PHOTO OF THE MONTH
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Periodically we will select a photo submitted by a Torchmate customer, and include it on this page.  We will also include company and product information, and a means of contacting the customer, if he or she wishes us to do so.  Torchmate customers wishing to submit a photo for a possible feature spot on this page should attach it in uncompressed jpeg format to an e-mail message to the following address:  sales@torchmate.com  All submitted photos become the property of Applied Robotics, Inc.
Les Geddes plasma cut ornaments Dec 2009: Take at a look at these beautiful Christmas tree ornaments that our customer, Les Geddes, sent to the staff at Torchmate in appreciation of providing great customer service. Les has a 4'x8' Torchmate 3 Finished Machine with new motor gear boxes, an Arc Voltage Height Control Unit, Thermal Dynamics A120, Laser Crosshairs, and a Cable Carrier System. Thanks, Les!
Custom designed grill by Larry Loesch Sep 2009 : Larry Loesch in Rosenberg, TX uses his 5'x10' Torchmate 2 to create these custom designed and decorated grills. Larry has a 5'x10' Torchmate 2 Gantry Kit with Upgraded Gear Rack, Arc Volt Height Control, Torchmate CAD, Cable Carrier System for 5'x10' Torchmate Machine, and he uses both Oxy Acetylene & Plasma cutting torches.
Torchmate 3 Build

Aug 2009 : "Customer Service is a top priority for me, and Torchmate has the best tech support, and best support after the sale of any table I looked at. They provide lifetime tech support, and 1 year warranty on the machine. What more could you ask for?

On top of their awesome customer service they provide a top notch, high quality product.

Most importantly they are involved in our industry and support our industry. I always love to support someone who supports me.

Here are the specs on the table:
-TM3
-5x10 capacity
-Hypertherm 1250 w/ machine torch
-Arc Voltage Torch Height Control"

Read more about this customer's experience with our product and staff!

Dave Bost Metalworx

Jul 2009 : This picture of a Torchmate 1 was forwarded to us by one of our friends on MySpace.

".. I've been using it for 3 yrs. It has a water table, and we use it for anything from ornamental to offroad racing parts as well as ag and heavy equipment. It uses the Thermal Dynamics 151, and I love it. It's awesome. Sure speeds things up with precision...."
-DBMetalworx.com
Ronnie Welborn Jun 2009 : Ronnie Welborn with B W Enterprise in Princeton, TX has been a Torchmate customer since April 2007 with a Torchmate water table. Ronnie also provides demos in the local area for customers considering purchasing a Torchmate table. We were pleased to find out that Ronnie is tied for lead in the Southern SportMod National Point Standing of IMCA Racing. Congratulations, Ronnie!
Primm NV Apr 2009 : Our Torchmate Racing team has been increasingly involved in Desert Races with our #7231 Torchmate Ranger under driver and Torchmate CEO, Bill Kunz. Pictured here is our booth set up at the Terrible's Town 250 in Primm, NV. Our CNC Cutting Systems are a hit everytime! The crowds are drawn to the live demos available all day. Click here for a list of our upcoming race/demo locations.
Smoke Wagon Mar 2009 : One of our customers built this cool "Smoke Wagon" using their Torchmate CNC Cutting System. It is 300 pounds of welded steel: 10 and 16 gauge. The handles are hickory. The smoker grill surface is 5.5 square feet, and the unit is over 4' tall by almost 7' long. It can be used as a BBQ using charcoal.
Torchmate 3 Upgrade Feb 2009 : Torchmate has upgraded the Torchmate 3. This system has both gear boxes (5:1 ratio with stepper motors and 10:1 ratio with servo motors). Also included is the stability arm for more accuracy and durability. Tests have shown less backlash, a simpler set up, faster installation, more torque, greater accuracy, and more efficiency in this upgrade model. Call a sales representative today to find out more about the Torchmate 3! 1(866) 571-1066
Jan 2009 : Check out this Torchmate 3 located in Kenya.
Torchmate Desert Racer Dec 2008: Torchmate participated in the last race of the year for the Best in the Desert Racing at Henderson Fabtech Desert Classic. Pictured here is Torchmate's very own Desert Racing Truck. Click on the picture to see an enlarged view.
Welding Robot Nov 2008: Torchmate assembles the Torchmate X series tables with our Kuka Robot. This advanced technology ensures water tight welds on our Torchmate X Water Tables.
Fabtech 2008 Oct 2008: Our first tradeshow turned out to be an exciting experience. We enjoyed meeting current and future customers. Our eye-catching booth was then featured on the Fabtech daily show magazine (October 8 edition.) Click on the picture left to see how tough our machines really are! The cutting system was fully functional as it held a rock crawler made with a Torchmate system.
WE Rock Trophies Sept 2008: As sponsors of this year's W.E. ROCK U.S. Nationals, Torchmate provided live coverage online as well as these cool trophies made with our CNC Cutting Systems.
Torchmate Sponsored Buggy June 2008: Torchmate sponsored XRRA racer Derek Trent airing out his competition buggy.
New Boston High School May 2008: Students at New Boston High School learn safe operating of their 4'x8' Torchmate 2 Finished Machine. The school uses the Torchmate Arc Voltage Torch Height Control Unit, Cable Carrier System, the Z-axis with 3-D Software Package included, along with a secure steel cabinet with limited access to computer, monitor, and keyboard.
11'x30' Torchmate 4 April 2008: This is a picture of an 11'x30' Torchmate 4 in action! It took 10 minutes and 20 seconds to cut this 8x20x3/16" plate into several large shapes. Starting at 150ipm and kicking it up to 250ipm for the last 3/4 of the cut.
TM3 March 2008: Here is a picture of 8'x20' Torchmate 3 cutting I Beams in Mexico. In addition to this machine, the customer also has another 9'x40' Torchmate 3.
Torchmate 2 February 2008: To the left is a picture sent to us by Colorado Custom Plasma Cutting of a 5'x10' Torchmate 2 water table.
January 2008: This machine was sent to a school in Alabama. The instructor has a waiting list of over 120 students!
December 2007: This month we have a nice photograph of a Torchmate 4 system with Dual Oxy Setup.
November 2007: Here we have a picture of a 6'x15' Torchmate 3.
October 2007: Click on the image to the left to see an enlarged photo of this 6'x12' Torchmate 3.
September 2007: A sandrail built entirely with a Torchmate CNC shape cutting machine. Every tab and piece of aluminum including the dash, center console, wing, roof, sides, and hood was cut using the Torchmate machine.
Torchmate 3 August 2007: This photo taken in Finland where this 6'x40' Torchmate 3 Bolt-Together System works 16 hours per day!
tm4

July 2007: This picture shows a 10'x30' Torchmate 4 downdraft getting ready to be shipped out. The slats and skirts will be installed on the system on-site. Click photo to enlarge image.

June 2007:  This piece was produced by Steelhead Fabrications for the Seattle Crown Plaza. Steelhead Fabrications use our Torchmate systems to fabricate their products. Their system has a 4" deep water tray underneath to reduce smoke and particulates in the air. Steelhead Fabrications finds that their weld together table is very functional. We are proud they are using Torchmate products to produce these beautiful pieces!

May 2007:  A Torchmate Four CNC Plasma Cutter on its way to Texas. This is the largest TM4 built since being introduced last year. The largest Torchmate machine ever built is a 10'x40' Torchmate Three.
June, 2006:  This photo shows one of our customers cutting out tractor wheel parts.
May, 2006:  That's a stack of 5086 plate beside the table, and a shot of a boat being built with a Torchmate cutter.
March, 2005:  One of the more unusual projects completed by a customer, using a Torchmate 2 to fabricate the brackets.  The center main bearing web of a junk small block Chevy engine was sledge hammered out.  After fabricating the crane, the end of the cable was threaded through the newly exposed oil hole in the crank and clamped.  A starter motor winds up the cable to lift an object, and a lever connected to the clutch lowers it under complete control.
January, 2005:  Here you will see another 4'x8' Torchmate 2 machine with a downdraft setup.  All of the modifications you see here were made using the Torchmate machine.  Why pay for a prebuilt downdraft table when you are purchasing a machine that you can use to make one yourself?
December, 2004:  This picture was sent in by Rick Troxel of Scottsdale, AZ.  You will see Rick's Torchmate 3 Kit.  It looks like Rick set his machine up with downdraft as well.  Once the system is up and running, you can cut your own bracketry to modify the Torchmate frame any way you like to fit your shops needs.
November 2004:  Lately we have been getting a lot of questions about downdraft tables.  People want to know how difficult it is to modify their table to allow for downdraft.  This picture shows a Torchmate 2 kit with a typical downdraft setup.  It is a simple procedure to have the system cut thin guage material for skirting the frame.  Then just add a fan that can pull a sufficient volume of air.  Depending on your local ordinances you may need to push the air through a filter before it is sent outside.
October, 2004:  This picture was sent in by George Becker of Pierce, Colorado.  Here you can see he modified his Standard Torchmate to include a roll out material support table.  Click on the image to see more of George's setup.  Thanks for the pictures George.
September, 2004:  Here is a picture of a machine that was retrofitted with our Torchmate Arc Voltage Torch Height Control.  At $2,395, our AVC unit is much more economical to retrofit to your old plasma table than one of the $8,000 AVC units available from our competitors.
August, 2004:  This photo was sent in by Lee Adams of San Diego, California.  He made a few modifications during the construction of his 4'x8' Standard Torchmate.  One of these modifications is the water table that he built to deal with the smoke and dust.  Thanks for the picture Lee.
July, 2004:  Here is a 5'x10' Torchmate 3 cutting 3" plate with oxy-acetylene.  This picture was sent to us by Joshua Copiskey, President of J.C. Custom Welding Inc. located in Bemidji, MN.
June, 2004:  Thanks to Carlos Restropo of Puerto Rico for this picture of his 4'x8' Standard Torchmate.  Looks like a nice work environment.
May, 2004 (#2):  Here is a picture of John Hunt's Torchmate 3 with Arc Voltage Torch Height Control.
May, 2004:  This is an 80 ton press brake that was manufactured by John Hunt of Iron Art in Thatcher, Arizona, using his new 4'x8' Torchmate 3.  He had a competitors 4'x4' plasma table and could not produce this until he purchased his 4'x8' Torchmate 3 Kit.  His completed Torchmate 3 is shown in the picture below.  It just goes to show that if you want to produce large parts, you are better off with a machine that can handle it.
April, 2004:  Here is a Torchmate 3 with Arc Voltage Torch Height Control setup in Wisconsin.  This particular customer experimented with machines from other companies in our price range.  Those machines were returned and he went with our Torchmate. He has been happy with the change.  It is difficult for our competitors to compete with our 25 years of experience manufacturing cutting systems.
March, 2004:  Chinese newspaper article about our early Torchmate pantograph flame cutting machine circa 1980.
March, 2004:  We just discovered this 1981 photo of Bill Kunz Sr., President of Applied Robotics, Inc., in the first Torchmate production facility.
January, 2003:  A 60 watt CO2 laser mounted on a Torchmate III.
October, 2002:  Okay, this has nothing to do with plasma cutting, but it's too cool for prime time!
 
Do you have a 1/8 mile trek down to your mailbox?  Twice a day -- newspaper and mail.  Here's the solution to this, as well as the trip to the convenience store, transportation in the pits at the races, boaters docked in a remote marina, etc.
 
Electric powered mini-scooter is built like an Italian racing bike.  Heli-arced aluminum frame, mag wheels, and the whole bit.  Twelve miles on a 3 hour charge, 17 mph, dual suspension front and rear, luggage rack, belt drive, front and rear brakes, and it'll even do wheelies.  It carries up to 220 lbs.  Oh yes, it folds up, too.
 
Some states treat it the same as a bicycle. Price -- under $700.  Check it out at www.mojoscooters.com.
June, 2002 (3):  Since plasma-cut pieces do not drop from the plate already sanded and painted, we don't show them that way on our web site.  However, we wanted to give you an idea here of what a few minutes with a polishing wheel can do to a shape cut from hot-roll steel plate.
June, 2002 (2):  Larger view of above installation.  Torchmate 2 unit is cutting roof finials in background.
June, 2002:  A Torchmate 2 installation in Alberta, Canada.  The unit's rail system has been permanently tied into the building's support structure.
sandblasting_sm.jpg (24152 bytes) May, 2002:  Torchmate cnc systems are used for a wide variety of applications.  Here, an automated sandblasting operation has been created around a standard Torchmate gantry machine.
waterjet1.jpg (34876 bytes) April, 2002:  A waterjet installation on a Torchmate 2.  Our Torchmate Gantry Kits have been used with just about every tool available for cutting.  Which Torchmate system fits your application best?
aptsize.jpg (45258 bytes) March, 2002:  Space problems?  Check out this neat apartment-sized Torchmate 2 made out of a combination of extruded aluminum and steel tubing.   It is mounted on locking casters, so it can be rolled about 10 feet outside the garage to keep the plasma dust out.  Capacity is 18" x 24" -- perfect for prototype work.
September, 2001:  The 17th Torchmate ever made, originally sold in March of 1980.  We couldn't resist taking back this early Torchmate pantograph flame cutting machine as a trade-in on one our current systems.  We even got back the original typed instruction booklet.  It still works just as well as it did when new.
August, 2001:  This 3" thick circle cut in two minutes with oxy-acetylene.  A number 4 tip size was used, along with 50 psi of oxygen pressure and 9 psi of acetylene pressure.
July, 2001:  We are often asked about the best method for supporting the work to be cut.  This photo shows the use of closely spaced vertical slats made of 3/16" x 3" hot roll steel.   Each slat is individually removable.  The slats are supported on each end by slotted support brackets.  When a slat becomes mutilated by the plasma torch over time, it is first inverted, and ultimately replaced.  This is far superior to supports that are one piece, where the entire support must be periodically replaced as a unit, or pointed supports that can cause tip-ups.
fulltable.jpg (37990 bytes) April, 2001:  This photo shows a unique down-draft table being fabricated by Jerry Wainwright of Wainwright Welding for his Torchmate system.  It uses sloped sides to direct cut pieces and cutting debris into a removable tray.  An exhaust system at one end will be installed to keep as much plasma dust as possible below the table surface.
torch1.jpg (31050 bytes) March, 2001:  We can't recall if we took this photo, or if it was sent in by one of our customers.  However, it displays the plasma arc process vividly.
Cabo_sunrise_sm.jpg (40545 bytes) February, 2001:  OK, so what does this have to do with CNC plasma?  Take a look at this shot of a sunrise in Cabo San Lucas, which is located at the southernmost tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.  The plasma arc process appears tame by comparison.
cable_carrier.jpg (42888 bytes) January, 2001:  We are frequently asked about cable carriers that can be used to neatly route stepper motor cables and the torch cable.  These carriers are available from McMaster-Carr Supply Co. at www.mcmaster.com.   Be sure to arrange things so there is no contact between the torch cable and the motor cables.