Above: The FG3015 sorting loader automates material loading, unloading, and sorting for a streamlined workflow.
April, 2025- U.S. manufacturers are poised to lose 22 percent of skilled workers by the end of 2025 in what is being called the “silver wave” of retirements. A study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute estimates labor shortages could leave 2.1 million jobs unfilled by 2030.
In the fiber laser market, the skills gap continues to fuel trends for higher wattage, increased bed size and automation. “About 10 years ago, the most common wattages ranged from 4kW to 6kW,” says Matthew Ward, business unit manager for fabrication at Murata Machinery USA. “Today, the standard wattage is running between 10kW and 15kW. Some builders are offering machines with wattages as high as 40kW. Bed size has also expanded from 5 ft . by 10 ft . to 6 ft . by 12 ft . A bigger bed accommodates larger sheet sizes, allowing a job shop to produce a greater number of nested parts and spend less time loading and unloading sheet.”
Use of beam-adjusting technology is giving job shops more control and consistency in the cutting process. “In the past, zoom heads were used to improve cutting over various material thicknesses,” Ward says.
Automation is also trending upward. While standard sheet load/unload automation has been available for some time, automation that can load sheet, unload, sort and move parts to pallets or tables is becoming more popular because it reduces labor and work-inprocess costs.
MILESTONES
Ward was recently tapped to lead Muratec USA’s fabrication business. “I’ve been in manufacturing for the past 15 years and have always been passionate about machine tools,” he says. In addition to sales and applications, Ward works with new customers while continuing to cultivate the rich relationships with legacy customers.
In 2024, Muratec USA celebrated 50 years of automation by observing its 35th anniversary of acquiring Wiedemann Machine Co. An industry pioneer, Wiedemann introduced the first punch press in 1934 and the world’s first NC turret punch press in 1955. In 1970, Murata USA partnered with the Wiedemann brand before acquiring it in 1989.
Rooted in machine tool technology, Muratec USA specializes in advanced sheet metal fabrication options that include turret punch presses, punch/laser combinations, and automated loading and unloading systems. At Fabtech 2024, the company unveiled new technology engineered to combine multiple sheet metal processes into one compact system that can be automated.
The MF30510HL merges punching, laser cutting, forming, tapping and deburring. Its 4kW fiber laser provides efficient processing of a wide range of sheet materials and thicknesses. Muratec USA can integrate the MF30510HL with automation like its FG series parts-sorting system. The MF30510HL also features an expanded work size of 5 ft . by 10 ft . and a punching capacity of 30 metric tons for versatility in processing larger material.
Matthew Ward was tapped to lead Muratec USA’s fabrication business.
VERSATILITY
According to Ward, Muratec USA had several reasons to invest in developing a multipurpose machine. “With the growth of fiber lasers as a faster cutting method, a lot of customers simply replaced their punching process with a fiber laser,” Ward says. “But there are still a lot of unique forming tasks that are best suited to a turret punch.
“We’ve eliminated the extra steps it requires to bring material from a laser to a punch press and the additional personnel these operations typically require. Instead, we’ve sped up the cutting process by making it possible for an operator to use the fiber laser to perform processing that would typically require slitting/parting tools and nibbling out large cavities and the punch for small interior detailing and forming.
“Automation,” he continues, “makes the punch/laser more viable than ever. A customer can process parts from start to finish unattended.”
This material table holds a pallet of raw material, positioning it against bars while the loader scans for precise edge detection.
TOOLING
The MF30510HL has also been designed to accommodate legacy customers who have a considerable investment in Wiedemann tooling. It is available in the Wiedemann 114/112 layout for new or current customers and provides Spring [thick] turret-style layouts for job shops that have an existing investment in tooling.
“We can help them integrate those tools into our punch/laser and turret punches,” Ward says. “A legacy job shop can support the operations that need a punch, but they now have the option to use the 4kW fiber laser which brings them into the future.”
Aside from its ongoing technology innovations, Muratec USA’s secret weapon is its cultivation of long-term relationships through face-to-face communication.
FACE TO FACE
“Blue-collar America has built manufacturing in this country,” says Ward. “Many of these job shops are generational businesses. You can’t put a price tag on the value of face-toface time with these individuals. In today’s fast-paced, digital environment, face-to-face communication has become more important than ever,” he says. “It’s how you build and keep relationships while staying attuned to customers’ needs. You know you have business in place with them, and you leave on a handshake.”
Muratec USA’s team can provide the latest technology or retrofit existing equipment, ensuring that customers from diverse industries remain relevant.
Muratec USA’s FG series parts-sorting system enhances the MF30510HL’s automation by picking up, sorting and unloading finished parts with the same vacuum pads.
MAXIMIZE USE
Automation also remains a critical tool as companies across the board grapple with labor shortages.
“Automation is no longer just a competitive advantage,” says Ward. “It’s a necessity. As an automation specialist, we can help customers maximize machine use and gain consistent, repeatable, high-quality production.
“For us, automation is a human productivity enhancer, not a replacer,” he says. “We want to help people work smarter. With the MF30510HL, for example, operators no longer have to shuffle parts from one machine to another. Instead, they can focus on downstream tasks like welding, painting or inspection. Combining a multitasking machine like the MF30510HL with automation breaks up bottlenecks and speeds up workflow while allowing a job shop’s personnel to focus on more value-added tasks.”
Over the next five years, Ward expects to see fiber laser machine sizes and watt ages stabilize. Additional processes will likely be integrated on a flat sheet laser to ease the need for skilled labor to process secondary operations such as tapping, forming and beveling.
“The labor shortages aren’t going away,” says Ward. “Muratec USA is positioned to deploy automation for existing equipment and introduce new automated solutions for the next generation of fabrication equipment. We want to continue to educate the industry on why automation is key to doing more with less. As a company that is rooted in decades of experience and innovation, automation is in our DNA.”
Muratec USA, 800/428-8469, muratec-usa.com.
