Quality Machine increases productivity by 33% with upgrade to HPR400XD and True Hole technology

Company overview

Quality Machine is a third-generation job shop specializing in custom design-and-build projects for many industries, including oil & gas, manufacturing, coal, construction, excavation, forestry, and agriculture. Founded in 1975 as a service provider for the surface mining industry, Quality Machine was later expanded into a parts business and now focuses on large custom and proprietary jobs, often in the $100,000 range. Products include oil and gas booms, skidded and trailer mounted oil field units, Marcellus Shale fracturing fluid systems, and Hardox extreme duty buckets. In addition to warranty work, Quality Machine provides a wide range of services as the only independent track repair facility in West Virginia. Services beyond design and repair include on-call service and Hardox distribution.

Challenge: Programming inefficiencies and poor cut quality hurt production   

Ineffective integration of components and lack of product support from several different manufacturers brought Quality Machine’s production to a near standstill. Programming inefficiencies and subsequent poor cut quality reduced their ability to produce the range of products that had built the company’s reputation.

“As a Hardox wear parts distributor, we need good cut quality at the highest possible cut speeds, and we were getting saw tooth cuts with negative angles, even with consumables that were almost new. We gave up on plasma cutting any holes and used punching or drilling, said Christian Marsh, Business Manager and Safety Director at Quality Machine.

The poor results and extended downtime caused by the conventional plasma system impacted even minor parts of their production, including simple nametags and parts numbering.

Christian continued: “We mark the equipment numbers on the parts and cut nametags to be welded onto products. Seemed simple enough, but the machine couldn’t do it. The programming trouble had gotten so bad we had to do manual nesting at the controller. We had a lot of problems and no support. The components were not connecting together right and everyone was pointing fingers at each other. It was a ring of excuses and no one would help us. Our machine was down and we were left high and dry.”

Solution: HPR400XD with True Hole technology delivers results   

Quality Machine had been considering waterjet as an option for better cut quality, but concerns about the operating cost, garnet hassle, and higher maintenance costs led them to reconsider and explore recent advancements in plasma. They asked their cutting machine manufacturer to provide a solution that would include efficient nesting software, superior service, and greatly improved cut quality and productivity with precise motion.

Quality Machine chose a cutting machine with Hypertherm’s SureCut™ technology, including a HyPerformance^® Plasma HPR400XD^®, EDGE^® Pro CNC, ArcGlide^® THC, ProNest^® software, and True Hole^® technology.

The HPR400XD

The HyPerformance HPR400XD plasma system was designed for maximum performance and productivity in X-Y, bevel, and robotic cutting operations. The versatile 400-amp rated system combines fast cutting speeds, rapid process cycling, quick changeovers, and high reliability, and delivers the ultimate in HyPerformance mild steel cutting, plus aluminum capability and unmatched stainless steel cut quality.

HPR400XD benefits include:

• Cuts fine-feature parts with superior quality and consistency

• Aligns and focuses the plasma arc for more powerful precision cutting up to 80 mm (3.2 inches)

• Delivers HyDefinition cut quality on thin stainless steel, with extremely sharp top edge quality, shiny surface finish, and superior angularity with reduced angle variation

• Produces hole quality that is significantly better than anything previously achievable with plasma

• Increases consumable life and enables consistent HyDefinition cut quality

• Has faster cut speeds and produces more parts per hour

• Delivers higher quality cuts, virtually eliminating the cost of secondary operations

ProNest nesting software

ProNest nesting software for advanced mechanized cutting is designed to supercharge cutting operations, enabling greater automation, efficiency, and profitability. ProNest optimizes performance for plasma, laser, waterjet, and oxyfuel cutting machines.

ProNest’s powerful, high-yield nesting reduces material costs, increasing profitability. Intuitive screens and a wide variety of helpful features make ProNest easy to learn and use. Its faster, fully automated interface can reduce programing time from hours to minutes, while specialized cutting techniques can reduce total cut time by up to 50%.

True Hole technology

True Hole technology produces significantly better hole quality than what has been previously possible using plasma. True Hole is automatically applied by the nesting software or CNC software to thicknesses up to 25 mm (one inch). Diameter and hole coverage ranges from hole diameter to thickness ratios from 2:1 to as low as 1:1.

True Hole virtually eliminates hole taper, delivering true bolt-hole quality automatically, without operator intervention. Ding is reduced and biased to the outside of the hole. True Hole reduces the need for secondary processes and completes jobs in fewer steps, narrowing the gap with laser hole quality and making the plasma process suitable for many jobs previously cut with laser.

Business impact: Significantly increased productivity with HPR400XD

True Hole technology enables Quality Machine to use plasma cutting for hole cutting, increasing productivity and hole quality and reducing the need for drilling and punching.

Since the HPR400XD, EDGE Pro CNC, ArcGlide THC, ProNest software, and True Hole technology are all Hypertherm products developed to work together, the components work seamlessly and effectively as one system.

ProNest has improved nesting capabilities for the company, increasing efficiency and cut quality. Quality Machine is also experiencing better material utilization using ProNest, enabling material cost savings as well. At the same time, consumables last 30% longer with the Hypertherm system.

“Software capability alone is leaps and bounds above what we had before, so our efficiency has improved. ProNest has totally changed our productivity and nesting abilities. The negative angles with Hardox that we experienced with the old plasma system are gone, and the consumables last 30% longer, said Christian. Most of all, the HPR400XD works exactly as promised, delivering the high-quality results Quality Machine was looking for – including reliable customer support.

Christian continued: “The HPR400XD is instrumental in cutting all our Hardox parts, and it delivers significantly improved cut quality. Everything is working the way it is supposed to, and that is what we wanted. We needed the HPRXD’s speed and True Hole cut quality, and the support has been terrific.”

Learn how the HPRXD plasma system can help your business strike the perfect balance between cut quality, cut speed, and cost. Click the button below, fill out the form, and a Hypertherm product expert will contact you.