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Containerised nitrogen generator for Fabriweld

The Fabriweld team reached out to us as they were in need of a reliable supply of nitrogen gas for their laser cutting machine. Wanting to move away from hiring manpacks from their existing supplier, they needed a cost-effective onsite solution that would give them complete control.

Nitropak nitrogen generator package for Fabriweld

Overview

Located in Nelson, Fabriweld are laser cutting specialists, offering expertise in CNC pressing, sheet metal, welding, stainless steel, and aluminium fabrication. Early in 2023, they reached out to us for a nitrogen generation system for their laser-cutting facility.

Fabriweld had been using hired bottles of gas to fuel their laser cutting machine which was inefficient and costly. With demand for gas rising around the country, they needed a more cost-effective and convenient solution. 

The client

In a semi-remote location, Fabriweld works with clients across a range of industries, including marine, horticulture, architectural, aquaculture, aviation, medical, forestry, research, hospitality, and farming.

With a new Amada 6KW Fiber Laser, they offer powerful laser cutting services for stainless steel up to 20mm, mild steel up to 20mm, aluminium up to 16mm, and copper, brass, and titanium up to 8mm. 

The challenge

Being in a semi-remote area, gas rental costs for Fabriweld were becoming too high. To make the most of the new laser cutting machine and its efficiency, they needed an on-site gas generator to bypass supply issues.

Renting bottles from a Christchurch gas supplier was too unreliable, often impacting daily laser-cutting operations. On multiple occasions, the scheduled delivery had been stopped due to road closures. As a result, gas was becoming one of the main overheads in Fabriweld’s production. 

The solution

Having researched various gas solutions, the client recognised Industrial Air Systems as a leading supplier of nitrogen generators. With air purity being a high priority for laser cutting and needing a simple solution, our containerised system was ideal.

Our team worked closely with Fabriweld to ensure the setup was aligned with their unique needs. This involved flying a salesperson and head technician to visit the premises to meet the client. This face-to-face communication ensured our team had a solid understanding of the situation, allowing us to specify accurately.

After discussing the benefits of on-site nitrogen generation with the owner and accountant, we designed the system with a 25m3/hr nitrogen generator, running at 99.95% air purity.

The setup includes a fully containerised nitrogen generator package (Nitropak) with forced ventilation and ducting along with a fully contained electrical distribution board for immediate connection on-site. The package also includes a variable-speed drive screw compressor, refrigerated dryer, 4-stage filtration, a 300-bar booster compressor, and two 16-bottle gas manpacks for storage.

 

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The results

As a result of the new nitrogen generator, the Fabriweld team have reduced their overhead gas costs significantly and now have complete control of their gas supply. They no longer have to worry about freight and logistics disruptions leaving them to focus on day-to-day operations without the delays.

Learn more about the containerised Nitropak system.

Simon Crawford, Owner:

"All is well it just runs, air purity is good. Have not noticed any issues with cut conditions but has given us the advantage of not having to worry about running out of gas so at this point we are very happy. We never turn it off and always have more than we need."

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