Metal Fabrication and the Impact of Rising Energy Costs
- 18-06-2026
- Company News
Energy has always been a significant operating cost in metal fabrication. But over recent years, the conversation has changed. What was once a relatively predictable line in the budget has become one of the most volatile expenses a workshop faces, and for businesses running older, energy-hungry machinery, the impact on margins has been considerable.
The good news is that modern fabrication technology has made substantial progress on energy efficiency. For workshops investing in new equipment, the savings aren't marginal, in some cases, they're transformative.
The Pressure on Fabrication Businesses
Manufacturing businesses across the UK have felt the squeeze from higher energy prices more acutely than most. Fabrication workshops are particularly exposed. Cutting, bending and welding processes run continuously throughout the working day, and the cumulative energy draw from traditional machinery adds up quickly.
When energy costs rise sharply, workshops running older equipment face an uncomfortable reality: the machines that were paid off years ago are now costing more to run than anticipated. The economics of an older CO2 laser or a conventional hydraulic press brake look very different today compared to when they were first installed.
Fibre Laser vs CO2 Laser: A Significant Difference in Running Costs
The shift from CO2 laser technology to fibre laser cutting is one of the clearest examples of energy efficiency gains available to fabricators today.
CO2 lasers require a gas laser source, a complex system of mirrors and lenses, and substantial cooling infrastructure, all of which consume significant amounts of electricity simply to operate. Fibre lasers, by contrast, generate the laser beam through a solid-state fibre optic system that requires far less power to achieve the same, or superior, cutting performance.
In practical terms, fibre lasers typically consume around 30% of the energy required by a comparable CO2 machine. They also cut faster on thin to medium gauge steel, require less maintenance and produce better edge quality on metals. The reduced cooling demand alone makes a meaningful difference to running costs over the course of a full working week.
Morgan Rushworth's range of fibre laser cutting machines, including compact fibre lasers, and production fibre lasers, are built around this technology, offering workshops a genuine path to lower energy consumption without any compromise on cutting capability.
Servo Electric Press Brakes vs Conventional Hydraulic Press Brakes
A similar story plays out in the press brake market. Conventional hydraulic press brakes keep their hydraulic pump running continuously throughout the working day, regardless of whether a bend is actually taking place. That constant energy draw adds up across a shift, a week, a year.
Servo electric press brakes operate on a fundamentally different principle. The servo motors that drive the beam only consume power on demand, when the machine is actively bending. During setup, pauses and tool changes, energy consumption drops significantly. Studies have shown that servo electric press brakes can use up to 50% less energy than their hydraulic counterparts under typical production conditions.
Beyond energy savings, servo electric machines offer precise, repeatable ram control, faster cycle times and reduced maintenance requirements. There are no hydraulic fluids to manage, no pumps to service and no risk of oil contamination. For workshops looking to address both their energy costs and their overall efficiency, the argument for making the switch is compelling.
Machinery Investment as an Energy Strategy
It's worth reframing how workshops think about equipment investment in the current climate. A new machine isn't just a capability upgrade, it's also an energy strategy. The savings generated by replacing an ageing CO2 laser with a fibre laser, or a hydraulic press brake with a servo electric model, can contribute meaningfully to offsetting the cost of the investment over time.
Rising energy prices have changed the payback calculation for modern machinery. Workshops that factor in running costs alongside purchase price will often find the case for upgrading stronger than it first appears.
To discuss how Morgan Rushworth's range of energy-efficient machinery could benefit your workshop, send us an email today or call us on 01785 247575.