For more than 30 years, customers from various industries have relied on the specialist for conveyor belt and system technology: MFP – Maschinen-Förder-Produkte GmbH+Co. KG. A broad product portfolio and the use of state-of-the-art production equipment characterize the family business from NRW. Although MFP uses different technologies for cutting, all of them are from MicroStep Europe. A smart 2D laser system now complements the plasma and waterjet cutting system.
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The family business MFP (Machine Conveyor Products), certified in the field of “development, manufacture and sale of machine conveyor systems”, was founded in 1989 by Andreas Melchers with the support of his wife. Over 30 years later, MFP has grown to around 50 employees and is now jointly managed by the founder and his daughter Janina. At the company headquarters in Finnentrop, North Rhine-Westphalia, everything is carried out from a single source on over 5,000 square meters, including: Design, production and assembly. Interested parties can also visit the in-house showroom to gain an initial impression of the conveyor belt and system technology products, which are individually tailored to customer requirements for various industries.
In 2014, the family business moved to the production facility in Finnentrop, which was expanded in 2019 and equipped with state-of-the-art production facilities. These include bending systems, in-house powder coating and three CNC cutting systems from MicroStep Europe: a plasma system from the MG series, a WaterCut waterjet system and, by the end of 2022, a 2D plasma torch from the MasterCut Compact series. In just three years, the specialist for conveyor belt and system technology invested in the three cutting machines, making itself independent of contract cutters and ensuring greater flexibility and capacity.
Technological diversity for even faster processing
The family business used the two plasma technology cutting systems as follows until 2022: Processing thicker sheets up to 35 mm with the MG plasma system and mainly thin sheets in the 2 to 3 mm range with the MasterCut Compact. Due to changing requirements regarding the accuracy of the parts to be processed, MFP decided to replace the MasterCut Compact with a laser cutting system and thus position itself even more broadly and also significantly faster in cutting.
“We know that we can rely on MicroStep when it comes to setting up the system as well as in the areas of training and service. That’s why it quickly became clear to us that it would be another machine from MicroStep Europe,” says Janina Melchers, Managing Director at MFP. The decision was made in favor of a laser cutting system from the MSE SmartFL series with an automatic shuttle table. The powerful 2D laser has been in use since the beginning of 2023 and cuts around 70% steel and 30% stainless steel with a maximum thickness of 3 mm. This means that the company is even faster when processing thin materials and can optimally meet the different and individual requirements of its customers with its laser, plasma and waterjet cutting system. “The advantages clearly lie in the high vertical range of manufacture and the clean cutting pattern as well as the speed of the fiber laser,” emphasizes Janina Melchers.
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