Above: A tube attachment allows Universal Air to cut round tube on its 2 kW SmartShop Laser DLP.

Cutting technology helps company bring parts processing in house, slash lead times

November 2020 - For a small business, Universal Air Suspension Co. has done some big things. The San Bernardino, California-based manufacturer invented the Aero Sport, the only air bag that can be used with a vehicle’s existing struts. Universal Air patented the design in the U.S., Australia, Japan and Canada in 2001. The company also produces an air spring several inches higher than other bags in its size class, eliminating the need for a triple bellow.

Able to cut a variety of materials, the SmartShop Laser DLP cuts custom parts from 1/16-inch square up to 5 feet by 10 feet

The company processes small batches of model-specific bags/brackets, compressors, controllers, tanks, valves, gauges, switches and fittings in a 15,000-square-foot facility. It can custom fit a universal air suspension on everything from a Lamborghini Gallardo to a Dodge Durango or a Datsun.

The Aero Sport is a bag-over-coil solution for lighter vehicles. These single bellow air springs are designed to slip over OEM or performance struts. The product allows customers to outfit their vehicles with air suspension without the need for hydraulics. Sourcing companies to fabricate the product according to specifications was problematic for Universal Air.

Aids R&D and allows parts to be drawn and cut on the spot

Curbing lead times

“We wanted to manufacture our struts ourselves instead of converting existing struts but we had to design and measure each product by hand and then outsource cutting,” says Universal Air President Zack Ratcliff. “Depending on that vendor’s backlog for their fiber laser, we were running into lead time issues.”

The mounting constraints prompted Universal Air to consider investing in its own fiber laser machine. Its search led it to veteran woodworking and metal cutting machine manufacturer Laguna Tools. Headquartered in Irvine, California, the 37-year-old company’s roots in woodworking equipment spurred strong growth. Laguna branched out, translating its designs into automated, industrial and classic machinery for metalworking applications.

Universal Air laser cuts parts that bolt onto its air springs and fabricated strut mounts.

“We were looking to expand and saw opportunities in the emerging fiber laser market,” says Steve Alvarez, national sales director for Laguna Tools. “We partnered with IPG Photonics for the power source. We bring the components and the machines and frames to our facility, assemble them and conduct thorough testing before a machine is shipped out.”

Universal Air opted for Laguna Tool’s

2 kW SmartShop Laser DLP with an automatic shuttle table that is able to load and unload sheets up to 5 feet by 10 feet. A tube cutting attachment allows the company to process round and square tube up to 18 feet long and 8 inches in diameter.

The SmartShop Laser DLP’s performance and affordability tipped Universal Air’s decision to purchase the fiber laser. “For small to medium job shops, the cost of ownership for a fiber laser can be very prohibitive,” Alvarez says. ‘When people are making a capital equipment decision like this, they want to get the best machine for the money they have allocated for capital equipment. Our machines are high quality and well-priced.”

Universal Air laser cuts the lower fork on the strut of its air suspension system for vehicles like this Tesla Model 3.

The SmartShop Laser DLP was installed in August 2020. Universal Air typically cuts 3/16-inch and 11-gauge steel and 16-gauge stainless sheet, along with round and rectangular tube up to 5/16 inch thick.

“We primarily run parts for steel bracketry on the fiber laser,” says Ratcliff. “Instead of outsourcing this work, we’re able to cut it all in house.” Previously, when developing new products, Universal Air designed the part, sent it out to be cut and faced the possibility that “when we finally got the part back, something might be off,” he says. “We have been able to reduce a two-month process to a couple hours. The fiber laser helps us make custom and one-off parts very quickly. I can’t stress how important that is. People don’t want to wait. If you are tacking on an extra six weeks, they aren’t going to wait.”

The SmartShop Laser DLP can cut round and rectangular tube up to 5/16 inch thick.

Sweet spot

The machine runs 12 to 15 hours a week, processing parts as small as a 1/16-inch square up to 5 feet by 10 feet. While Universal Air’s short runs and one-offs leave plenty of room for growth, Alvarez notes that “that is the beauty of the fiber laser. The machine cuts parts so fast that they can get all the components they need in a few hours, giving them the capacity to expand,” he says.

While Universal Air doesn’t consider itself a job shop, customers who visit the company and see the machine will often make requests. “We’ve sold quite a few jobs off of it that way,” he says.

The fiber laser has helped Universal Air advance its research and development efforts and work with customers to draw and cut tryout parts on the spot.

Having Laguna Tools in its backyard has also proved beneficial in terms of service and support. “Training was done on site,” says Ratcliff. “There are more economical installation options but then you are kind of left on your own. Laguna Tools set up the machine. It was very close to turnkey from delivery to the first production run. It was a big undertaking but the service and support they provided made the process seamless.” MM