Right tool for the job

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END USER: Behlen Industries LP, (204) 728-1188, www.behlen.ca. CHALLENGE: Reduce maintenance requirements for a plasma cutting machine that the builder no longer services or supports and achieve a more precise kerf angle when cutting steel plates. SOLUTION: A new plasma/oxy-fuel cutting machine equipped with integrated cutting solutions. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Hypertherm Inc., (800) 643-0030, www.hypertherm.com; Linde Canada Ltd., (888) 256-7359, www.lindecanada.com

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Whether it’s fixing a bicycle or producing a steel building, having the right tool for the job—and knowing how to use it—is critical to achieving success. Behlen Industries LP understands that importance. The Brandon, Manitoba-based producer of steel buildings and components serves the industrial, institutional, commercial and agricultural markets, selling and installing products throughout North America and parts of Europe.

The company consumes more than 9 million pounds of steel annually and uses a plasma cutter to machine the steel for welding. Behlen runs multiple shifts and its MG Messer Titan II plasma cutting machine was highly reliable during the vast majority of the machine’s 10-year stint, according to Doug Riddoch, who was Behlen’s production manager before transferring to sister company Sakundiak Equipment Ltd., Regina, Saskatchewan. However, the machine builder no longer services or supports the Titan II, making replacement parts difficult to procure, he noted.

Courtesy of Hypertherm

Behlen Industries’ plasma/oxy-fuel cutting machine is equipped with Hypertherm’s HyPerformance HPR260XD plasma cutting system. The machine is used to produce steel building components (top).

“The maintenance throughout the years was adequate but could have been much better through a structured preventive maintenance program, which Behlen is in the process of implementing,” Riddoch said. “Maintenance is a major factor in machinery life, and Behlen is quickly transitioning from reactive to preventive maintenance.”

Having reached the end of the machine’s reliable service life, Behlen researched available machines to determine which ones met the company’s needs. “The machine has to perform under high demand for many years to justify the expense,” Riddoch said. “Trouble-free operation is what we were looking for because the plasma system dictates work flow, with 40 welders waiting for cut parts.”