Automated system delivers high-quality cuts, consistent edges

October 2019 - Stark Metal Sales, a full-line steel service center, has been in business since 1989 and has performed plasma burning since 1991. During the past 30 years, the Alliance, Ohio-based company has more than tripled the size of its original plant to 75,000 square feet and repeatedly upgraded its capabilities to continuously provide customers with the products and service they demand.

Stark recently updated its burning department, installing two Hypertherm XPR300 plasma machines in August 2018 to improve plasma cutting capability. “We are burning mainly low-carbon material in thicknesses from 3⁄16 inch to 2 inches,” says Dave Rownd, president of Stark Metal Sales.

The XPR300 is capable of automatically adjusting to deliver high-quality cuts. The machine’s advanced power supply technology provides highly responsive, rapid feedback and automatically intervenes to eliminate events that negatively affect efficiency and consumable life. “We are tracking [the] number of pierces more effectively and torch on time better,” says Rownd.

The XPR300’s advanced power supply technology delivers rapid feedback and automatically intervenes to address inefficiencies.

Clean and smooth

Hypertherm’s engineers patented approximately 30 technologies during the development of X-Definition, and this upgrade in cutting technology allows the XPR300 and its sister system, the XPR170, to “go beyond what a high-definition cutting system can do and produce cuts with very little angularity and an edge surface finish that is generally smoother than fiber laser in the thicker ranges,” says Tyler Kipp, Hypertherm project marketing manager–heavy industrial team.

“The other difference people will notice compared to high-definition plasma is extremely consistent edge quality. In addition to improved cut quality on carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum, users will see increased cut speeds, which translates to improved productivity and a 50 percent operating cost reduction.”

The XPR also is equipped with Arc Response Technology, whereby sensors in the power supply deliver refined diagnostic codes and enhanced system monitoring information that provides system maintenance data to reduce troubleshooting time.

“It senses what is happening with the plasma arc and automatically intervenes to reduce the impact of an electrode blow-out and possible torch failure,” Kipp says. “This feature can also sense when the arc is about to terminate in an uncontrolled manner. The XPR300 power supply senses when a ramp-down error is about to occur and rapidly terminates the arc in a controlled manner for a threefold increase in realized consumable life.”

Multi-torch availability allows for efficient, high-production burning, and vented water injection technology “uses a vented N2 plasma gas and H2O shield gas for less angularity and squarer cut edges,” Kipp says. The equipment also has a coolant nozzle “in which liquid cooling is sent directly to the nozzle bore. That helps extend cut quality over the life of the consumables by more than 40 percent.”

“Our number of pierces per set of consumables has doubled,” Rownd says. “This equates to more uptime of the machine by reducing the downtime required to change consumables more often. The quality of cut is better, which also reduces the amount of additional labor required to clean up burned parts.”

XPR’s Arc Response Technology provides automatic torch and ramp-down error protection.

Connected diagnostics

All of Hypertherm’s XPR systems have Wi-Fi capability built into the power supply, permitting company owners and equipment operators to monitor the systems and perform process setup tasks from a phone, tablet or other portable device.

“In addition to selecting processes and monitoring system data, such as gas pressures, component temperatures and fan speeds, users can see error codes and system logs that can help diagnose and troubleshoot system problems or failure,” Kipp explains. “We have operations managers who monitor three separate XPR systems on their floor directly from their phone at their desk. They also receive maintenance and service prompts as they walk around.”

These new ease-of-use features, and system optimization overall, make the XPR easier to run with minimal operator intervention and create a shorter learning curve for new plasma users. Rownd says that the experienced operators at Stark “reported an easier learning curve to a new machine and user-friendly operation.”

“When we designed XPR, our goal was to make it as easy as possible to get the most out of this advanced cutting system and build in features and processes that ensure that results are achievable with great consistency so long as the system is properly maintained and the operator is provided appropriate upfront training,” Kipp says. “Sensors in the XPR are constantly sending operators system feedback and responding automatically to events that could negatively impact cutting efficiency or even be catastrophic.”

The diagnostics collected are monitored on a device and are automatically logged for assisting with maintenance. “We have tried to remove as much of the ‘art’ of plasma cutting from it as possible and, given proper training, a relatively new operator should be able to get the same results as an experienced one.” MM