For their graduation as mechatronics technicians, graduates of the Rudolf Diesel Technical College in Nuremberg built a CNC-controlled plasma cutter that can be used to process various types of sheet metal. norelem provided numerous components for the project.

The frame of the Plasma-PANIRA is made of standard aluminium profiles, which are connected with connection sets, to minimize the mechanical effort. Standard sheet sizes of 2 m x 1 m can be inserted into the plasma cutter. The maximum cuttable sheet thickness is 20 mm; a high-quality cut is guaranteed with a sheet thickness of up to 8 mm. The cutting parameters and positioning are controlled via the EstlCAM CNC control software and the Arduino Mega microcontroller board.

The axes are driven by stepper motors. These move the slides to the desired position via a linear guide fixed with slot key in order to achieve a cutting accuracy of approximately 1 mm. A floating bearing unit and a pillow block bearing support the drive unit and the deflection for the belt drive of the respective axis. The toothed pulley transmits the force to the toothed belt, which in turn drives the gantry crane or the X and Y axes.