PlateSaver™ technology delivers profits to leading fabricator

Company: Plasma Cutting Services (PCS)

Plasma Cutting Services (PCS) is an industrial plate processing company located near Joplin, Missouri, dedicated to providing high-quality metal products and services to their clients across agriculture, automotive, construction, utilities, and oil & gas. 

PCS offers a wide range of products and services, including custom metal fabrication, computer numeric control (CNC) plasma cutting, forming, welding/assembly, and machining. With several years of industry experience, PCS has built a reputation for excellence, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

Challenge: PCS needed advanced technology to deliver high quality parts

PCS wanted to distinguish themselves from other metal fabricators by using the most advanced technology and equipment available, including state-of-the-art CNC plasma cutting machines and software, to produce high quality parts for clients across the country efficiently and cost effectively.

Solution: Hypertherm's XPR300, EDGE Connect, and ProNest

PCS chose a 2020 Tizona model plasma cutting table from Cutting Edge Robotic Technologies (CERT) equipped with Hypertherm’s XPR300® plasma system, EDGE® Connect CNC system, and ProNest® nesting software. This combination of specialized hardware and software enables Hypertherm to deliver its exclusive SureCut™ technologies to better automate the cutting process, improve cutting outcomes, and positively impact the bottom line.

PCS also implemented PlateSaver™, one of Hypertherm’s SureCut technologies, through a simple update to its ProNest nesting software. PlateSaver optimizes nesting to improve cutting efficiency and reduce waste.

 

The XPR300

The XPR300 represents the most significant advance in mechanized plasma cutting technology, redefining what plasma can do by expanding its capabilities and opportunities in ways never before possible. With unmatched X-Definition^® cut quality on mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, the XPR300 increases cut speed, dramatically improves productivity, and slashes operating costs. New ease-of-use features and engineered system optimization make the XPR300 easier to run with minimal operator intervention, while also ensuring optimal performance and unmatched reliability.

Benefits include:

• Significantly reduced operating costs than previous generation technology

• Increased cut speeds on thicker materials

• Dramatic improvement in consumable life on mild steel applications

• Thicker piercing capability than competitive plasma systems

 

Edge Connect CNC system

EDGE Connect delivers unmatched reliability, powerful embedded capabilities, and a high level of customizability. The system offers advanced software features, including ProNest CNC automatic nesting and SureCut technology.

The EDGE Connect CNC system can be configured in the field with software specific to the cutting machine application. The easy-to-use system combines advanced cutting performance with an intuitive graphical interface. It supports plasma, oxyfuel, and waterjet applications.

• With the CutPro® Wizard, even new operators can begin cutting production parts in less than five minutes.

• On-screen Software Operator’s Console (Soft OpCon) allows easy setup and operation of cutting station and manual motion.

• Integrated communications with plasma and torch height control systems deliver automated and expert control using installed factory or custom cut charts.

• Custom cut charts can be created and controlled in the part program or made available to the CutPro Wizard.

 

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.

Benefits include:

• Material cost savings. Powerful, high-yield nesting reduces material costs and increases profitability.

• Ease of use. Intuitive screens and a wide variety of helpful features make it easy to learn and use.

• Increased productivity. 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%.

 

SureCut Technologies

SureCut is designed to maximize cutting performance by automatically applying optimized cutting process parameters to simplify cutting and reduce operator intervention. SureCut is delivered through a combination of Hypertherm products such as automated systems, CNCs, and CAM software.

SureCut technologies include:

• True Hole® technology applies process expertise to automatically deliver bolt ready holes.

• True Bevel™ technology automatically applies the correct bevel angle and reduces operator trial and error.

• Rapid Part™ technology increases the number of parts produced per hour by automatically reducing cut-to-cut cycle time between parts.

• PlateSaver™ technology combines XPR arc stability and specialized software parameters to dramatically increase material utilization.

 

PlateSaver Technology

PlateSaver is a SureCut technology that optimizes material usage by identifying the most efficient way to nest parts on a plate. By optimizing parts nesting, PlateSaver reduces scrap and maximizes material use, delivering a significant increase in plate savings and profitability.

The enhanced arc stability feature of XPR X-Definition^® plasma quickly stabilizes the plasma torch arc and allows for shorter lead lengths and closer placement of parts. It adjusts lead size, style, and location, and uses a moving pierce to minimize part separations while at the same time maintaining part quality.

Hypertherm estimates that a midsized fabricator doing a sufficient volume of cutting could save tens of thousands of dollars on plate material annually by switching to a PlateSaver capable plasma system. For example, a shop cutting 2,000 plates per year (mild steel, 0.5 inch thickness, 120 x 60 inch plates at $0.92 per lb.) that improves their material utilization by just three percentage points could save 82 plates — a value of $77,000 per year.

Business Impact: Improved cut quality, consumable life, reliability, and profits.

PCS immediately saw results.

PCS was able to reduce their cost of goods sold (COGS) and increase their profit margins with PlateSaver. According to Braker, “We’ve used the PlateSaver technique on several nests already, and we’re seeing better material optimization rates, especially with thicker, rectangular parts.”

 

 

In a sample ProNest job file provided by PCS, PlateSaver technology showed a 3.2% improvement over conventional nesting techniques. This lets PCS buy less raw material to produce the same number of parts. Using Hypertherm, PCS also benefits from improved consumable life, increased reliability, improved cut quality, better material optimization rates, and an increased bottom line. 

If you would like to learn how much PlateSaver could save you, click here to try the PlateSaver cost savings calculator for yourself.

To learn how your business can strike the perfect balance between cut quality, cut speed, and cost with the XPR plasma cutting systems, click the button below, fill out the form, and a Hypertherm product expert will contact you.