HPC is a Laser-sharp business
HPC Laser has been supplying businesses up and down the country, as well as all over the world, since 2006.
The business, based in Elland just in between Halifax and Huddersfield, has been providing customers with the latest engraving machines, CNC routers and fibre metal laser cutters. Its clients reach as far as South America, operating in industries such education, business and even to hobbyists.
A key aspect of the HPC Laser business is that the company will always be on hand with technical support, building a relationship with its clients rather than making it a one-off transaction.
“All of HPC’s machines are supplied with either onsite or return to base warranty, and our team of engineers are available for service and maintenance visits throughout the UK,” explains HPC director, Steve Cockerham. “Our trained engineers have over 50 years’ combined experience in the industry and provide a full set-up installation and training to help clients get started.
HPC Laser has been supplying equipment since 2006
“Each and every owner of a HPC machine is entitled to lifetime email and telephone technical support from our highly-rated expert technical support team.”
Part of this friendly approach also sees Cockerham offering advice when it comes to potentially investing in entry-level options. He says that consumers have to be careful and know exactly what they are investing in so that they don’t get stung further down the line. Cockerham explains: “There are a number of cheap, small machines on the market now. However, they tend to be poor quality imports. These machines are rarely manufactured to EU safety standards and, very often, are not CE compliant.”
Another bonus of CO2 laser machinery is that often, workers do not need a huge amount of experience to be able to operate them. HPC Laser is able to offer training sessions catered to the level of ability of staff, relaying its wealth of knowledge and skills. “Machines such as our CO2 lasers do not require extensive experience to be operated effectively, and the entire CO2 range uses the same software, meaning skills and experience gained on a smaller machine or in training can be transferred to any machine in this range,” explains Cockerham.
Evolution
While the laser concept has not really changed over the last few years, apart from becoming more affordable, Cockerham explains that “advancements in the components used in other parts of the machine have”.
He continues: “For example, the motors used in laser machines have increased in speed over time, facilitating faster processing times. Although there is a limit – motors tend to be capable of much faster speeds than the switching frequency of the laser source itself.” However, Cockerham says that operators have to be careful when achieving such high speeds as this can affect quality. He explains: “This means that whilst impressive motor speeds can be achieved, engraving quality can suffer above certain speeds, meaning definition is lost and sharp edges can become blurry.”
The improvement of software has also made life easier for those in the industry, and Cockerham picks out Lightburn as a user-friendly option. “Not only does it have some clever features that can be used for editing, arranging, image tracing and creating on a blank canvas,” says Cockerham, before continuing: “Lightburn also acts as the communication platform to the laser machine itself. This means that some users might not need to use a more expensive full design package depending on their requirements. It is also suitable for both vector and raster work and is incredibly easy to use.”
Cockerham also highlights the developments in kit, explaining: “Due to increased demand and software advancements, we’ve recently standardised Ruida controllers for our 2021 CO2 range. This enables users to work in RDWorks as standard, with the option to upgrade to Lightburn. Both of these programs, along with the Ruida controller, are extremely popular within the industry, due to their ease and compatibility options.”
HPC Laser has also become the UK distributor for the MIRA Series from Aeon Laser, which is positive news for the company. “With easy-to-use software, integrated water cooling, fume extractor and air assist compressor, these machines are perfect when space is limited but quality cannot be sacrificed. The MIRA is capable of cutting and engraving a variety of materials such as acrylic, woods, card and leather,” says Cockerham.
HPC Laser recently became the UK distributor for the MIRA Series from Aeon Laser
The HPC director also explains that the UK laser market is well established, meaning customers can be up-to-speed and acquire what they need relatively easy. Cockerham says: “In comparison to other technology-based products, the UK laser market is relatively well matured and established. The products and software systems are such that relatively inexperienced operators can be quickly up-to-speed with producing simple designs for product personalisation for example.
In comparison to other technology-based products, the UK laser market is relatively well matured and established”
“Intermediate users will always benefit from operating knowledge of external design software such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw where they are able to produce their own vector designs to impressive, professional standards.”
Cockerham concludes: “It almost feels as though we have reached the pinnacle of laser machine development for the foreseeable future, and further development in translating design ideas into electronic format that the laser machine can understand may be beneficial for less experienced users.”
Your text here...