Kings SLM4xx fiber laser cutter 4×2 m, 4 kW, ±0.03 mm accuracy, quick shuttle 12 s.
Kings, the Guangzhou based sheet-metal folks, have been shipping cutters for 15 years already, so the SLM line did not fall from the sky yesterday. Three iterations, hundreds of tweaks, quite a lot of coffee, and finally the current SLM4xx landed on shop floors in 2023.
Quick statement first. The table is big, 4000 by 2000 millimeters, so a standard metric sheet slides in without trimming. You clamp, you tap the pedal, the fiber beam bites and you still have time to finish your karkade tea before the contour ends. That is what operators here in Sharjah told me, and they tend to be brutally honest.
A short detour, numbers incoming. Keep them in mind, we come back to feelings later.
| Spec | SLM4xx | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Laser power | 4 kW | IPG, air cooled in UAE climate |
| Positioning | ±0.03 mm | Measured on Renishaw ballbar |
| Repeatability | ±0.02 mm | 50 cycles test |
| Rapid move | 120 m/min | dual servo, Y axis twin motors |
| Acceleration | 1.5 G | short stroke benchmark |
| Mild steel cut | 20 mm | nitrogen edge tidy |
| Stainless cut | 10 mm | oxygen, pierce 1.2 s |
The rows look dry yet they translate into real capacity. Mild structural beam brackets, decorative stainless panels for hotel lobbies on Sheikh Zayed Road, ventilation ducts in Al Ain – all come from that rectangle of steel resting on the shuttle table.
Before the very first shift an operator usually cares about three boring things, gas pressure, lens cleanliness, and NC file fidelity. The machine does not argue. Pressure sensors throw an alert if bottle drops below 13 bar. The protective lens sits behind a cheap 30 dirham window, swap in 90 seconds, no drama. CypCut takes G code from SolidCAM without need to rename extensions, nice because nobody wants to touch Windows regional settings after 17:00.
Lists over, back to chatter. The maintenance guy I met in Ras Al Khaimah said he stopped logging everyday lubrication because the central lube block simply ticks, you can hear it, so he trusts his ears. Not the textbook approach yet it works.
I spent a week jumping between shops comparing SLM4xx to two usual rivals, Bodor P4 and Raytu LF3015G. The table below condenses noisy field impressions into something readable.
| Feature | Kings SLM4xx | Bodor P4 | Raytu LF3015G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power class | 4 kW | 3–6 kW | 3 kW |
| Work area | 4×2 m | 3×1.5 m | 3×1.5 m |
| True Pos | ±0.03 mm | ±0.05 mm | ±0.04 mm |
| Shuttle swap | 12 s | 18 s | No shuttle |
| UAE support | 48 h spare parts | 96 h | remote only |
Two sentences to wrap that up. Kings gives slightly tighter geometry without asking for extra floor space, plus faster table swap means night shift keeps moving. Bodor counters with fancy screen graphics but operators rarely stare at GUI when sparks fly.
The bed is welded from 16 mm plate, heat treated to kill stress, then milled on a 6-meter five face boring mill somewhere near Foshan. After machining the company pumps polymer concrete into the hollow beams – weirdly heavy but it damps vibration. Linear rails are HIWIN 30 size, bolts torqued to 105 Nm, I checked with my own wrench because I am that annoying guy.
Before you scroll, let me show a short bullet list about parts that owners in Abu Dhabi usually upgrade during first year.
Now you know the weak spots, order spares ahead, avoid DHL weekend delays.
Summer hits 48 °C, warehouse roofs cook. The chiller unit on SLM4xx holds 25 liters, twin circuits keep diodes and optics under 29 °C. I measured with a FLIR gun during Eid break, stable, no condensate, so coolant chemistry survives 12 months easily. One caveat, locate the chiller away from the compressor room, high ambient kills COP.
CypCut is average, nobody loves or hates it. The nesting module packs parts decently, yield around 88 percent on mixed jobs according to a fabricator in Ajman who cuts elevator panels. Post install the only real tweak is to switch language to English because the default pops in Chinese hints when you edit macros, not cool.
Kings Laser ships about 1500 machines per year, split between tube and sheet lines. The SLM series alone counts 7 sizes, the 4xx sits in the middle so spare motors are plentiful. UAE dealers claim first generation units from 2014 still run with original racks, cannot verify yet the anecdote fits the vibe, these shops rarely baby their toys.
Within the same family you find SLM3xx and SLM6xx. The 3xx keeps the same gantry design but limits plate to 3000 mm length and caps laser to 2 kW. The 6xx stretches to 6000 mm and can mount 6 kW but needs extra space and a stronger fume hood. Most garages in Jebel Ali Free Zone pick the 4xx because it balances footprint, power, and utility bills.
Final thoughts, no windy conclusions. The machine ships in one piece so you drop it, wire 3×415 V, align beam, start earning. Steel service centers appreciate the big bed, architectural panel guys cheer the clean stainless edges. Capital cost lands below the tariff threshold for bank leasing, accountants smile, done.
Kings SLM4xx lives in the pragmatic middle ground, nothing flashy, just steel growing smaller every minute, and that is usually enough.
