Energy costs keep rising. CO₂ targets keep tightening. Production managers are caught between operational pressure and sustainability requirements. The HACO GSX shows that both goals can align, without compromising on cutting quality or throughput.
The energy puzzle
Traditional hydraulic shears consume around 20,000 kWh per year because their pumps run continuously, even during idle periods. This energy waste weighs heavily on budgets and makes it difficult to meet internal sustainability goals.
HACO’s GSX shear works differently: an intelligent hydraulic system with standby function ensures the machine only draws power when actually cutting. The result is annual consumption of 13,000 kWh, a saving of 9,000 kWh that translates to 2,250 kg less CO₂ per year. Over a 10-year period, you avoid more than 22 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per machine, figures that count in reports and help comply with the increasingly strict requirements of the European Green Deal.
The cost of laser cutting versus shearing
Many companies use fiber lasers for straight cuts, even though these machines are designed for complex contours. The consequence: high energy consumption for simple work, plus constant need for assist gases like nitrogen or oxygen. The GSX cuts mechanically and requires none of these resources. For production runs with many straight cuts, this can halve energy consumption per cut and eliminate the need for 3,000 to 5,000 m³ of gas per year.
Reconciling operational pressure with sustainability
Thermal cutting burns away material at the edges of every cut. This edge loss seems minimal, but over thousands of cuts per year it adds up. Shearing eliminates this waste. Every cut is purely mechanical, without heat influence or material loss at the cutting line. For companies working with expensive materials or high volumes, this makes a noticeable difference in both material costs and waste processing.
The tension between energy costs and CO₂ ambitions need not be a choice. HACO’s GSX demonstrates that lower operational costs and smaller environmental footprint can go hand in hand.
