Specialist steel plate supplier now has a high-quality CNC plasma-arc profiling system that has improved its production efficiency and reduced its reliance on external suppliers.

IMS (International Metal Service) UK's Birmingham facility specialises in the supply of abrasion-resistant and high-yield, high-strength steel plate and profiles. By investing in an ESAB Suprarex SXE-P 4000 machine with a high-quality plasma-arc system and ESAB Vision 55 CNC controller, the company has improved its production efficiency and reduced its reliance on external suppliers for laser-cut components. To maximise the machine's versatility, as well as the precision plasma head, it also has a Cooljet gas cutting torch that cuts faster than conventional gas cutters and has an extended nozzle life.

The plasma head cuts with near-laser quality, producing high-definition components from plates up to 25mm thick (30mm can be cut if the finish is less critical).

Unusually, IMS specified twin fume extraction cutting tables instead of the normal double-ended single table that allows loading/unloading at one end while the machine is cutting at the other end.

The reason for this is that, by having separate tables, there is no risk of the cutting process being disturbed by items being lifted on or off the non-cutting side of the machine.

With the configuration that IMS has in place, the Suprarex can cut plates up to 6m long by 2.5m wide.

All fumes are filtered via a filter unit rather than being vented to atmosphere.

ESAB's Vision 55 Windows XP-based CNC controller is equipped with a cutting and marking database with automatic parameter setting that helps to save time and eliminate the risk of errors being made when each job is being set up.

Furthermore, the ESAB Columbus software enables clearance holes to be produced with virtually no witness marks at the start/finish position.

This is because the Columbus package automatically ramps down the voltage after the cutting head has described a 356 deg arc, enabling the hole to be completed to an exceptionally high standard.

Where countersunk and counterbored holes are required, the plasma torch is used to mark the centres so that these can be drilled with no need to carry out any additional measuring or marking.

Many of the components cut by IMS are also plasma-marked with the customer's name and/or a part number or other information.

Compared with the conventional plasma cutting machine that IMS previously used, the new Suprarex is capable of producing a far better quality of cut as well as improving the production efficiency.

In addition, the machine can cut thinner material, whereas IMS previously had to sub-contract such profiling to a firm with a laser cutting machine.

Adrian Hance, the divisional director, commented: 'The Suprarex machine was definitely worth the investment'.

'Customers appreciate the improved quality that is now available, and the machine will increase the volume of work we can handle.' He was also very pleased with the level of service received from ESAB: 'If ever we need anything, ESAB always responds quickly and gets a service engineer on site very rapidly.