Case | Firda Emmeloord invests in compact laser cutting machine from MicroStep

CASE

Firda

"Smart investment in craftsmanship: Firda chooses MicroStep laser cutting machine"

Discover this case

About Firda

On 1 August 2023, the former vocational education institutions ROC Friese Poort and Friesland College merged. Since then, they have formed Firda, a large-scale ROC institution dedicated to vocational education in the regions of Friesland and Northern Flevoland. Many thousands of students follow vocational education at Firda within the framework of BBL and BOL. At Firda Emmeloord (approximately 2,000 students), a dozen study programmes are offered for levels 1 to 4, including Construction, Electrical and Installation Engineering, Engineering and Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics.

Investing in innovation

In order to ensure that education and practice are as closely aligned as possible, it is essential that technical educational institutions use the same machines and techniques as those used in the business world. To achieve this, Firda Emmeloord continuously invests in the renewal of its machines, tools and systems. The latest addition is a state-of-the-art MicroStep MSF Compact laser cutting machine, supplied by Wouters Cutting & Welding via GT Lastechniek from Emmeloord.

Michel Helmons, mechanical engineering teacher, emphasises how important it is for education and industry to remain aligned.

‘We pay close attention to the connection with practice and ensure that our machinery is not only up to date, but also of the highest quality. For CNC cutting of thin sheet metal, we had a plasma cutting machine here in Emmeloord that worked fine, but we really wanted to replace it with a laser cutting machine because laser cutting is a much more accurate, versatile and, of course, more modern technique.’

Budget-friendly solution

MicroStep is well represented in the region, so it was at the top of Firda’s list of A-brands for a new machine. But as always, price was also a factor.

‘We had set a budget, but everyone was well above it,’ says Helmons. ‘However, Wouters came up with a great solution. They had a demo machine at the factory that had been used a few times at trade fairs, but they were now willing to sell it to us. The price was within our budget, so we didn’t have to think twice.’