The DDL technology from Mazak has fully responded to the requirements and expectations of Sacsan, a furniture subcontractor in Turkey. With its effectiveness, accuracy and speed, the OPTIPLEX 3015 DDL is just the first step in a long and successful relationship between the two companies.
The Inegöl Sacsan company is located in the city of Bursa in Turkey. Since 1993, it has developed a strong and reliable position in the metal industry, building upon almost 30 years of professional experience. Today, Sacsan has grown into a solid subcontracting business serving many customers in the furniture industry.
Boasting an advanced machinery fleet and qualified staff, the Turkish company is the biggest furniture subcontractor in the region, with a rich portfolio of metal furniture, parts, and accessories. In addition, they have developed significant business abroad, with a 50% share of products exported to different countries around the world.
From CO2 to DDL
For their metalworking operations, Sacsan initially relied on a 4 kW laser-cutting machine with CO2 technology. “These machines are used extensively,” company officials say, “but they are not competitive enough due to the high operating costs of CO2 technology. Furthermore, this technology is not capable of cutting high reflective materials such as copper or brass.”
Thus, Sacsan wanted to upgrade its technology, adopting a new fiber laser system, and at the same time sought a rigid, accurate, and fast machine. Their search reached its final destination in 2018, when they met Mazak at an exhibition in Istanbul. Mr Ismail Tarik Şimşek, owner of Sacsan, tells the story of how they selected the new technology. “We had been using CO2 laser technology for many years and were not familiar with Direct Diode Laser (DDL) technology until Mazak exhibited the machine at the MAKTEK Istanbul fair in 2018. The machine, a 4 kW OPTIPLEX 3015 DDL model, looked very attractive with its black-and-orange colour combination. And when I saw it in operation, I was impressed by its cutting performance – it is very fast and the cut parts are very accurate.”
Ismail Tarik Şimşek then requested Mazak sales staff provide more detailed information about their DDL technology. “I grew more and more interested in DDL after hearing that this technology has a shorter wavelength, it is more effective on high reflective materials, and it delivers better cutting quality on thick mild steels than CO2 laser technology, as well as having a lower energy consumption and higher efficiency,” he says. “We also requested the application staff to cut a few test parts of thick mild steel and thick aluminium, and the results were also excellent.”
We were not familiar with Direct Diode Laser (DDL) technology until Mazak exhibited the machine at the MAKTEK Istanbul fair in 2018. The machine, a 4 kW OPTIPLEX 3015 DDL model… when I saw it in operation, I was impressed by its cutting performance – it is very fast and the cut parts are very accurate.
Ismail Tarik Şimşek, Owner
Technology pioneers in Turkey
After these introductory meetings and demos, it was clear to Ismail Tarik Simsek that fiber laser was the only technology that his company could trust in. Hence, he asked the Mazak sales staff to visit his factory after the exhibition so that they could discuss all the details in depth. “I had one big question mark on my mind,” he recalls. “As we were the first users of DDL technology in Turkey, I feared that we might have problems due to the fact that this is a new technology. But after discussing all potential service issues of DDL technology compared to conventional fiber, we were convinced that DDL is also very reliable and we made the final decision to buy the first DDL machine in Turkey.”
After six months of operation, the Sacsan engineers confirm that the machine is highly effective and efficient and the decision has proven to be the right one. “I can see all the benefits that the Mazak team had illustrated during our negotiations,” Ismail Tarik Simsek says. “After checking our electricity bills, I can say that power consumption has reduced significantly, as promised.”
I can see all the benefits that the Mazak team had illustrated… After checking our electricity bills, I can say that power consumption has reduced significantly, as promised.
Ismail Tarik Şimşek, Owner
Keeping promises
Sacsan has achieved very good results especially in thick mild steel cutting, gaining excellent feedback from customers, who believed that their parts were still being cut using CO2 laser machines. “When we show them that we are using DDL technology, they are really amazed,” Şimşek says..
As a result of significantly lower energy consumption and similar quality standards to CO2 lasers, Sacsan has started to receive more mild steel jobs than before. “Our offers to customers are the cheapest among all competitors in our market, because we can operate with lower costs,” Simsek adds. “Cutting edges, accuracy, and speed are the unique selling points we present to our customers.”
Direct Diode Laser is not only successful for mild steel jobs, but also effective for highly-reflective materials such as copper, brass, and aluminium. For instance, in a drilling test on 20 mm thick aluminium, the OPTIPLEX 3015 DDL 4 kW created holes with a diameter of 5 mm, with a quality and accuracy that cannot be achieved with fiber laser machines of the same power.
Sacsan are fully satisfied and ready to take the next step. “The DDL technology has fully met our requirements and expectations,” Ismail Tarik Şimşek concludes. “As we need a new machine, we are now considering a 6 kW Direct Diode Laser model also from Mazak. I hope we can continue our successful relationship with the Mazak team for a long time.”
