Takes delivery of Hugong HGLX 20kW fibre laser with a bed size of 20m by 3m.
Banella Metals, based in Vulcania, Brakpan, Gauteng has recently installed a Hugong HGLX 20kW fibre laser that has a bed size of 20m by 3m. The machine, supplied by TRM Supplies, was installed in March 2024 and is an important and strategic capital equipment investment and a step forward in the company’s ambition to be one of South Africa’s leading providers of fabrication (heavy, medium and light), cold rolling and structural steel, as well as being a cut-to-size steel service centre and a steel merchant. stainless steel bars
Shaun Alcock and Mark van Rooyen established Banella Metals in 2011 with a Lind plasma machine that had a Hypertherm power source and concentrated on processing plate for clients.
Banella Metals have invested in a Hugong gantry-type HGLX 20kW fibre laser with a bed size of 20m by 3m that was supplied by TRM Supplies
“At that stage it was more affordable to acquire a plasma cutter to get into the market place as compared to purchasing a CO2 laser. Fibre lasers had not yet had an influence in the market. Plasma cutters had a niche as well, sitting nicely between CO2 cutting and oxyfuel or water-jet cutting,” explained van Rooyen who took on the reigns of running the company while business partner Alcock attended to other business matters.
“We knew that there were not many companies operating in the plasma niche so there would be opportunities that we could explore. And we knew that there would be many engineering companies wanting small amounts of plate to be cut. Again, we were happy to tackle this space and be known as a job shop rather than a service centre. We knew we could grow with flexibility and become a modern metal fabrication job shop with service centre capabilities. When opportunity knocks you can expand a shop’s resources and capacity, which we have steadily done.”
“For many years plasma cutting has been a very cost-effective and flexible method of cutting mild steel, stainless steel, wear resistant plate and aluminium. The process itself can be used with a simple handheld cutting torch or more accurately when a torch is mounted on a CNC cutting table. Materials ranging from 1mm through to 75mm mild steel can be cut with the plasma process and at relatively high speeds. In this range very good quality and extremely efficient cutting results can be achieved. For higher material thicknesses, CNC cutting systems with plasma gas are usually combined with technologies for flame cutting.”
The Hugong gantry type fibre laser has an effective cutting area of 20m by 3m, comes fitted with a KEBA CNC control, servo drives and motors, a Precitec pro-cutter 2 laser head and a 20kW MAXphotonics laser source
Banella Metals now have the flexibility and capacity to cut thin or heavy gauge material competitively up to 80mm in S355 and 100mm in stainless steel
“There are many different requirements when choosing specifications for plate. It is imperative though to get the balance between weight and strength, making it an excellent choice for structural components that require both durability and a degree of lightweight design.”
“The first eight years of running the company were spent establishing ourselves. We did purchase another high-definition plasma to take our number to two. Both have bed sizes of 13 000mm by 3 000mm and are capable of cutting accurately up to 50mm thick in carbon and stainless steel. Completing our cutting range is our oxyfuel profile cutting machine and our ‘standalone’ service centre that has a Peddinghaus machine at its core that is capable of high-definition plasma cutting, punching and drilling in one process. This machine was acquired from a metal merchant who had acquired it from the liquidation of the Cosira Group.”
“We then acquired two Trumpf CO2 lasers and these are still cutting material to spec but we will be replacing them in the not-too-distant future. Having just moved into fibre cutting it is more than likely we will go this route.”
“2018 was really the year that Banella Metals started with its growth. We moved into the current facility. At first, we did not occupy all the factories on site and rented some of them to other engineering companies. But with our growth, expansion and investments in equipment we have taken all these buildings back.”
“We now occupy 9 000m² under roof and have a further 2 500m² of outside space that we use.”
Some heavy gauge material that was cut on the new Hugong fibre laser
Completing the cutting range is the company’s oxyfuel profile cutting machine and their ‘standalone’ service centre that has a Peddinghaus machine at its core that is capable of high-definition plasma cutting, punching and drilling in one process. This machine was acquired from a metal merchant who had acquired it from the liquidation of the Cosira Group
“With the investment in the Hugong HGLX 20kW fibre laser with a bed size of 20m by 3m we are capable of cutting material up to a 20 000mm by 3 000mm size and in thicknesses up to 80mm in S355 and 100mm in stainless steel (should be one of the biggest in Africa). On the other lasers we offer sheet sizes up to 6 000mm by 2 000mm in thicknesses up to 16mm in S355 and 10mm in stainless steel.”
Other capabilities “What was once an infrequent event in the metal fabricating industry is now a regularly occurring one. Service centres are expanding their metal processing activities by investing in other metal forming and fabricating processes. We are no different.”
“In the last three years we have also invested in a 350 ton Ermaksen CNC bending machine with a large range of tooling and our plate rolling machines can roll material up to 20mm thick over 3 metres wide.”
“Additionally, we have added an angle machine, we have upgraded the welding department to double pulse welding machines – there is no call for robotic welding – we have a 20 ton and a 25 ton welding manipulator and we have two bandsaws.”
“We have 11 cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 8 tons to 25 tons and our current tandem lifting capabilities of 40 tons, however we are upgrading to 70 tons soon.”
“And of course, in this climate of loadshedding in South Africa we have invested in a generator that uses 137 litres of diesel per hour. A cost that none of us want but if you want to stay in business you have to make alternative contingencies. However, we have made sure that we have incorporated the sync module to spare us of any downtime and reduce costly repairs to equipment.”
Banella Metals has approximately 30% of its capacity in structural fabrication, which includes malls and factories
Banella Metals deliver complex designs and detailed drawing packages for primary and secondary fabrications, including substation structures, line landing gantries, access platforms, transmission towers and access stairs/ladders
Construction, malls, factories and mining: Structural fabrication “Structural fabricators work toward the same goal as everyone else in metal fabrication, from precision sheet metal to heavy industrial fab – to achieve flow. Three factors influence cost in structural steel. First is the cost of material, second is the shop labour cost, and third is the erection cost. Steel should arrive, flow through beam processing equipment and welding stations, then off to the job site for erection. But unlike metal fabricators serving OEMs, structural fabricators serve a complex web of suppliers, contractors, and subcontractors that make up the steel construction business.”
“Banella Metals has approximately 30% of its capacity in structural fabrication, which includes malls and factories. We like to think that we are experts in this area having completed many successful turnkey projects for the mining and construction industries – managing structural steel projects from concept to the finished product. We handle all aspects of project management from planning, design, detailing and draughting to fabrication and site installation.”
“Our in-house engineering team have expert knowledge in the design and detailing of steel structures, assemblies and components including the latest codes and industry standards, directly for manufacture in line with BS EN 1090.”
“We deliver complex designs and detailed drawing packages for primary and secondary fabrications, including substation structures, line landing gantries, access platforms, transmission towers and access stairs/ladders. Our design, manufacturing and installation teams work closely together, to ensure that we always deliver the optimum overall solutions for our clients.”
“Outside of a possible metal beam or metal roofing, you don’t think of residential construction as consuming steel and aluminium. But when you think of all the support and the indirect steel and aluminium that goes into a home, it’s really mind-boggling.”
Banella Metals’ inhouse engineering team have expert knowledge in the design and detailing of steel structures, assemblies and components including the latest codes and industry standards, directly for manufacture in line with BS EN 1090
Shaun Alcock and Mark van Rooyen established Banella Metals in 2011
The arrival of a Hugong gantry-type HGLX 20kW fibre laser with a bed size of 20m by 3m “The Hugong gantry-type 20kW laser, only supplied and installed by TRM Supplies in March 2024, has put us in another league. The increasing adoption rate of high-powered fibre lasers is not likely to end anytime soon. With laser cutting power reaching 60kW and more, these devices are capable of cutting materials up to 30mm with precision, a thickness once reserved for plasma waterjet cutting machines. Adopting these high-powered devices comes with new considerations, however. All metal fabricators love the increased cutting capacity.”
“The Hugong gantry type fibre laser has an effective cutting area 20m by 3m, comes fitted with a KEBA CNC control, servo drives and motors, a Precitec pro-cutter 2 laser head and a 20kW MAXphotonics laser source.”
Steel merchant “The might of the domestic metal supply chain is sometimes very complex and extensive. It is not unique to South Africa but we still have to play catch-up as compared to some countries. They have already been through the offshoring to China period and are putting in strong interventions to revive the local market. We have still got to get there. But then many of them have more than one mill as a supplier. Thank goodness we have the rise of the mini-mill era.”
“But they cannot cater for many of us in South Africa. This is why we have got more involved in importing steel from China, de-coiling it locally and then selling on. In many cases we will do some processing and adding on value and is one of the main reasons we purchased the Hugong 20kW laser. Earlier this year we imported 600 tons of steel and it sold very quickly. This is why we are in advanced negotiations with some mills in China.”
“We can also offer 100% certified materials from South African and European mills. This includes steel plates in mild steel, S355JR, VRN400 and VRN500; Structural steels including beams, columns, channels, lip channels, IPE, round tubing and square tubing.”
ss 420 steel For further details contact Banella Metals on TEL: 010 238 0322 or visit www.banella.co.za