A fibre laser is usually the largest single purchase a sheet metal subcontractor ever makes, and the ancillaries are a project in themselves.
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Yes. Fibre laser cutting machines are funded as hard assets, normally on hire purchase, and there is strong funder appetite because the main brands hold value and resell internationally. Used machines are fundable, with source hours and the generation of the cutting head scrutinised. The point that catches buyers out is everything around the laser: a chiller, a nitrogen generator or bulk gas installation, a compressor, extraction, load and unload automation and a three-phase supply upgrade. Several of those are site works a funder will not advance against.
Used kit: Yes — used fibre lasers fund well, generally up to around eight to ten years old, with source hours weighed more heavily than age.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Funders are comfortable with laser cutters and there is real competition for the business. The main builders sell worldwide, there is a visible used market, and machines are serial-numbered and identifiable. Underwriters look closely at the source: a laser source with high accumulated hours, or an older CO2 machine whose resonator needs rebuilding, is worth much less than the headline brand suggests, and generation of the source and control matters more than the year of build. Nesting software, gas contracts and training are soft. The sector risk is that sheet metal fabrication is cyclical and capacity-driven, and a shop buying a laser to chase work it does not yet have is the classic problem case. The commonest decline is a fabricator taking on a machine far larger than its current turnover supports.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Trumpf TruLaser 3030 | Fibre laser cutter for sheet metal work |
| Trumpf TruLaser 5030 | High output laser for production cutting |
| Bystronic ByStar Fiber 3015 | Fast fibre laser for subcontract sheet cutting |
| Bystronic BySmart Fiber 3015 | Entry fibre laser for growing fabricators |
| Amada Ensis 3015 AJ | Fibre laser with variable beam control |
| Amada Regius 3015 | Laser cutter for thick and thin sheet |
| Prima Power Platino | Fibre laser for general fabrication |
| Prima Power Laser Genius | Production laser for busy sheet metal shops |
| Mazak Optiplex Fiber | Fibre laser for plate and tube cutting |
| LVD Phoenix FL | Large format fibre laser for bigger sheets |
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Sheet metal subcontractors and fabricators bringing profiling in-house after years of buying blanks from a profiler, or replacing a CO2 machine whose running costs no longer stack up. Also product manufacturers with enough of their own volume to justify owning the capacity. The trigger is usually lead time and margin: a firm tired of waiting for blanks and watching the profiler take the value out of every job.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Often yes, where they are identifiable pieces of plant on the same or a linked invoice. What tends to fall outside is the pipework, concrete base and electrical installation, because those become part of the building. Ask the supplier to quote the equipment and the installation separately so we can see what is available to fund.
Much as an engine hour count on plant. A source has a finite working life and replacing one is a major cost, so a funder wants to know the hours and whether the source is still supported. A machine with a recently replaced or refurbished source, with paperwork, is a far easier proposition than one with an unknown history.
Usually yes when the builder supplies it as part of the same system, since a load and unload tower is substantial identifiable equipment. Third-party automation with heavy integration labour is treated more cautiously, because the labour element cannot be recovered. Where the tower is a separate purchase, it may need its own agreement.
Yes, though funders are increasingly cautious, because the market has shifted decisively to fibre and used CO2 values have fallen accordingly. A well-maintained CO2 machine with a supported resonator can still be funded, typically with a more conservative advance. If the resonator is near rebuild, expect that to be reflected.
Not a formal document in most cases, but where the machine is large relative to your turnover an underwriter will want to understand the numbers behind it — the work coming in-house, the profiling spend it replaces, the customers already asking for it. A short, honest explanation tends to do more good than a glossy forecast.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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