RAIL-ABILITY CASE STUDY

RAIL-ABILITY

Stafford-based Rail-Ability provide specialist engineering solutions for road-rail plant to the rail industry across the UK.

As market-leading manufacturers and converters of specialist road-rail machinery and equipment, Rail-Ability are committed to investing in the latest technologies to support customers with innovative solutions as well as ensure their trademark safety, excellence and dependability is delivered across their entire range.

Bison Machinery are proud to have been supplying Rail-Ability, and the wider AP Webb business, with a range of metal fabrication machines for more than a decade. Our expert service team also support their machinery fleet, helping ensure their team can always operate with confidence.

THE LATEST ADDITION TO RAIL-ABILITY’S METAL FABRICATION MACHINERY CAPABILITY

Rail-Ability have been using the exceptionally reliable Ajan High Definition Plasma purchased from Bison in 2016 on a daily basis for the heavy duty plasma and flame cutting tasks central to their manufacturing process.

Matt Evans, Fabrications Manager, recognised that the company could benefit from adding a laser cutter to their range as this would allow them to cut components in lighter gauge material with ease and precision, tasks not possible with their current machinery range. Matt therefore contacted the Bison team with their requirements.

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THE SOLUTION

In response to the brief from Rail-Ability, we initially proposed a 3m x 1.5m laser which would provide them with a cost effective and efficient solution for the long term.

The challenge however was that the only space available in their premises to locate the new laser was too small for this standard sized machine. Having reviewed drawings of the buildings, we revised our recommendation to a compact laser which would meet their cutting requirements and the space limitation too.

The order was placed and the RVD SMARTFIBRE ER 1510.1500 CNC FIBER LASER CUTTING MACHINE delivered and installed in October 2021.

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OUTCOMES DELIVERED

With the laser cutter fully operational, and the team now able to cut thin gaige material with precision, Rail-Ability have been able to bring the manufacturing of components back in house, improving cost effectiveness and workflows.

WHAT THEY SAID

“The RVD SmartFibre machine is a great addition to our machinery range and is producing components at the quality that meets our high standards. While we would have liked to have purchased a larger machine, the compact laser is doing everything we need of it.

For long-term operational efficiency Rail-Ability need to continue to invest in machinery, once we have the space to do so, a situation that we hope will be resolved in the not-too-distant future. We look forward to working with the Bison team again on these next projects.”

Matt Evans Rail-Ability Limited

MACHINE PURCHASED

RVD SMARTFIBRE ER 1510.1500 CNC FIBRE LASER CUTTING MACHINE 415V

The RVD SmartFibre ER CNC FIBRE LASER CUTTING MACHINE is available in a standard bed size of 1M x 1.5M with power sources ranging from 700W through to 1500W.

Both RVD ER models are supplied with a manually operated transfer table, which is simply moved in and out of the cutting enclosure. This method allows the operator to easily load and unload the material. This cost effective design has the advantage of providing an in house laser cutting facility at an affordable budget. The additional benefit is the limited space required resulting in the ideal solution for the smaller workshop.

CCTV with one camera is fitted as standard, allowing the operator to safely view the cutting action. Class leading component have been carefully selected to ensure longevity and reduced downtime.

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RAIL-ABILITY