Headquartered in Smeaton Grange, New South Wales (NSW), LaserBond has more than 25 years’ experience and an in-depth understanding of the mechanics of wear to vital production components in industries working with some of the planet’s most abrasive substances. The company recently expanded its machining capabilities with the introduction of an additional Okuma machine to cater for larger projects.
LaserBond is a specialist surface engineering company founded in 1992 that focuses on the development and application of materials, technologies and methodologies to increase the operating performance and wear life of capital-intensive machinery components. The company operates from facilities in New South Wales and South Australia.
The exceptional growth of the company has been built on its pursuit of innovation and technology leadership in three fields of surface engineering: the tribology of wear and the performance of heavy industrial components; metallurgy and the science of high-performance materials; plus the optimisation of a wide range of materials and application methodologies. Tribology can be further defined as the science of rubbing interfacing surfaces in relative motion. It concentrates on contact mechanics of moving interfaces that generally involve energy dissipation and encompasses the study and application of friction, wear, lubrication and related design aspects.
Customers of this innovative company are typically internationally recognised Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in capital-intensive heavy industries that endure high costs whenever their equipment is down for maintenance. The broad range of industries serviced by LaserBond includes mining, drilling, mineral processing, power generation, transport and marine, plant and machinery, manufacturing, fluid handling and agriculture – with more and more industries opening up as they see the advantages of this advanced technology.
LaserBond’s high focus on workplace health & safety (WH), quality assurance and the environment, plus the company’s certified PAS99-integrated management system, are widely recognised by its customers. WH&S benefits are realised as a result of the maintenance of equipment and replacement of worn parts. With work often carried out in potentially hazardous environments and involving the handling of heavy components, the reduced frequency required for maintenance can significantly lower the risk of injury to personnel.
Environmental benefits arise from LaserBond’s ability to remanufacture and provide performance improvements to machine parts that would typically be scrapped and replaced with new parts. The typical carbon footprint of a LaserBond remanufactured part is less than 1% of a new part, and with life improvements of between two and 20 times of a standard part, a carbon footprint of much less than 1% is often achieved.
Research & development (R&D) efforts by the company are mainly focused on the development of application-oriented coating systems, the development of new materials, and the associated processing parameters for all coating technologies: laser cladding, thermal spraying and surface brazing.
With hardchrome plating becoming an issue across multiple industries worldwide, considerable research has been undertaken to try to achieve more environmentally friendly, cost-effective and efficient alternatives. Two different coating systems have been developed by LaserBond with great success, with one representing the best technical solution and the other a very economical alternative, both outperforming existing hardchrome coatings in relation to corrosion and wear resistance.
Now globally recognised for its technically advanced superior solution for wear problems, LaserBond is establishing licensees around the world, assisting partners with the integration of equipment, the development of software systems, and in-depth operator training – including the understanding of metallurgy and the building of the ultimate quality assurance process.
Future growth for this dynamic company is in the reclamation and remanufacture of worn parts, new products or components for OEMs, and the further development of technology with licencing partners around the world.
“The company continues to train apprentices, machinists and graduate engineers to provide the skills we need for the future,” says Wayne Hooper, Chief Executive Officer at LaserBond. “Investment in personnel and leading edge equipment will continue to increase our capabilities to deliver planned growth.”
As well as the remanufacture of components that is undertaken by LaserBond, the supply of new components to OEMs is also a major division of this business. Precision machine supplier Okuma Australia has played an important role in this area, with LaserBond’s first machine commissioned in 2008. Over the years a number of additional Okuma CNC machines have been acquired. The latest arrival is an Okuma CNC lathe model LB4000BCx2000 with OSP-P300L control, which will offer increased capacity for larger projects.
“The service provided by Okuma is excellent and the machines are rigid, well built and consistently reliable to fine tolerances,” says Hooper. “Engineers on the floor find the Okuma machines easy to learn and programme, and the training offered by the company is excellent. The investment in quality machines and equipment from companies such as Okuma is recognised and acknowledged by both customers and staff.”