For more than 60 years, Linders Specialty Co. has been providing customers with custom metal fabrication services. Using steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper and even corten steel and other specialty metals, the company has served companies throughout North America, partnering with OEMs, fabricators, manufacturers and even artists. A quick glance at the company’s website reveals an extensive body of work. Applications span a wide range, including everything from agricultural, architectural and mining to structural, energy and transportation.
Over the years, the company built a strong reputation for rolling and bending services, but its old plasma machine was holding it back. The machine was small and outdated, which hindered production capabilities. Adding insult to injury, many of the machine components were manufactured by different companies, some of which were no longer in business, making it tough to source replacement parts. It was not uncommon for the team to look for parts on sites like eBay.
On top of these challenges, the existing machine had no beveling capabilities, forcing staff to perform beveling by hand. Additionally, the company had to outsource any tube laser work, which further cut into its margins.
To say the least, Linders needed to invest in a new, modern plasma machine and, particularly, a reliable solution that could handle larger plate and thicker material. To upgrade its cutting capabilities, the company started looking at various CNC plasma table options and eventually landed on one from AKS Cutting Systems, choosing a table that could expand the company’s service offerings to keep more work in-house. With the new equipment, Linders was able to extend production and expand revenue opportunities.
Recommended results
Based on a strong recommendation from one of its partners, Linders invested in an AKS accu-kut system. The accu-kut is known as a heavy-duty, industrial machine that can be highly customized with iterations measuring up to 60 ft. long. For Linders’ needs, the company went with a machine that featured the following specifications:
- 8-ft.-by-24-ft. cutting bed
- robo-kut attachment for automated beveling
- tube-kut attachment for automated tube and pipe cutting
- Hypertherm XPR300 power supply
Walt DeBiasi, sales representative for AKS, worked closely with Linders to understand the company’s beveling needs and floor space requirements to perfectly tailor the system. To reduce downtime, he ensured his team and the Linders team were ready when the new plasma machine arrived.
Since its installation, the accu-kut system has extended Linders’ capabilities, offered technical advantages and increased revenue growth, significantly transforming the company’s operations – inside and out.
Thanks to the additional tube-kut system, Linders’ has been able to bring tube cutting work in-house, allowing the company to quote more projects and entire projects from start to finish. Previously, Linders outsourced this work, which cut into profits. With the tube-kut, the company can cut holes in pipe and tube for easier fit-up, offering complete service to customers. Alex Linders, sales manager at Linders, underscores the importance of this change.
“Previously, if someone came in with a rolled pipe and two end plates, we could only offer the rolled plate,” he says. “Now, we can offer them the rolled pipe, the end plates, the welding and the shipping.”
The robo-kut is also transforming operations at Linders. With the ability to program bevels, the team no longer has to manually bevel parts or perform all of the additional machining steps that go along with it. The larger plasma machine also allows Linders to handle bigger projects that require cutting larger plate and thicker material. The machine has proven robust enough to handle material beyond rated capacity, pushing from 8-in.- or 10-in.-dia. pipe to 14-in.-dia. pipe.
Linders can also complete custom applications with the new machine. With some extra ingenuity, operators successfully removed slat sections that allowed them to cut cones inside the bed and fabricate weldments inside the table.
Adding value
Overall, the benefits from the new machine have been even greater than Linders expected. Increasing margins by keeping work in-house rather than outsourcing has been a major benefit, but so, too, has the ability to control projects from start to finish and bid more projects. With the ability to quote and complete projects it previously might have turned away, the company has been in growth mode ever since.
“Being able to have that 5-axis and tube cutting capability allows us to open more doors,” Linders says. “Not only with new customers, but also with current ones because we’re able to offer them that value-added service in addition to our main services.”
Looking for more details on the benefits of plasma cutting? Look into our plasma archive and you’ll find numerous articles on the topic.
