The Art of CNC
- Written by
- Deepika Sulekh
When it comes to keeping up with technology, Central Plumbing and Sheetmetals Taupō rank right at the top, thanks to its innovative new way of metal cutting.
With metal fabrication jobs getting larger, constant outsourcing and hours of manual labour being spent, the local plumbing and sheetmetal engineering company CPS realised it was time to shift its approach, bringing CNC fibre laser cutting and the first machine of its kind to the Central North Island.
It all began six months ago, when Gary Jenkins, managing director, realised they needed to implement change within the fabrication landscape.
“Not just our company, but so many local engineering businesses had to outsource to Auckland or Wellington for any large cutting jobs. If not outsourcing, our engineers were spending hours doing it all manually.”
Following a trip to XT Laser in China, the team at CPS Taupō assembled and commissioned the machine in its Taupō workshop, ready to take on any metal cutting job – big and small. Metal fabrication has been the core of CPS’s offerings for decades, and the new machine has saved loads of time, coupled with exponentially increasing its productivity through automation and computerisation. Other local engineering companies, architects and builders have already shown a keen interest.
“The whole process has been a great feat,” says Gary. “We have to also thank Action Electrical for the rewiring and commissioning, Bayteck Air Systems for installing the air handling system, the team at XT Laser for helping make it all work, and Dijing Lin from Taupō for her amazing help in interpretation between China and New Zealand.”
The XT Laser machine can cut through anything from copper, brass and aluminium to stainless steel and mild steel, from a fraction of a millimetre up to 19mm thick. With three-hour jobs now taking 30 seconds, the improvements in efficiency are dramatic.
The best part though, is that it doesn’t just have one purpose. “If you can imagine it, we can create it.” Whether it’s signage or keyrings, business or personal use, the options are endless.
See the machine in action
Custom-made for everything and anything
Need anything metal? CPS are the ones to call. Experienced in creating a range of metal works, their diverse portfolio includes kitchen sink benches, handrails, boat or car hardware and fittings, light engineering and custom sheetmetal projects just to name a few – nothing is in the ‘too hard basket’ for these guys. Give them a call and you’ll be surprised at what they can do!
But wait, there’s more!
CPS takes care of your plumbing needs too. Alongside domestic, commercial, maintenance and contract work, the company offers a drainage camera, fireplace installation, flue repair, roof and flashing repairs and heating solutions. Building on success in Taupō, CPS expanded its plumbing division to Christchurch in 2014, assisting with a major part of the Christchurch rebuild.
Have a project on your mind?
Get in touch with the team at CPS for a free quote. Call 07 378 6744.
Take a look at some of CPS’ cool projects at www.cpsnewzealand.com.