Avenger 3-Telerex Sets New Standards in Cutting Automation

When Northrop Grumman Corporation needed a cutting gantry for its new heavy-plate bay facility at Newport News, Virginia, the planners knew they needed the most advanced cutting technology they could find. The new heavy-plate bay is one of several new facilities built for construction of a new-generation aircraft carrier, CVN 21. The Newport News facility houses some of the most technologically advanced machines in the shipbuilding industry to produce the most advanced aircraft carrier. The CVN 21 includes an enhanced flight deck, improved weapons movement, a redesigned island, new nuclear power plant and allowance for future technologies, all designed to maximize the ship’s efficiency and operational capabilities, while reducing acquisition costs, manning and weight.

The cutting gantry for this facility had to cut and bevel 48-ton steel plates with extremely high tolerances. A typical part, such as the side shell unit recently cut at the facility’s grand opening in August, can weigh 15 tons. The facility also wanted a very high level of automation. This cutting gantry had to be a heavyweight.

Northrop Grumman developed a series of complex technological advances and operational specifications that needed to be part of the cutting machine that would help build the CVN 21. Working closely with Northrop Grumman, ESAB took those ideas and incorporated them into a specially customized Avenger 3-Telerex to fit the bill.

The Avenger 3-Telerex offers straight cutting and beveling capabilities in both oxy-fuel and plasma cutting over multiple large plates, as well as a variety of marking capabilities, including plasma marking, ink-jet marking, zinc oxide marking, pin stamp text marking and pneumatic punch marking. Designed for shipyards, wind tower manufacturers and other heavy fabricators, this Avenger provides high accuracy, multiple-process cutting on a large scale.

This Avenger gantry features a massive fabricated box beam with dual precision linear rails that can span up to a 45-foot (14 m) cutting width, with cutting speeds from 2 to 1000 ipm (50.8 to 25,400 mm/min.). Other leading edge technology standard on this machine include the industry’s most reliable digital servo amplifiers, AC brushless motors, precision planetary gearboxes, linear rails and bearings, and ESAB’s Vision™ CNC control.

The model built for Newport News features two fully automatic 7-axis triple torch oxy-fuel bevel heads and a newly designed 4-torch oxy-fuel bevel head on the front side, along with a Precision Plasma marking system, laser pointer and video camera monitoring system. The back side features nine oxy-fuel stripping stations for straight cutting, a Precision Plasma marking system, laser pointer and video camera monitoring system. Each side is controlled by a separate CNC control.

ESAB’s exclusive 7-axis triple torch system features fully programmable motorized torches that can vary the bevel angle as they cut, turning complex cutting applications into a one-step process. The system provides considerable cost savings by cutting a part and adding plate edge preparation in a single operation. Each bevel head uses nine proportional valves, three per torch, allowing individual CNC control of the gas supply to each torch for the most advanced gas control in the industry.

The new quadruple torch bevel station can cut a top chamfer, top bevel, bottom bevel and bottom chamfer in a single operation, with manual adjustments for tilt angle, offset and lead/lag. It also includes a motorized vertical lifter and plate rider height control to maintain the correct cutting height relative to the top surface of the plate.

This machine is also the first to feature ESAB’s new Precision Etcharc Plasma Marking System. This combination of ESAB’s Precision Plasma torch with its Etcharc Plasma Marking technology provides precision line or text marking on conductive metal plate. The system produces clear, durable lines over a wide speed range, with the highest precision available from a plasma marking system.

This Avenger 3-Telerex cutting gantry is a great example of the level of technological complexity and automation that ESAB can provide. With advanced technology and global capabilities, ESAB welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with customers to create innovative solutions to their toughest cutting challenges.