Shearline's £400,000 Investment in Paint Shop Laser Equipment

Increasing demand from UK and international customers has driven rapid growth in the Cambridge-based cluster of precision engineering businesses in recent years.
To meet this demand, companies within the cluster, such as Shearline Precision Engineering and its subsidiary Hybrid Laser Tech at the Ely factory, have decided to allocate around £400,000 for investment and expansion in new laser technology and paint shop equipment.
This strategic decision covers not only plans to build a new factory in the area, but also to double the operational service capacity of the paint shop by introducing a night shift system. This initiative is part of the company's long-term expansion strategy and reflects its keen insight and responsiveness to market needs.
It is worth noting that in addition to investing in new technology and equipment over the course of the company's 50-year history, Shearline is also committed to sustainability and has invested over £3.2 million in this area. This new investment will see the introduction of advanced laser technology, including CO2 lasers from Hybrid Laser Tech and Shearline's new fiber lasers.
Hybrid Laser Tech is highly regarded for its technical excellence and wide range of applications. Its manager, Kevin Thompson, has successfully laser cut a gold-inlaid, 12-foot-high, 12-foot-wide palace gate for a member of the Sultanate's royal family, a sure sign of the company's technological prowess and market reach. In the medical field, Hybrid Laser Tech's laser technology has also been utilized in devices that remove plaque from arteries, contributing to the advancement of the medical field by restoring metal to its pre-deformed shape through laser technology.
While not all of the work is so dramatic, HLT has a steady stream of customers lining up for laser cutting of various products. Part of the investment funds will be used to replace the company's large bed CO2 laser, a new machine that will set new standards for quietness and sustainability while being able to cut a wide range of materials, including ceramics. This is expected to save the company around £4,000 per month on laser gas costs and further reduce electricity bills as a result of more efficient cutting technology. In addition, the new machine will also increase cutting speeds and quality levels and support the handling of larger sheet metal sizes.
Kevin Thompson is looking forward to this, "The new machine will be able to handle some materials we can't cope with at the moment (e.g. copper), while maintaining or even improving our efficiency in other areas."
On the other hand, in order to meet the growing demand for Shearline's top-of-the-line powder coating coating services, the group plans to double its capacity by introducing a night shift system. In addition, the company is also looking at creating more subcontracting processes in-house to cope with the high volume of mainly microscope-related parts handled at its current facility, as well as those used in the laser technology industry.
Jon Littlechild, Managing Director of Shearline, makes it clear: "This expansion is purely driven by soaring market demand. Our paint shop is already running at near full capacity and is likely to continue to do so for the next 12 months. All painting times have been booked, so we need to expand to meet customer demand."
He said that customers come from a wide range of sectors, including science, biotechnology, defense, laser technology and thermal imaging systems. This strategic decision will not only enhance the company's competitiveness in the market, but will also provide a solid foundation for continued growth in the coming years.