Machine & Fabrication

Gas & Plasma Cutting

The LTEC Gas & Plasma Cutting Machine has Bunry 5.0 computer controlled heads, an 8FT X 20FT table, accommodates 96″ X 240″ steel plate up to 4″ thickness, 96″ X 240″ stainless steel plate up to 3/4″ thickness, 96″ X 240″ aluminum plate up to 2″ thickness, has 3 torch cutter heads, 1 plasma cutter head @ 200amps, and a .dxf file compatible computer. The cutter has a wide variety of pre-programmed standard shapes that are scalable.

Plasma is the fourth state of matter following solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is an ionized (electrified) form of gas. In plasma cutting, a gas such as nitrogen is sent under pressure through the torch where it begins to swirl and is forced out a smaller orifice at which point it passes through an electric arc and the gas is ionized. The electricity “excites” the electrons of the gas atoms. It results in a very quick, clean cut and imparts little heat into the base metal. Plasma is one step down from laser cutting.

File Requirements: All computer files for the LTEC Gas & Plasma Cutter must be in either a .dxf or .cad file format. Our machine shop can convert some JPEG and Adboe Photoshop files to .dxf for an additional charge. Files may be submitted via email to machineshop@bobdeansupply.com or on a CD, floppy disk, or USB memory stick.

Waterjet Cutting

Waterjet Cutting is best described as an accelerated erosion process that is carefully controlled. For this reason, the waterjet can cut or erode through virtually any material known, making it one of the most versatile machines available. The natural erosion process involves no chemicals or heat. Because of this, the warping and distortion typically associated with laser, plasma, and oxy-fuel cutting is eliminated, minimizing the need for secondary processing and finishing.

Some of the advantages of waterjet cutting are tolerances tighter than +/-0.005″ are achievable, especially in thinner materials such as 1/8″ stainless steel. Materials ranging from 10″ stainless steel to 0.010″ acrylics can be cut by waterjet, making it a very versatile tool. Stacking of very thin materials to inrease productivity is possible. Kerf ranges from 0.020″ to 0.050″. Taper and edge finish are directly related to cut speed. The greater the speed, the more taper and the courser the edge finish. As the waterjet slows down, taper can be eliminated and the finish or about 120 achieved.

Specifiations for Z-613 WARDJet Waterjet: Computer controlled heads with Burny Phantom ST CNC Controller that allows direct networking using Windows XP technology and software to convert .dxf files; Cutting envelope of 73″ X 145″ X – Y travel capacity; Up to 4″ plate thickness for steel and stainless steel; Tolerances of +/-0.005″; Linear positional accuracy with +/-0.002″ repeatability. A wide variety of standard shapes are pre-programmed with complete scalability.

Milling and Turning

• VTC30 Mazak with 24″ X 75″ Table X 24″ Height
• Fadal VMC 4020 Vertical Machining Center with a working envelope of 40″ X 20″ X 20″
• Haas SL-30 Big Bore CNC Lathe with 4″ spindle hole and bar feed, max turning capacity of 17″ X 34″, 10″ chuck, and bar capacity of up to 3.0″
• Mazak Quick Turn 28″ X 36″ CNC Lathe
• Milwaukee 4B Vertical Mill with 18″ X 72″ Table
• Lucas 2-1/2″ Boring Mill
• Three additional ENCO Vertical Mills
• Three Summit 19-4 Lathes X 120″ Centers
• 150 Ton Vertical Hydraulic Press
• Summit Radial Drill with 8″ Column X 36″ Reach

Hydraulic Rolling

Bob Dean Supply’s Heller Hydraulic 4 Roll Plate Roller can roll sheet, plate and flat bar and has a 1″ mild steel plate capacity X 120″. Other capabilities include: 122″ length; 1-1/4″ rolling; 1″ X 120″ pre-bend; 16.14″ top roll; 14.57″ center roll; 11.81″ side roll; and a working height of 56″.

Shearing and Sawing

Bob Dean Supply has two 18″ X 18″ Marvel bandsaws and a 8″ X 14″ horizontal bandsaw for sawing material. Mitre cutting is available.

We have three shears: HTC “Heavy Half” Hydraulic Shear with up to 3/4″ X 120″ mild steel capacity and 3/8″ X 120″ stainless steel capacity; Summit Hydraulic Shear with 1/4″ X 120″ mild and stainless steel capacity; and a Cincinnati 3/8″ X 12FT CNC Shear.

Iron Working

Ficep Iron Worker – 29 Ton – with 6″ X 6″ X 1/2″ Angle Capacity.

Welding

Bob Dean Supply’s Machine Shop was founded in 1947 and is the oldest operating shop in Southwest Florida. Bob Dean Supply has three TIG welding stations and six MIG welding stations located in its 20,000 square foot shop. A mobile welding truck with Heli-Arc trailer is also available for location welding jobs and emergency repairs.

TIG Welding – TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas welding. Also called GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and Heliarc, which was Linde’s trade name for the TIG process when it was introduced in 1941. The arc is started with a tungsten electrode shielded by inert gas and filler rod is fed into the weld puddle separately. A slower process than MIG, it produces a more precise weld and can be used at lower amperages for thinner metal. It can also be used on exotic metals.

MIG Welding – Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is frequently referred to as MIG welding. MIG welding is a commonly used high deposition rate welding process. Wire is continuously fed from a spool. MIG welding is therefore referred to as a semiautomatic welding process. The shielding gas forms the arc plasma, stabilized the arc on the metal being welded, shields the arc and molten weld pool, and allows smooth transfer of metal from the weld wire to the molted weld pool. MIG welding benefits include all position capability, higher deposition rates than SMAW, longer wels made without starts and stops, and minimal post weld cleaning.