A good gut feeling with the right machine

Smego is a large manufacturer of various metal and forged parts, which are made to measure in the company's own workshop for more than 35 years. The Belgian family business has state-of-the-art milling, drilling and sheet metal working machines for cutting and bending sheets up to 4 meters. At the end of 2022, managing director Bart van Gool decided on a new fiber laser cutting system. The MasterLINE, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”, enables accurate 2D processing of thinner metal sheets. Speed and burr-free processing are important criteria for Smego to achieve the right result in the end.

From a forge to a versatile metal processing company. This development is already reflected in the name of the Belgian family business Smego Metaalwerken. Smego is the abbreviation for Smederij van Gool – the van Gool forge – named after the founding couple Jan and Bertha van Gool. In 1986, the company got off the ground, and since 1991, their son Bart has also been at the forefront of the business as a trained blacksmith. Today, Smego is a large manufacturer of various metal and forged parts, from metal and aluminum gates to stairs, railings and restoration work. From measuring and cutting to painting, galvanizing or blasting, the company offers a wide range of services with its 20 employees. The quality of the machines, combined with craftsmanship, is elementary for the individual orders.

Smego owes its growth and success to its employees. "They are very closely involved in all developments and improvements," emphasizes managing director Bart van Gool. "Our employees have developed bit by bit into real experts in their area of the business. We are very close to our employees, so most of them spend their whole working life with us.”

When it came to cutting, Smego decided to rely on plasma cutting technology at the end of the 2000s. A used machine from a low-cost supplier was to handle the external, as well as the internal production orders. "We had bought a used machine at the time, but there were a lot of problems with it," Van Gool recalls. "The supplier of that machine didn't want to help us. In my search for solutions, I ended up at Wouters Cutting & Welding (dealer in Benelux). Nic Wouters then came here personally to repair the machine." When the machine finally needed to be replaced, Smego decided to purchase a compact plasma cutting machine from Wouters Cutting & Welding. With its installation in 2013, the cutting tasks were solved perfectly for years, while the requirements for cutting grew. More and more precision and an ever better, burr-free result was required. That's how Bart van Gool came across fiber laser cutting technology.

"In addition to better quality, we were also interested in processing larger sheet formats."

"In addition to better quality, we also wanted to be able to process larger sheet formats," the managing director lists his wishes. "As every year, we visited the Metavak machine show in Gorinchem (Netherlands, editor's note). There we visited the various manufacturers and compared the technologies. When we came to the Wouters Cutting & Welding booth, the gut feeling was immediately right. So we decided to order a fiber laser cutting machine from them. We haven't regretted that decision for a moment."

Additional asset in machinery

Smego ordered an MasterLINE laser cutter, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”. According to Smego, it's an asset to the workshop, which houses machines for milling, drilling and cutting, bending and plasma cutting.

"The fiber laser cutting machine moves mountains of sheet metal here," Van Gool says. "It allows us to cut very small holes in sheets from 4 to 10 mm thick. With this machine, we are taking a big step forward. I think we can continue with this machine for another 10 to 15 years for sure."

With the new fiber laser cutting system and the plasma cutting solution still in operation, Smego has everything under one roof and is well equipped for all cutting tasks of the future. Van Gool adds "We like to keep our finger on the pulse. Our cooperation simply runs smoothly. I can therefore recommend anyone to buy a machine."

This article was created with the contribution of Metallerie magazine: https://metallerie.pmg.be/nl/dossier/EMTbe2317S07_00/fiberlasersnijmachine-voor-braamloze-afwerkin