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Precision Plasma Helps Central Steel Reduce Overhead
The Problem:
Central Steel & Wire Company, a 98-year-old metal distribution service center with plants in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Greensboro, was experiencing a bottleneck in its processing capabilities because of its aging oxyfuel cutting system. The oxyfuel operators were spending too much time loading the table and cleaning parts. An inherently messy and slow process, oxyfuel cutting produces parts that require extensive grinding and edge clean up, plus time waiting for the part to cool before you can attempt any cleaning.
ESAB’s Solution:
After extensive research, Central Steel opted to purchase an Avenger cutting gantry with Precision Plasma. The Avenger gantry is designed for heavy-duty CNC oxyfuel and plasma cutting and can also accommodate oxyfuel beveling, plasma beveling, plasma marking, punch marking, ink jet marking, zinc marking, drilling, and routing. Central Steel’s Avenger features a 20 ft by 84 ft cutting table and is equipped with two PT-600 Precision Plasma torches and two PT-24 torches.
The PT-600 Mechanized Plasma Cutting Torch is precision-engineered for close tolerance concentricity. This versatile dual-gas torch can be used with a combination of gases and has a current capacity of 600 Amps at 100% duty cycle. The PT-24 Precision Plasma Torch achieves cutting current up to 100 amps, with superior speeds and dross performance on carbon steel up to 5/8 in. thick. Both torches offer increased nozzle and electrode life for maximum economy and minimum down time and produce a smooth, high quality cut face that requires little or no clean-up.
The Result:
According to Chief Programmer Phil Hayes, the Precision Plasma “cuts faster, produces less dross and has reduced our overhead dramatically. We went from a 35% duty cycle to about 59-65% with the plasma machine. When you are no longer hand grinding and surface prepping, you dramatically increase productivity. Plus, we can take the part right off the table without waiting for it to cool.”
In the past, Central Steel’s customers often had to grind the parts after they were delivered. In addition to receiving delivery sooner, they now receive parts that are ready to weld. “Not only do they see a cost savings, they also see a better part,” Hayes says.
In addition to producing parts at a faster pace, this machine also provides better tolerances. For example, Central Steel can now produce one particular part that they were never able to create before because the heat of the oxyfuel process warped the part. With Precision Plasma, they can keep the cut part flat. “The customer was very pleased with the part produced by the Precision Plasma,” Hayes says. “We were able to bring this business back in-house.”
The Precision Plasma capability has opened new avenues of business for Central Steel. “Some customers have increased business by double or triple,” Hayes says, in part because Central Steel can now cut a wider variety of parts and because their delivery has gone from an average of 14 days to 4 or 5 days. “We’re almost like the UPS,” Hayes jokes. “You can’t get that delivery in the oxyfuel world.”
Central Steel now regularly uses the Precision Plasma cutting machine for parts up through 1.25 inch thick. Anything over that thickness must still be cut with oxyfuel. Hayes would like to incorporate a bevel cutting torch in the future, as this would provide new business opportunities for the company.
Hayes says their extensive history with ESAB has been extremely helpful. In addition to providing reliable, user-friendly machines, ESAB has been a source of education on various cutting processes that has helped steer Central Steel to better technologies. “ESAB has been there to help us grow over the years and as capability increases, they help us come up to the level we need to be,” Hayes says.
Central Steel & Wire Company, a 98-year-old metal distribution service center with plants in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Greensboro, was experiencing a bottleneck in its processing capabilities because of its aging oxyfuel cutting system. The oxyfuel operators were spending too much time loading the table and cleaning parts. An inherently messy and slow process, oxyfuel cutting produces parts that require extensive grinding and edge clean up, plus time waiting for the part to cool before you can attempt any cleaning.
ESAB’s Solution:
After extensive research, Central Steel opted to purchase an Avenger cutting gantry with Precision Plasma. The Avenger gantry is designed for heavy-duty CNC oxyfuel and plasma cutting and can also accommodate oxyfuel beveling, plasma beveling, plasma marking, punch marking, ink jet marking, zinc marking, drilling, and routing. Central Steel’s Avenger features a 20 ft by 84 ft cutting table and is equipped with two PT-600 Precision Plasma torches and two PT-24 torches.
The PT-600 Mechanized Plasma Cutting Torch is precision-engineered for close tolerance concentricity. This versatile dual-gas torch can be used with a combination of gases and has a current capacity of 600 Amps at 100% duty cycle. The PT-24 Precision Plasma Torch achieves cutting current up to 100 amps, with superior speeds and dross performance on carbon steel up to 5/8 in. thick. Both torches offer increased nozzle and electrode life for maximum economy and minimum down time and produce a smooth, high quality cut face that requires little or no clean-up.
The Result:
According to Chief Programmer Phil Hayes, the Precision Plasma “cuts faster, produces less dross and has reduced our overhead dramatically. We went from a 35% duty cycle to about 59-65% with the plasma machine. When you are no longer hand grinding and surface prepping, you dramatically increase productivity. Plus, we can take the part right off the table without waiting for it to cool.”
In the past, Central Steel’s customers often had to grind the parts after they were delivered. In addition to receiving delivery sooner, they now receive parts that are ready to weld. “Not only do they see a cost savings, they also see a better part,” Hayes says.
In addition to producing parts at a faster pace, this machine also provides better tolerances. For example, Central Steel can now produce one particular part that they were never able to create before because the heat of the oxyfuel process warped the part. With Precision Plasma, they can keep the cut part flat. “The customer was very pleased with the part produced by the Precision Plasma,” Hayes says. “We were able to bring this business back in-house.”
The Precision Plasma capability has opened new avenues of business for Central Steel. “Some customers have increased business by double or triple,” Hayes says, in part because Central Steel can now cut a wider variety of parts and because their delivery has gone from an average of 14 days to 4 or 5 days. “We’re almost like the UPS,” Hayes jokes. “You can’t get that delivery in the oxyfuel world.”
Central Steel now regularly uses the Precision Plasma cutting machine for parts up through 1.25 inch thick. Anything over that thickness must still be cut with oxyfuel. Hayes would like to incorporate a bevel cutting torch in the future, as this would provide new business opportunities for the company.
Hayes says their extensive history with ESAB has been extremely helpful. In addition to providing reliable, user-friendly machines, ESAB has been a source of education on various cutting processes that has helped steer Central Steel to better technologies. “ESAB has been there to help us grow over the years and as capability increases, they help us come up to the level we need to be,” Hayes says.
