Brown McFarlane buys ESAB plasma power sources

Brown McFarlane of Stoke-on-Trent, a distributor and processor of steel plates, has invested in plasma power sources from ESAB Cutting Systems.

These are retrofitted to an ESAB Suprarex machine, which was originally acquired in 1995.

Brown McFarlane, which has a large ex-stock range of carbon and stainless plates, serves a variety of markets including process engineering, mining and the nuclear- and renewable-energy sectors.

The latest installation demonstrates how the incorporation of modern plasma-arc power sources into existing profiling technology can provide major benefits.

The Suprarex is regarded as the mainstay of Brown McFarlane's carbon steel profiling operations.

It is one of a number of plasma-arc profiling machines operated by the company for cutting both mild and stainless steel.

Brown McFarlane has invested in planned preventative maintenance and the upgrading of key components on a regular basis to enhance performance and ensure reliable operation.

This has included the renewal of the machine's rack and pinion drives and a new Vision 52 NC controller.

Now, two new 400A plasma-arc power sources have been added, replacing existing 200A sources, bringing extra power and higher cutting speeds as well as producing high-quality cuts that are dross free and with a minimal heat-affected zone.

The retrofitting of the two plasma units took three weeks at the Brown McFarlane plant at the start of 2009.

The Suprarex was completely stripped down and effectively rebuilt from scratch.

It is being used to pierce and cut mild steel from a thickness of 0.5mm to 50mm, up to 100mm from the material's edge.

The Vision 52 controller, with its LCD monitor and ergonomic keyboard, is said to be simple to use.

Its fully integrated database allows Brown McFarlane to set up fully automated production cycles that require no extra manual settings or operator intervention.

The optimum cutting parameters and speeds are set automatically for materials and thicknesses to be cut with and all cutting processes are controlled by the Vision 52.

In this way, Brown McFarlane is assured of both maximum productivity and maximum quality.