“We are absolutely satisfied with the laser – this is the right technology for us!”

Spittelmeister GmbH is based in Pforzheim, between Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. The company, founded about 75 years ago as a locksmithery, is now a specialist in the construction and design of balcony systems. The search for the right solution took a while. For many years, parts were bought in, and later the company cut parts itself using plasma technology. Now, the laser cutting system of the MasterLINE series, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL” performs a wide range of cutting tasks. A solution that perfectly fits the company's needs.

Spittelmeister GmbH, based in Pforzheim, and its 80 employees primarily take care of balcony systems for housing estates. The orders are usually quite large: around 300 to 400 balconies per residential construction project. The second mainstay is the installation of elevators. Whether in new buildings or as part of energy-efficient renovations in old buildings, the balcony elevator systems can be planned accordingly or installed later or attached to the building in a separate shaft. An in-house engineering office is also an essential part of Spittelmeister GmbH.

Bringing cutting into the company

For many years, the company relied on external service providers for cutting. Over time, this became an increasingly unsatisfactory situation for Frank Herrmann. He planned to bring cutting into the company in order to be able to respond to customer requests faster and more flexibly – and so he decided on a 2D plasma cutting system. The company developed positively: the quantities became larger and larger, the orders more demanding; as a result, the previous hall became too small, logistics costs grew and parts handling became increasingly uneconomical. Frank Herrmann and his team came to the conclusion in 2019: a new building was needed. At the end of 2021, the company moved into a new production facility not far from its previous headquarters, consisting of two halls, each measuring 20,000 square feet, and 11,000 square feet of office space.

From plasma to laser technology

Frank Herrmann had been thinking about switching to a laser cutting system for a long time in order to be able to cut even faster, more precisely and with higher quality. However, the necessary space was lacking. With the new building in 2021, this was finally possible. Herrmann looked around intensively on the market of laser manufacturers. In the end, he decided again on a system from MicroStep Europa (ACCURL partner in Germany). “After our previous good experiences with the plasma system, it quickly became clear to us that we wanted to buy the laser cutting system from MicroStep Europa again. Above all, cost-effectiveness was important to us when purchasing the system,” says Herrmann. Since the beginning of 2022, the company's new hall has been home to the MasterLINE laser series from ACCURL, which is sold in German-speaking countries under the product name “MSE Smart^FL”. The high-quality 2D fiber laser cutting system is equipped with a 4 kW laser and an interchangeable table for loading and unloading sheets. “Switching from plasma to laser was completely hassle-free with MicroStep Europa. Thanks to the existing shuttle table, we also have a much higher capacity. We are absolutely satisfied with the laser – this is the right technology for us!”