Techserv Cutting Systems has delivered four HS 4000 hi-definition precision plasma cutters to the UK's Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA). Each cutter employs an advanced fully-synchronised four-axis motion-control system - based on Baldor digital servomotors and drives - to provide the precision of movement needed for tight-tolerance, large-scale profile cutting. The plasma cutters are being used to help fabricate the steel-plate bow sections of two Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.Techserv's HS 4000 plasma cutters are capable of producing high-quality cut parts from steel-plate sheets up to 5m wide and up to 35mm thick. They employ precision-extruded aluminium for the chassis and main beam to ensure rigidity and low mass and use a machined track - with racks to both rails - which can be mounted on mid-level pedestals or on a customer-supplied beam. Depending on the thickness of steel plate being processed and the type of plasma unit that is fitted, HS 4000 machines offer cutting speeds of 50mm to 16m/min.
HS 4000 plasma cutters are four-axis systems, with rack and pinion drives to the transverse axes and the synchronised longitudinal axis. The fourth-axis controls the height of the cutting torch above the steel plate. Each of the four axes is powered by a Baldor BSM series AC brushless servomotor, driven by a Baldor Microflex 500W digital servo drive. The servo drives are controlled by a four-axis version of Baldor's NextMove ESB-2 machine controller.
Overall control of each plasma cutter is handled by an on-board industrial-grade PC. Designed specifically for shape-cutting machines, this PC features a 15in touch-sensitive full-colour HMI and employs graphical shape representation to ensure ease of use. The software runs under Windows XP and provides real-time control of all the cutting machine's advanced-motion functions, including contouring, as well as its Kaliburn Proline 2200 plasma unit.
It also controls the torch-height system on the HS 4000, monitoring the arc voltage and automatically adjusting the torch-to-work distance to provide optimum cutting performance and ensure machine safety.
