Plasma-cutting quality shines through

The new floorplan at the MACH 2018 exhibition in April certainly reaped rewards for Kerf Developments, with the plasma, waterjet and oxy-fuel cutting manufacturer yielding a greater number of sales leads from a more diverse client base than at previous MACH exhibitions.

MACH was the launch-pad event for the new Plasmaster HD (high definition) and the PythonX robotic plasma structural steel fabrication system, and both machines, along with the established RUR and RUM machines, were popular among visitors.
Commenting upon why the show was such a success among a diverse audience, Kerf Developments sales director Craig Walsh says: “The new Plasmaster 3015 was on show at MACH and this machine really excited visitors with its cut quality and flexibility at such an affordable price point. We showed the Plasmaster with the Lincoln Electric Flexcut 125 and the 200HD high-definition plasma unit, with example test pieces to highlight the cut quality and precision available. As a result, we sold two Plasmaster machines with the 200HD plasma unit to a sheet metal company and another to a fabrication business. However, we also had toolmakers and subcontractors showing interest.”
Alongside Kerf Developments’ new Plasmaster was the established RUR2500 and the heavy-duty RUM4500 machine with four cutting heads on a single gantry.
“We received more than 150 serious enquiries at MACH, and with three plasma machines on the stand, the majority of enquiries were for this technology,” says Walsh. “However, we had a significant number of leads from manufacturers interested in our waterjet and oxy-fuel range.”
For further information www.kerfdevelopments.com

Prima Power opens technology centre

Prima Power has opened its new technology centre in Neufahrn, near Munich.
As a result, the company is now able to better serve the entire German-speaking market and be much closer to the regions where its machines are already in use or where the group sees the highest growth potential.

Paolo Musante, Prima Power GmbH managing director, states: “The new technology centre will serve as a hub of excellence and have a strong focus on customer satisfaction, since from this location we can offer our customers highly efficient support, especially for the industrial areas of Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Prima Power GmbH in Neufahrn employs 55 people (of which 35 are dedicated to customer support) and covers an area of 1800 sq m. Around half of the area hosts the demonstration centre, where live trials of the latest technologies and products can be attended by a large number of guests. In addition to offices, two conference rooms are available with a direct view of the demonstration centre.
In line with Prima Power GmbH growth strategy, the aim is to have a team of 70 employees in the new subsidiary by 2020. The expansion is mainly foreseen, in addition to sales and service, in application and training staff. Overall investment for the new Prima Power GmbH facility (including building works and machines) amounts to €4m.
For further information www.primapower.com

Fibre laser 10 times faster on 10 mm sheet

Established in 2010 by Dave Mawer and Mike Barratt, D&M Design & Fabrication has seen dramatic progression since the joint owners started running the business from the former’s bedroom and the latter’s garage.

At the time, neither thought that seven years later they would buy one of the most advanced fibre laser cutting centres on the market, a Bystronic 10 kW ByStar Fiber with automated sheet handling.
Installed at one of the firm’s factory units in Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, the machine is capable of processing 3 x 1.5 m sheet and employs the highest power fibre laser currently available on a cutting machine. According to Barratt, it is about 10 times faster at processing 10 mm thick material than D&M’s previous Bystronic 3.3 kW CO2 fibre laser machine bought five years earlier. A sheet can be completed typically in less than 40 minutes, rather than six hours.
“We were previously struggling to keep up with laser profiling our material, despite running the CO2 machine around the clock, six days a week,” says Barratt. “With the speed of fibre technology, we are easily processing more material per day in a single shift and now only work five days a week. The fibre machine stands idle for some of the time at present, as it finishes all the work going through the shop so quickly.”
Mawer adds: “With an eye to the future, we specified the machine with an inline ByTrans Extended handling system to automate the supply of material to the machine and the return of laser-cut sheets. We have proved the cell’s reliability during lights-out running a few times. It is not needed at the moment, but will be invaluable as volumes build in the future.”
For further information www.bystronic.co.uk

Fastest plasma-cutting speed in its class

Esab has released its Cutmaster 60i hand-held air plasma-cutting system, a three-phase, 400 V unit that weighs 16.8 kg and provides a rated output of 7.6 kW at 50% duty cycle (at 60 A).

Cutmaster 60i produces a recommended cut of 16 mm, has a maximum sever thickness of 38 mm and, according to Esab, provides the fastest cutting speed (at any thickness) in its class.
Esab says that users will immediately notice the oversized, high-visibility LED display on the Cutmaster 60i, which communicates more information, more clearly, at a glance and from a distance. The display provides the necessary feedback to optimise parameter settings and cut quality. Cutmaster 60i also has a best-in-class ability to hold the arc for longer, which helps when cutting in awkward positions and when performing gouging operations.
The system includes the new SL60QD 1Torch, which offers a quick disconnect feature for the selective replacement of either the torch handle assembly or torch leads at a lower cost than replacing both together (a necessity with one-piece torch/lead assemblies). Moreover, integral gas-optimiser technology helps ensure premium cut quality and performance by precisely regulating air pressure; although users can also adjust the gas pressure manually. When users set amperage, mode of operation, torch type, and add torch lengths to extend cutting reach by an additional 7.6, 15.2 or 22.9 m, the machine uses its colour display to provide recommended gas-pressure settings.
Low amperage especially benefits small shops and garage users as they might not have a large breaker like an industrial facility.
For further information www.esab.com

Automated storage supports laser facility

De Cromvoirtse, a Netherlands-based steel stockholder and contract manufacturer of small batches of semi-finished sheet metal components, has invested in two interlinked, automated storage systems from Kasto and connected them to three laser-cutting machines to help speed deliveries.

The Uniline store and Unitower B ensure fast, accurate, damage-free material handling, while the supplier’s warehouse management system keeps track of stock and ensures smooth order processing.
Manufacturing capacity at De Cromvoirtse includes press brakes in addition to the laser-cutting machines. About 90% of products are made from steel, stainless steel or aluminium sheet, the remainder being
pipes and sections.
The double-sided Uniline store from Kasto has nearly 1000 storage locations, with special pallets for different materials and sizes, as well as for remnants. A stacker crane travels between the two rows of the facility, storing and retrieving material automatically as needed.
“Kasto worked with us right from the planning phase to develop new ideas for the design,” says Janwillem Verschuuren, one of the company’s two managing directors. “They told us clearly what wouldn’t work, and
what would.”
For example, it proved possible to connect two flat-bed laser-cutting machines seamlessly to achieve continuous material flow.
The latest Unitower B storage system, which was installed in a few weeks without interrupting the stockholder’s operations, consists of a double tower and stacker crane. Rising to a height of 8.5 m and with a compact footprint, it has space for almost 80 pallets, each of which can hold sheets measuring up to 3000 x 1500 mm. An additional laser-cutting machine is connected to the Unitower, with loading and unloading being performed automatically.
For further information www.kasto.com