A plasma cutter can breathe new life into landmarks consigned to memory

September 2011- The Highline Park in New York City sat untouched for nearly 90 years before an architect visited the site and was inspired by the profusion of flowers. The talents of imaginative architects and skillful welders wielding plasma cutters transformed this forgotten New York City relic from a roaring era. The visionaries went to work, employing a glazing company to help complete the transformation.

This heavy-duty project required the strength of a Torchmate X plasma cutter from Torchmate CNC, Reno, Nev. “We were cutting 3⁄4 in. steel plate and 1⁄2 in. steel plate for the project,” says Michael McLeod, shop foreman, City Newark Glass Co., Bayonne, N.J., which owns a 5x10 Torchmate X. “We used steel clips to hold the glass up on the elevator enclosure, and we cut the bollards with the Torchmate machine, which holds the railings up.” The handrail is a pipe held up by bollards, which is the banister part, says McLeod.

“We also built the stairs,” he says. “We put those together using 1⁄2 in. steel for knife plates, basically holding the structure together.” The elevator shaft itself is comprised of glass with metal clips built to hold the glass in. The glass is held together by 3⁄4 in. stainless steel. “We welded the knife plates to the beams to hold it all together,” McLeod says.

The Torchmate X series runs on a Dell desktop computer preconfigured with CAD and driver software. A secure steel cabinet protects the computer equipment from the dust and debris created in an industrial environment. “We used Torchmate for the plates and structural parts of the stairs. We did a couple of pieces of 1⁄4 in. weatherable Corten steel,” McLeod says, noting the slipknot coating on the steel makes it anti-skid. The Torchmate cutter gave “a very clean edge and cut it very well, giving us the capability to cut shapes other than squares or rectangles. We had cut pieces that were skewed with notches, triangles—very complicated parts,” he says.

On a smaller scale
Colossal renovations are not the only uses for a Torchmate machine. Manufacturers working on a smaller scale can use the company’s array of models to meet a variety of needs.

Rodger Drawdy, owner and founder of Modification Design, Arcadia, Fla., creates and plasma cuts exhaust brackets for performance and off-road vehicles using the Torchmate 3 plasma cutter with CAD software. Drawdy credits his plasma cutter with helping him more than double his workflow in his fabrication shop on exhaust brackets as well as custom art scene gates, home and ranch decor pieces, swamp buggies, airboats and custom shelving in log and Florida-style cracker homes.

Drawdy uses MIG welding on all carbon steel projects and TIG welding on aluminum and stainless steel. The diversity of Drawdy’s creations requires him to have reliable equipment. “Torchmate is a great machine,” he says. “I’ve been running it for eight years, and it’s done a lot of work [during that time] without any problems, and their tech support is great.”

Joe Hoffman, sales manager at Torchmate, says customers can reach technical support at the company by calling, emailing, using networking sites like Facebook or forums such as Pirate4x4.com. Potential customers also can find Torchmate on the road at event trade shows to see demonstrations and talk to company representatives. “Our machines are constantly being tested and retested with new innovations that we feel are either more affordable options, more versatile options or higher precision with greater power,” he says.

Artisans looking for a machine to help turn ideas into reality look to options from Torchmate because the Torchmate models come in a number of sizes to suit different needs.

John Hicks, owner of Steelhead Fabrications, Des Moines, Wash., was trying to build something in his garage using an analog- to-digital converter and realized it just wasn’t working for him. “So I looked around and I ran across Torchmate,” Hicks says. “I’ve had my machine for over 10 to 11 years now, and while it’s their bottom-line machine, not one of their larger models, it’s still working well.”

Hicks first began metalworking as a traditional blacksmith but found he preferred using a plasma cutter to create his signs and placards of fish and sea-inspired creations. He created a large sign that resides in the Torchmate main office. “With my bottom-of-the-line machine, using stainless logo elements on a stainless background, we ended up with a pretty elegant-looking sign,” he says. “The Torchmate machine has given me the opportunity to explore.”

Customer service
An environmental chemist by training, Hicks found himself embarking on a new part-time endeavor making decorative metal signs. The Torchmate machine continues to suit his needs. “I recently changed the computer and software on the system because my computer operating system needed an upgrade,” Hicks says. “My ten-year-old signal generator (which takes the information from the computer to drive the stepper motors) was incompatible with a modern computer, so I needed to upgrade this essential part.” After a five-minute call with the Torchmate technical support team, “it’s now better than it was new,” Hicks says.

Hicks has a Torchmate 1 system, which is a weld-together model. He bought the Hypertherm 900 plasma cutter, also supplied by Torchmate, and was able to piece together a machine to suit his needs. “I’ve been working with Torchmate for a long time. I’ve gotten calls from numerous other vendors with screaming deals because they like what I make, but I have to say that from the person who picks up the phone to the person who runs the company, Torchmate is great,” Hicks says. “For example, I had a machine issue I didn’t understand, so I called and they [shipped] a part over on Saturday—they bend over backwards. It turned out it wasn’t the part I needed, but they worked with me until I had what I needed to get the machine back online.

“I’m a little guy,” Hicks continues. “This isn’t the sole source of income for my family, but Torchmate goes that extra step to make sure I’m up and running.” When Hicks calls Torchmate, the company’s technical support treats his and every caller’s question with the same urgency and care no matter who is on the other line, he says. Meanwhile, Hicks finds himself pressed to keep up with an uptick in requests for his products. FFJ

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