extended load/unload automation. The company has since added a BySmart Fiber 3015 10kW and a ByStar Fiber 3015 15kW, all with load/unload automation.
Fiber laser technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since its emergence as a competitor to CO2. According to Bystronic, which has a manufacturing plant in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, fiber lasers can be an “economically worthwhile” choice due to their high cutting speed, low operating costs and low maintenance.
“It took over a decade to see CO2 lasers get to 6kW, and fiber lasers are now [achieving] 50kW [power] in less time,” notes Campbell. Each Bystronic fiber laser delivers a minimal cutting kerf, maximizing cutting precision and accuracy. The result is enhanced cut quality, efficiency and a tight-tolerance product.
“We invested in our first Bystronic fiber laser in 2017,” Campbell says. “We knew the productivity advantages of fiber lasers were the future of laser cutting. The cut quality and cutting speeds while using nitrogen have been revolutionary. Our ability to produce more product—in less space, with less labor—has dramatically changed the fabrication industry.”
Automation enhances the lasers’ capabilities. ByTrans Modular has a variety of configurations and layouts, which provide companies with the flexibility to choose the best solution and eliminate the need for manual loading and unloading. Meanwhile, the BySoft Suite connects the cutting floor allowing users to concentrate less on repetitive tasks and more on work that adds value and contributes to faster decision-making.
“Automation is key to reducing labor costs and for facilitating unattended operations,” Campbell says. “The ability to process material when the lights are off adds to our manufacturing capacity without additional labor.”
ByTrans load/unload automation ensures higher usage of the laser cutting system.
A Complete System
Bystronic’s sheet metal processing solutions focus on the future of fabrication, including automation of the entire material and data flow of the cutting and bending process chain.
According to the machinery builder, “the intelligent connectivity of our laser cutting systems and press brakes with innovative automation software and service solutions is the key to comprehensive digitalization in the sheet metal industry.”
Bystronic offers complete system integration,” Alliance’s Campbell says. “They are a leader in laser cutting and automation. Their software allows all their equipment to be programmed offline, maximizing machine productivity.”
He points out that Alliance Fabrication’s engineers can begin with a solid model and “rapidly create laser and press brake programs. The Xpert series press brakes are the most accurate and capable brakes on the market today. The ByVision control on the press brake multiplies experience and capability of the operator and has allowed us to grow the business with a young, inexperienced workforce.”
When the lasers’ precision is coupled with Alliance’s stretcher-leveling capabilities on the steel processing side, it makes “downstream operations of forming and robotic welding much more efficient,” says Campbell. “We have a significant number of parts that are longer and out of heavier-gauge material. When we present parts cut from material that is stress relieved and laser flat, the brakes are able to form parts without having to chase classic forming issues.
“The robotic welding cells are more productive, as well,” he continues, “because part fit-up is more precise, allowing the robots to weld without issue.”
“What we have set up is a tremendous vertically integrated entity that can take material from raw coil to highly engineered finished weldments in one location,” Gross adds. “Our ability to control our processes along the way gives us a unique ability to optimize several critical components of every supply chain transaction. We focus heavily on quality, communication, price and delivery, while remaining steadfast in the Alliance culture and positive customer experiences.”
As Seen in Modern Metals Online
Published: 20 May 2025
Written by: Lauren Duensing