Case Study
Company Profile
Company: Rapid Turn Laser & Machine, LLC
Size: $2.4M
Location: Texas, USA
Machine: Planar P150.35
Founded in 2012, Rapid Turn Laser & Machine was established primarily to serve oil field clients. The company quickly diversified and now provides sub-contract cutting services, bending, welding, sub-assembly and product ID to clients in sectors including pre-formed concrete, petrochemical, power generation and general fabrication. Materials used include mild steel, stainless steel, copper, alloys, titanium and brass.
Rapid Turn Laser & Machine has supplied parts to clients such as Boeing, Columbia University and premier oil eld companies like Cameron (Schlumberger), Hydril (General Electric), and Freudenberg (German multinational).
“Our old method was painstakingly slow and relied upon trained personnel....even the best of personnel made mistakes whereas this machine does not.”
— Michael Viator, President, Rapid Turn Laser & Machine
Figure 1: Staff at Rapid Turn Laser & Machine.
Michael Viator, President at Rapid Turn Laser & Machine, explained that prior to investing in a Planar machine parts were being measured by hand using micro-meters, callipers and other precise measurement tools.
The company was introduced to InspecVision at an Open House event, hosted by Sterling Fabrication Technology in Texas.
On average the company checks 200 parts a week on the Planar system. Previously 200 parts would have taken approximately twenty hours to inspect. They now inspect more parts than before, including parts they were previously not capable of inspecting. Payback had been calculated at one year, but according to Mr. Viator “It’s probably more like half a year.”
When asked if it was difficult to justify the investment Mr. Viator replied “It was a slam dunk! Money was a factor but it was cheaper to buy the machine than to continue doing it manually as before.” He added that “Our old method was painstakingly slow and relied upon trained personnel for identifying accuracy and keeping up with our rapid production. It was only as good as the person doing the inspection, and even the best of personnel made mistakes whereas this machine does not.”
Figure 2: Typical parts manufactured at Rapid Turn Laser & Machine.
Mr. Viator commented that “The unit saves us hours each day, but more importantly, it has increased our accuracy exponentially and it has given us much ner documentation that we’re able to share with our clients. It makes our product offerings better, and that equals more revenue.”
He also added that “We have people working here who do not have command of the English language who’ve mastered using the machine, so I’d have to say that it is extremely easy to use. We use that machine ALL day, every day. We use it for first article, in-process and nal inspections. We occasionally use it for reverse engineering and replication of parts.”
QA/QC personnel use the machine, but also regular operators, and parts handlers are also adept at using it. In addition, the machine is now a selling point – it distinguishes the company from other laser-cutting houses in their area.
Mr. Viator added, “Without equivocation, we recommend it to anyone who will listen – it’s a “no brainer” that helps their business, AND their client’s business -an absolute WIN-WIN.”
“We believe the InspecVision was one of the best investments we’ve made in our business, and we think it will lead us to greater success and more opportunity.”
— Michael Viator, President, Rapid Turn Laser & Machine
Figure 1: Work in progress at Rapid Turn Laser & Machine.
In terms of support and maintenance, he commented that they do not have what he would consider a ‘local’ distributor but said “InspecVision has been quite helpful and focused on making the machine a success for us – they are quite responsive.”
He added “we had a little de-bugging when the machine was installed, but once settled, we have never needed anymore help – it’s pretty fool-proof and so far has required zero maintenance.”
According to Mr. Viator the main bene t has been their “ability to operate in league with state-of-the-art manufacturers, and being qualified to make products for notable companies primarily because we can achieve the required accuracy they demand since we have the InspecVision tool which enables us to dial-in to very precise tolerances.”
To find out more information about the Planar and how it can help your business; please download our online brochure and contact our sales team at sales@inspecvision.com.