At Interbilt, time is money. Trucks and wagons that stand still mean that clients’ businesses are also standing still. That’s why they rely on Hypertherm’s plasma cutters to do the work faster and to get a more beautiful cut.

Interbilt Truck Repairs had its beginnings in 1999 in Bapsfontein, Ekhurhuleni. The company has two modern workshops that specialise in commercial vehicle recovery, towing services and repairs. Additionally, they’re also known for their vehicle modifications.

Johan Lemmer, the company’s trailer workshop manager, says they specialise in trucks and that much of their work is in insurance, such as vehicles that have been involved in accidents and were subsequently damaged.

The challenges of steel repair

“When it comes to cutting equipment, we’re looking for something that works quickly. Time plays a big role in our company. The longer a vehicle stands at our workshops, the more losses the client suffers,” Johan explains.

In the past, they used cutting torches, but unfortunately, they give off too much heat and sometimes the steel warps. Because they work on the chassis, it can cause big problems if the chassis gets too much and warps as a result.

Michael Smit, one of Interbilt’s vehicle body builders, says it used to be very difficult to achieve neat cuts with a cutting torch.

Hypertherm has the solution

Interbilt’s journey with Hypertherm began with a CNC plasma machine, and approximately a year ago, they purchased their first Powermax 105 SYNC® plasma cutter.

“We had to cut out the cross-frame of the chassis, and it was very difficult with the cutting torches. But the Hypertherm plasma cutters have various points that make cutting work so much neater and convenient,” says Johan.

In the meantime, they’ve bought two more machines, and a third one is underway. “The Hypertherm plasma cutters that we’re using now are easy and fast and don’t apply as much heat to the steel. The cutting work also makes your preparation for welding faster and easier and therefore you can spend less time on it, so you have to spend less time on grinding,” says Johan.

Hypertherm Powermax

Hypertherm sells various plasma cutters, but Interbilt only uses the Powermax 105 SYNC®. The Powermax 105 SYNC® is an air plasma cutter that drastically simplifies gouging and cutting work on steel of up to 32 mm. The machine has an automatic process setup using advanced RFID-enabled SmartSYNC® torches, along with a revolutionary data collection system that provides user data to the operator.

Advantages of the plasma cutter:

  • Drag cutting – for dragging the torch directly over the workpiece
  • Extended reach cutting – for improved visibility and accessibility in confined spaces
  • Cuts out with extended reach – for better visibility and accessibility in confined spaces
  • Fine cutting – for narrow cut widths with minimal heat
  • Flush cutting – for cutting closer to the base material at a 45° angle
  • Maximum controlled gouging – for precise metal removal and flatter gouge profiles
  • Maximum gouging – for aggressive metal removal and deeper gouge profiles
  • Mechanised cutting – for portable automation and table cutting

Hypertherm cutting tips

Hypertherm cutting tips come with their renowned SmartSYNC® torches, which are not only designed for a specific purpose in the cutting process but also collect and analyse data.

These cutting tips are easy to identify with clear colour coding. The RFID-enabled SmartSYNC® torches and cutting tips automatically set the current on your plasma cutting machine, eliminating setup errors.

With a smartphone app, you can scan your cutting tip and view all the data on your phone: how many times the torch has been fired, when and where issues occurred, and how many uses remain before the cutting tip needs to be replaced.

Where Michael previously had to change the cutting tip on the torch each time, he can now simply carry the tips in his pocket and be set up for a different cutting method within 10 minutes.

Powermax simplifies gouging

Interbilt frequently has to cut sections out of various chassis to repair them and then weld them back in. They use the gouging technique for this. Michael explains that they have always used this method, but it was very difficult with a cutting torch.

“Often, it is necessary to remove a part, but you don’t want to damage everything around it. Whatever you remove, you want to be able to reuse. Essentially, you just need to cut away a bit of weld to try and save the part. With the plasma cutter, it’s fast and clean,” says Michael.

Johan says he would definitely recommend Hypertherm to anyone looking for an easy, clean way to cut steel. Hypertherm offers a range of plasma machines. To learn more about their products, you can visit their website www.hypertherm.com