Inside Look at Mi-T-M’s Fabrication

Laser Department

Published September 2019

The Mi-T-M Fabrication Division is one of the largest metal fabrication and powder coating facilities in the tristate area of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. With more than 360,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity, the main focus is on fabricating the highest quality product used in Mi-T-M equipment; however, contract fabrication is also a big part of the division’s day. 

The majority of fabricated parts used in Mi-T-M equipment start in the laser department. Mi-T-M utilizes 10 laser cutting systems from either Amada or Mitsubishi. These state-of-the-art lasers are capable of cutting carbon, aluminum, galvanized, and stainless-steel material in sheets up to 144-in. x 72-in. and a thickness up to 1-in.

Laser #1.

Each day, parts orders are processed and scheduled for each of the 10 lasers. According to John Lembezeder, Mi-T-M Director of Fabrication, “Our programmer creates ‘nests’ of parts to be cut on individual sheets. This is determined by the type of material required.” This process greatly reduces the amount of scrap from each sheet. Any material left on the “skeleton” is sent to the recycle bin. 

Highly skilled operators oversee the laser process, moving sheet steel onto the laser beds, programming the lasers to accurately cut the material, and moving the cut sheet’s parts off the laser beds onto the next step.

All laser operators go through a certification program that includes training in computer programming, blueprint reading, and bill of material evaluation, with hours of hands-on training. “We require our laser operators to have strong math, reading, and communication skills. On average our operators have over 12 years of experience operating lasers at Mi-T-M,” says Lembezeder.

The laser cutting process is a vital first step in the fabrication process at Mi-T-M. Our skilled workers take great pride in what they do, and it shows in the quality of our American-made industrial equipment.