“The versatility was crucial”

Rytz AG has made a name for itself mainly with its unique architectural solutions. This is evident in such demanding projects as the Basel exhibition grounds, Zurich art gallery and various hotels of well-known chains in Paris, Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. “We are a general service provider and take care of the entire journey from design to implementation. We realize exclusive projects but we also like to make products for small and medium-sized companies,” says Marco Rytz. The CEO of Rytz AG continues: “Sometimes it takes up to two years from concept to the finished product. Our solutions are always tailor-made for our customers.”

 
Independence from contractors thanks to flexible solutions

The company has 75 employees, four production halls and provides also training for students. In order to be able to provide planning-intensive services and the individual products they need not only trained employees but also a corresponding machine park or a supplier network, able to provide the necessary flexibility. For years, Rytz AG had relied on the services of contract cutting companies. However, as customers’ requirements became more and more complex and specific, the contractors’ delivery times became a serious production bottleneck. That’s why Mr. Rytz and his team decided to look for an in-house solution.


Through a lucky coincidence, Mr. Rytz was already aware of a cutting machine producer that several shipyards relied on. A big fan of shipbuilding, he watched videos from shipyards on the internet and came to know the Slovak company, MicroStep, that made some of the machines he saw working there. An initial consultation was quickly scheduled, where the specific requirements were identified, including the fact that fiber laser technology was better suited for their needs that the originally envisioned plasma cutting system. After consulting MicroStep, the decision-making team explored other options as well, inquiring into other manufacturers and their solutions. In the end, they decided that MicroStep’s solution suited them best.



“The versatility was crucial”

Rytz AG invested in a multifunctional MSF fiber laser cutting machine. Its tilting cutting tool station enables 3D processing of metal sheets on a working area of 6 000 x 2 000 mm as well as pipes and profiles up to 6 m long and 300 mm in diameter. An integrated scanner automatically localizes workpieces in the working area and in combination with MicroStep’s ABP technology enables subsequent cutting of bevels into precut parts. MicroStep's patented automatic calibration unit ACTG® ensures fast and accurate calibration of geometry for all tools integrated into the gantry. A nozzle cleaning and calibration station cleans the cutting nozzle, has a camera for checking the nozzle’s status and calibrates the capacitive height sensor. “The flexibility of the technologies made MicroStep very interesting. The versatility, the ability to cut bevels and process pipes were crucial,” says Mr. Rytz.
 
 
Since its commissioning in 2016, the laser cutter has been a vital part of the production. Rytz AG is using the machine for its own needs as well as for contracts cutting. “The system is super powerful. For example, when we were under a lot of pressure for three months I was amazed at how much the machine was able to output,” Production Manager Mr. Müller looks back. He is also satisfied with the size of the working area able to accommodate two panels in a half format of 1.5 x 3 meters, a practical solution for the numerous small orders in different sheet thicknesses they need to process. The automatic shuttle table saves considerable time during loading and unloading. “The material handling is very good, the way we work with the machine means we are very effictent,” said Mr. Müller.