Cost of ownership: Hypertherm vs. leading competitor
With patented Advanced Intensifier Technology (AIT),
Hypertherm’s HyPrecision™ waterjet pumps are more
reliable, less expensive to service and significantly
more profitable to operate. When compared to the
competition, Hypertherm HyPrecision pumps cost a
documented 24% less to own and operate.
The world’s most profitable waterjet pumps
$120,000
$110,000
$100,000
$90,000
$80,000
$70,000
$60,000
1yr 2yr 3yr 4yr 5yr 6yr 7yr
leading competitor
HyPrecision
Initial investment includes pump, cutting head and abrasive delivery system.
Analysis includes replacement parts for pumps and cutting heads.
PLASMA I LASER I WATERJET I AUTOMATION I SOFTWARE I CONSUMABLES
Make HyPrecision your intensifier pump.
www.Hypertherm.com/waterjet
On the positioning support is a
baseplate with holes for mounting
a range of fixtures, though the company has designed custom baseplates
for di;erent situations. Regardless of
the fixture used, the unit must be in
the “load” or “home” position for the
operator to clamp or unclamp the
fixture holding the workpiece.
;e unit also can be integrated
with mats, light curtains, and laser
scanners for safe operation. “Still, the
positioner’s movement isn’t like a
piece of robotics,” Hagman said. “It’s
not moving quickly. ;e system often
is moving a multithousand-pound
workpiece, so it moves at a very
smooth, slow speed.”
In recent years manufacturers have
found that what’s good for ergonom-
ics usually is good for productivity.
But it’s not just about making things
convenient and accessible. As Hag-
man explained, flexible positioning
presents more options for the design
engineer, because the worker has
easier access to more sides of the as-
sembly.
Quality considerations also enter
the design equation. For instance, a
technician may weld all the joints in
one area, retrieve a crane to reposition the work, weld all the joints in
another area, and so on. In this arrangement, the welder is laying beads
in a concentrated area, which can
cause weld shrinkage and distortion.
So engineers may make certain sections thicker or alter other workpiece
characteristics to mitigate that distortion, or deal with additional manufacturing steps for rework.
Rather than all this, though, the
weld sequence may also mitigate that
distortion. By welding on one side
of a large workpiece, then on an op-
posite side, then back to the original
side, and so on, a welder e;ectively
lowers heat input. From a productiv-
ity standpoint, this usually just isn’t
practical, because moving a work-
piece with a crane repeatedly takes
too long. ;is may not even be physically possible, de-
pending on the workpiece design. But according to Hag-
man, with a positioner a technician can perform this weld
sequence—welding a little bit on one side, then the other,
then the other—without hindering overall productivity.
He added that some companies have eliminated or
streamlined certain procedures. Say a large assembly re-
quires tack welding, so that it can withstand the stresses of
being lifted by a hoist multiple times during welding and
assembly. Knowing that the part will be clamped once in
a positioner, designers may choose to instead cut tabs and
slots in certain plates, making it a self-locking assembly.
;is allows technicians to load the assembly onto the po-
sitioner’s fixture and weld it in one setup.
“It’s about shortening the [workpiece] manipulation
time,” Hagman said. “By eliminating that, you convert that
lost time into productive time.”
Images courtesy of Ergotech Inc., 11 Old Newtown Road,
Commerce Park, Danbury, CT 06810, 203-790-4100,
www.ergotechinc.com.
;e 3-axis positioner can manipulate
workpieces that weigh more than 13,000
pounds.
