A robotic plasma cell carries the torch on a multi-axis arm and feeds structural sections through it. The robot reaches every face of a beam, channel, angle or tube in one set-up, so the copes, bolt holes, mitres, slots and bevels that a section needs before fabrication are cut in a single pass from the model. Layout by hand, drilling and hand-torch cutting are replaced by one program that repeats on every member of the structure.
What gets robot-cut
- Beams and columns — end copes, bolt holes, notches and mitres for structural steel packages.
- Channels, angles and flats for bracing, purlins, platforms and stairs.
- Square and round tube for pipe racks, canopies, trusses and equipment frames.
- Bevelled ends and weld preparations cut in the same handling as the holes.
Why a robot rather than a saw and a drill
Structural steel used to move through a saw, a drill line and a coping machine, with a mark-out between each. A robotic plasma cell does all of it in one visit, from the model, on every face of the section. Members come off the line ready to fit, numbered, with holes and copes in the right place, which is what makes accurate site erection possible. The same cell cuts the bevels for full-penetration welds, so the welder receives prepared steel.
It sits beside our steel-structure fabrication, so cut members go straight to fit-up and welding.
From your model to fabricated steel
- Send the structural model or the fabrication drawings — a 3D model lets the cell take every cut directly.
- We confirm the sections, material and quantities and check each member against the cell's range.
- Sections are cut, de-slagged and marked with their piece numbers; fit-up is checked on the first assembly.
- Members move to fabrication, painting or galvanising, and are shipped in erection order.