PP Keeps a High Profile With Kerf

With a manufacturing facility that runs 24 hours a day, Batley based PP Profiles (West Yorkshire) Ltd is a professional sub contract steel profiling company that cannot afford machine downtime and inadequate productivity levels. The business has a full order book, and to maintain its short customer lead-times, it has to invest in the latest technology.

So, when the ISO:9001 company discovered that Kerf Developments had recently launched the next generation of UltraSharp Plasma cutting machines, PP Profiles was quick to invest, acquiring an RUR3500P Plasma Cutting Machine. Taking up the story, PP Profiles Managing Director, Mr Mark Broadbent says: "Our business is going from strength to strength and we are currently in the process of building a 16,000sq/ft extension to our existing 19,000sq/ft factory. Within our factory we have a range of waterjet, flame, laser and high density plasma machines that are running around the clock to supply cut material to customers, so uptime and productivity levels are critical for us. To this end, we have invested in the latest technology over the years and Kerf has been a major contributor to our success."

One of the key reasons that PP Profiles has now taken delivery of a Kerf RUR3500P is to replace an older Kerf machine that has been on the shop-floor for over 10 years. As Mr Broadbent continues: "The reason for replacing the older Kerf machine is to improve the productivity, precision and quality we offer our customers. All this is provided by the raft of new technology incorporated into the latest line of Kerf UltraSharp machines. Secondly, the previous Kerf cutting table was well built, robust, resilient, extremely reliable, and it came with impeccable service levels. This is something critical to a 24hour a day operation."

Taking the new RUR3500P in a part exchange deal has given PP Profiles a new machine with a 6m x 3m bed for cutting everything from large parts down to batches of smaller components in mild and carbon steels, stainless, hardox, and duplex. Unlike its predecessor, the new addition incorporates the latest Burny 10 LCD plus control system with the Kaliburn Spirit II UltraSharp high density plasma system. Whilst the previous Kerf machine had a precise high density plasma unit, the new Kaliburn Spirit II UltraSharp system delivers improved edge quality, parallel hole technology and precision. It can also achieve square cut edge technology to within 2 degrees.

Whilst the new Kaliburn Spirit II UltraSharp high density plasma enhances quality, consistency and edge finishes for PP Profiles, the ingenuity lies in how Kerf has paired the latest Kaliburn Plasma system with the Burny 10 LCD plus control device. The complete integration and synergy between the new control and the new plasma has improved productivity by over 25% for the steel profiling company. This is credit to the powerful new control providing an enhanced nesting program. By automatically adjusting the plasma parameters, the control unit optimises and controls feed rates, cutting speeds, gas flow parameters and plasma amperage to optimise the best cut quality achievable. With all these elements automatically controlled by the Burny 10 lcd plus system, the innovative control unit improves cycle times, cut quality and reduces running costs considerably.

By doing all this automatically, the Burny 10 lcd plus reduces programming and set-up times for the customer whilst optimising the process for each and every program and job that is run through the machine. Concluding on the acquisition of the new Kerf RUR3500P machine, Mr Broadbent says: "We were thoroughly impressed with the productivity, service and quality of our previous Kerf machine, but the latest technology on our new RUR3500P has taken our productivity and precision to a new level. We are delighted with this latest addition and the fact that its easy to program, operate and set-up has minimised our downtime to give the machine a smooth integration into our facility."