Invest Wisely

High-quality plasma-cut parts; round, taper-free holes; consistent cut quality; less downtime; less scrap; and faster cut-to-cut cycle times are the goals of today’s fabricators.

No one wants to make the mistake of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a critical piece of equipment that becomes outdated within weeks or months of purchase.

Ideally, you want something capable of growing and changing with your business; something that not only meets your present needs, but allows you to confidently prepare for the future even if you’re not entirely sure what it will look like. In other words, you want to invest in today’s business while keeping an eye on tomorrow.

When considering plasma, one place to start is with a cutting system manufacturer. Whether your plasma is mounted on a CNC X-Y table, a robot, combination punch/plasma, or another way, building a good relationship with a company that specializes in cutting systems is a tremendous asset.

Good liaisons can keep you apprised of recalls and upgrades. In addition, they can better guide you when it comes time to buy new equipment. They will know right away what plasma power supply, CNC, torch height control (THC), and cutting table you have in place.

They’ll know what your particular system is capable of doing and can make sure you don’t buy something that will not work as advertised because your system just isn’t designed to handle it.

It’s similar to renovating a home.

Sure, you can simply start knocking down walls and see what happens, or you can thoughtfully consider what changes to make. You might discover that by doing something, you can save a significant amount of money because the wiring or plumbing is more easily adapted in that one spot. Or, you might discover that if you run a larger electrical line to your garage now while the wall is open, you can easily add 240-volt power down the road when you finally get the home workshop you’ve always dreamed of.

The overall idea is that anything designed to work together will perform better than something that has been cobbled together.

As cutting systems become more sophisticated and automated, this relationship becomes even more important, because software updates, some of which offer significant increased functionality, are constantly being made.

As an example, consider just three technologies introduced in the past half-decade: precision cutting of bolt-ready holes with plasma; automated cutting of beveled edges; and CNC improvements that enable companies to double the number of parts cut per hour. All three were made available via a software update.

A system’s plasma power supply, CNC, torch height control (THC), and cutting table all are important to get consistent, high-quality cuts.

If you had the right system in place, you could introduce those three technologies rather quickly.

Machine motion, THC, and CAM software are major factors affecting any mechanized cutting operation. The parameters associated with each traditionally have been controlled by the system programmer and the machine operator. There was no question that a cutting operation with an expert programmer and experienced operator could produce better, more consistent parts than an operation with a less experienced team in place.

The programmer and operator were critical.

The stress of juggling both planned and unplanned absences—like vacation or illness—fell on a manager who more often than not could not find another person to step in. The solution to these staffing woes then was to try and automate the process as much as possible.

Plasma cutting systems engineers worked intimately with the teams engineering the motion controls and CAD software to develop built-in process parameters. As such, today’s best-performing plasma systems accept the same drawing file inputs that older machines use, yet incorporate more sophisticated CAM software to analyze features on the part drawings.

This analysis is then used to nest the parts, insert the best lead-in and lead-out, set the correct cut speed and amperage, and specify the best process gas, as well as define the cutting parameters normally controlled by the expert operator.

The result? High-quality plasmacut parts; round, taper-free holes; consistency in cut quality from day to day; less downtime caused by plate collisions; less scrap due to operator or programmer setup errors; and faster cut-to-cut cycle times.

The latest CNCs use simple touchscreen, Windows-based operator controls that are so easy to use that the learning curve for operators is almost nonexistent.

Consider the Past

Another way to ensure the system you buy today is ready for the future is to consider the past. If you are starting from scratch, do your homework. Understand how suppliers differ and talk to current equipment users.

There are several questions that you can ask, including:

New plasma cutting control systems reduce learning times for new operators.

• How long have you had your system?
• Are you happy with it?
• Is the company responsive to your needs?
• If you had to make this purchase all over again, would you make the exact same choice?

The answers can tell you a lot. Also, look at the companies that would supply the components for your table. Research the plasma manufacturer itself. How long has that company been in business? Does that company have a history of supporting legacy products, or does it focus only on its current moneymaker? How much does it invest in engineering? Does it make incremental improvements—whether affecting the power supply, torch, or consumables—available to its current customers? Are its products well-designed and reliable? What is the total cost of ownership?

Despite today’s world of online social connections, there is no substitute for old-fashioned business relationships. By taking the time to build a strong relationship with your cutting system manufacturer and doing your homework ahead of time, you can ensure the success of your business not only today but in the years to come.

www.hypertherm.com

Torch height controls (THC) establish and maintain proper pierce and cut height to improve cut quality and consumable life.