For nearly 20 years, FICEP has collaborated with Metal Camuna in Ceto, Italy, to develop solutions for the structural steel fabrication sector, a constantly evolving industry that demands quality, speed and flexibility.
Recently, the new GEMINI LASER was installed, a significant step representing the natural evolution of the company’s growth and innovation strategy.
“This major new investment” explains owner Giovanni Tosi, who leads Metal Camuna alongside family, “stems from our desire to offer an even more comprehensive and timely service to our customers, anticipating their needs”.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AND SHARED TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
The collaboration with FICEP, which began nearly twenty years ago, marked a key turning point. Starting in 2009, when the need for drilled holes with chip removal arose, the company sought alternatives to traditional oxy-fuel cutting systems. The partnership strengthened with the purchase of the first automatic TIPO B line, followed by four GEMINI, each featuring increasingly advanced configurations.
Today, this journey reaches its peak with the new GEMINI LASER, equipped with fibre laser technology that ensures faster, more precise cutting while reducing production time and costs. The collaboration has produced customized solutions, creating a lasting competitive advantage.
LASER INNOVATION FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
Continuing in this spirit of collaboration, FICEP has developed the new GEMINI LASER, recently installed at Metal Camuna. The system represents a major qualitative leap in the company’s production capabilities, delivering advantages on multiple fronts. The decision to integrate a dual-gantry plant with an automatic unloading robot arose from the need for even higher cutting performance, in addition to the existing oxy-fuel and plasma technologies, particularly on thicker materials and extended lengths.
“It’s faster, more efficient, and it has better cutting quality”, explains Tosi. Energy efficiency reduces power consumption, while the elimination of secondary finishing allows parts to be delivered ready for assembly and welding.
What makes the GEMINI LASER unique on the market is its ability to combine laser cutting and mechanical machining in a single production cycle. Thanks to the drilling unit with a 24-position tool changer, each workpiece is completed in one setup, ensuring efficiency, consistent tolerances and superior quality. The system also integrates ink-jet and can manage complex projects — from small reinforcements to large structural elements.
ROBOTIC AUTOMATION AND OPERATIONAL SAFETY
The system is equipped with an anthropomorphic robot for automatic part unloading, improving both safety and productivity by eliminating the need for direct operator intervention on the bench.
“A proposal that has proven to be very interesting from two perspectives: first, safety, because it allows the unloading of parts without the operator having to climb onto the bench. Secondly, the automatic removal of parts ensures a consistently tidy working environment, enabling continuous, uninterrupted processing.” says Tosi.
The robot handles differentiated stacking of parts and includes an automatic deburring system, which removes manual finishing steps and delivers fully completed components ready for packaging.
“It’s worth noting” adds Tosi “that about 90% of our core business involves preparing semi-finished parts refined to such a degree that they make our customers’ work significantly easier”.
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TOWARD NEW PRODUCTION STRATEGIES
The partnership between Metal Camuna and FICEP goes far beyond a simple commercial relationship:
“The decision was driven by FICEP’s ability to understand and translate market demands, and, in some cases, our specific needs, into technological development. Equally valuable has been the ongoing technical support, from installation through daily operations, ensuring production continuity and constant technological upgrades” notes Tosi.
With the new GEMINI LASER line, Metal Camuna and FICEP strengthen a collaboration that combines innovation, reliability and industrial vision, offering an integrated, efficient and high-value production cycle.
Contact: Chris Berriman