Whether cutting beam, channel, tube, pipe, angle iron or other profiles or shapes, today’s structural steel fabricators face increasing pressure because of tight margins and demanding schedules. Automation has become a key differentiator, allowing shops to increase throughput, reduce labor requirements and deliver orders more efficiently than ever.
“At the end of the day, fabricators, our customers, are looking for the most efficient way to process material at the lowest possible cost,” says Suyash Mathkar, senior product manager, Lincoln Electric Automation. “They have to be competitive in the marketplace and their own market segment. They’re looking for automated solutions that can get them that productivity. From a fabricator’s perspective, their ultimate goal is to process the most tonnage per day, per week, per month, per year in the most efficient, low-cost way.”
A different approach
Traditional structural steel fabrication often requires multiple standalone machines dedicated to individual operations – one plasma cutter, one drilling machine, one saw and so on. Long, heavy structural pieces must be moved from one machine to another throughout the fabrication process, increasing handling time and labor costs and introducing opportunities for errors. Often, it requires a maze of transfers and conveyors between the machines to move the material.
The PythonX robotic plasma cutting system from Lincoln Electric Automation overcomes these challenges by combining multiple fabrication operations to be performed on a single automated machine. Originally designed for smaller shops, the system has evolved into a production solution used by fabricators of every size, including some of the industry’s largest operations.
“Our initial target for this plasma cutting system was the smaller fabricator that was very limited in terms of floor space and the ability to add equipment,” Mathkar says. “They really couldn’t compete against the bigger fabricators that had multiple single-use machines. The beauty of this system for the smaller fabricator was that they could pick up a piece of steel, put it through one machine and essentially it was done.
“Over time, the larger fabricators that had multiple machines all working in sequence also saw the value of a single machine that could do the work of four, five or six machines,” he continues. “The adoption manifested itself in a way where now we have various fabricators with multiple production facilities across the United States with several PythonX systems.”
Optimized operation
The operator’s primary responsibility with the PythonX is simply loading and unloading material. They load the material and start the automated material measurement process. The system incorporates a measuring cart that measures the length of the material before processing begins. Because structural steel typically arrives from the mill slightly longer than its specified length, the cart compensates for any variances in the materials
“When material comes from the mill, it’s typically, say, 40 ft. and 1/8 in. or 40 ft. and 1/16 in.,” Mathkar says. “The measuring cart catches that abnormality. It provides the true length of the material and then it’s compensated for through our software when the material reaches the cutting area. It’s a very sure way of measuring the material. We talk about it as a value proposition for our system.”
Unlike laser-based measuring systems, the measurement cart performs reliably in harsh shop environments and in outdoor conditions, including dust, rain and snow.
Once the material is processed, the operator offloads the material.
“The PythonX is economical in terms of material handling, and there’s an element of increased safety by reducing the amount of material handling,” Mathkar adds.
Making the cuts
So, what happens in the cutting process? Once material is loaded on the infeed conveyor and automatically measured, the software plans the cutting sequence and controls the plasma torch robot movements. The software continually analyzes robot movement to minimize unnecessary travel throughout the process to reduce motion and shorten cycle times.
“The beauty of it is there’s minimal programming required,” Mathkar says. “The proprietary VersaFab Studio software developed by Lincoln Electric does all the path planning and controls the robot motion, the sensors and so on. The shop imports the NC1 or STEP file and the system does the rest. So, every time there’s a new part they need to cut, they don’t have to go back and program the entire system to cut that new piece.”
To replace multiple machines, the PythonX is capable of producing a variety of typical fabrication features found in the industry.
“It performs several types of cutting, such as holes, slots, bolt holes, weld access holes, beam copes, miters, dog bones and J-Allen cuts, on any type of structural steel material,” Mathkar says.
“Our system can produce very tight cuts because of our proprietary and patented plasma torch design,” he continues. “For cuts like weld access holes, or what are called rat holes, the holes are very close to a perpendicular intersection. To get in that corner and make the cut is fairly difficult to do. Another example is a J-Allen cut, which is used in seismic applications, primarily bridge building. That’s a very difficult cut because it’s very close to a perpendicular flange. But our torch technology allows us to make those cuts.”
Complete support system
The plasma torch is paired with Lincoln Electric’s Fineline 300 HD high-definition power source to enable the cutting. And that is another distinguishing characteristic of the PythonX – the level of integration behind the system. Lincoln Electric develops and manufactures the major components of the system in-house.
“We control a lot of the manufacturing process in building the system, which then is indicative of the quality that we achieve in the end product,” Mathkar says. “And by controlling the design and manufacture of the major components, customers have a single source for support. We aren’t sending them to various other companies to get support on those major components. This simplifies maintenance and contributes to overall system reliability and product experience.”
In addition, in today’s fabrication environment, lead time is often a determining factor in machine investment.
“The PythonX can typically be delivered within four to six weeks,” Mathkar says. “So, between six and seven weeks, there’s a potential to have this machine up and cutting at a customer’s facility. Our ability to put a new system into production quickly allows them to realize their ROI quickly as opposed to waiting six, maybe nine months for delivery of a machine. That is another big value proposition with our system.”
As mentioned, many fabricators purchase additional systems after experiencing the productivity improvements from their first installation. Today, more than 700 PythonX systems operate worldwide with some fabricators running several across multiple facilities.
“When talking about ROI, we have many customers that have bought two, three, four systems. One customer has nine systems,” says Rick Boska, sales director, large capital equipment, Lincoln Electric Automation. “Having multiple units of the same machine is very rare in the industry. But shops quickly realize that they are getting a good ROI and can scale up their shop or business by buying more systems.”
The reasons are, first, the fast delivery time. Also, the ability to process a fair amount of tonnage per day, along with the cut quality, ease of use and reliability, with the PythonX capable of running day in and day out, two or three shifts a day.
“All those factors combined make the machine what it is and those are all very important to our customers,” Boska says. “Hence, buying multiple systems over a period of years.”
Mathkar adds that Lincoln Electric was first to market with this type of plasma cutting system. Other companies tried to duplicate the technology and, through a lot of trial and error, were finally able to create a marketable product. Meanwhile, Lincoln was building market share and brand loyalty in the marketplace.
The PythonX was developed with the needs of structural steel fabricators in mind. Many times, it is the “heart of the shop,” according to Boska.
With its ability to handle a wide range of fabrication tasks and replace multiple machines, the system offers a practical solution for improving production and expanding a shop’s capabilities. Faster speeds, enhanced automation and improved operational efficiency through advanced technology mean structural steel fabricators will appreciate an investment in a PythonX and might possibly look to add more.
If your business is looking to enhance your plasma cutting, read recent articles to learn more.
