PRECISION ENGINEERING
Automated loading and unloading.
Intuitive control for the machine operator.
“ We were looking at three companies at the time,” Nau recalled.“ But the Eagle machine really stood out. The machine performance was impressive, and the design looked much simpler to maintain.”
That simplicity mattered. Like many fabrication shops, Hammond maintains much of its equipment internally.“ We run a lot of CNC equipment, so we know machines break down sometimes,” Nau said.“ With the Eagle, we saw a machine we could service ourselves instead of waiting days or weeks for a technician.”
Ryan Jones, a laser operator at Hammond Machine Works.
Automation keeps laser running
Because the Eagle laser cuts quickly, material handling could easily become the next bottleneck. To solve that challenge, Hammond Machine Works invested in the CraneMaster automation system.
“ The laser is actually faster than the loading process,” Nau confirmed.“ So the CraneMaster set-up was a huge selling point for us.”
The automated system loads and unloads material while the laser continues cutting, allowing the shop to maintain consistent production flow. For Ryan Jones, a laser operator at Hammond Machine Works, the impact on daily operations has been significant.
“ Before the automation [ was installed ], we were loading plates manually with forklifts, magnets or multiple workers,” Jones explained.“ That slowed everything down. Now the parts load while the machine is cutting, so we can keep production moving.”
Now the parts load while the machine is cutting, so we can keep production moving
Changing the pace of production
The productivity gains were immediate.“ It’ s almost a strange problem to have,” Nau added.“ The machine is so fast that sometimes the challenge is finding enough work to keep it busy.”
According to Nau, the Eagle fibre laser cutter can process a month’ s worth of work in less than a week. That speed has also unlocked new business opportunities.
“ The Eagle machine has given us the ability to look at new parts and new customers. Jobs that could not have quoted before,” he said.
For Hammond Machine Works, transitioning to laser cutting was also a learning experience. Operator Ryan Jones had never worked with a laser before joining the company.
“ I trained for a couple of weeks and then started operating the machine,” Jones said.“ Within a short time, I was comfortable cutting material and making adjustments.”
Jones credits the machine’ s interface and software integration for the quick learning curve.
“ The controls are intuitive, and the information you need is right in front of you,” he explained.“ What you program on the screen translates directly to the machine. It gives you the confidence to run the laser at full speed in a safe way.”
This allows operators to finetune cutting parameters for different materials and customer requirements.“ If a customer needs a part with a tab that breaks out easily, or they want minimal finishing, we can adjust those parameters right in the software,” said Ryan Jones.
Minimal post-processing
Today, Hammond Machine Works uses the Eagle fibre laser to process a wide range of materials and thicknesses, including:
The eVa laser cutting head.
ISMR June 2026 | ismr. net | 31