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A Canadian OEM that’s been building metal-fabricating products for more than 17 years is introducing its product line into the U.S. market. Pinnacle Industrial Automation, Inc. has distinguished itself by designing and manufacturing products that incorporate time- and money-saving features that reduce down time and repair costs.

As part of their market expansion, Pinnacle has enlisted Ursviken Inc. in Elgin, Illinois — a part of the Swedish company Ursviken Group — for support in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Ursviken is widely known in the metalworking world, with years of experience and a worldwide presence in the fabricating industry.

Pinnacle developed their expertise working on CNC plasma cutting machines built by other major manufacturers of plasma cutting equipment. Their engineers discovered precisely which parts and processes offered room for product improvement — in drive systems, circuit boards, and other areas where either proprietary components or difficult-to-reach places have resulted in longer downtimes than necessary. They zeroed in on producing more streamlined and standardized machines that allow service by local technicians. Repairs can be made with standard components that are well known and easier to acquire than those used by other makes of cutting machines. The work can be performed by any competent field service technician familiar with this type of machinery.

“Because of the demands of our OEM customer base for large production quantities delivered just in time, Brannon Steel cannot afford to have any production downtime. We chose the Pinnacle Machines for precisely this reason,” said Kevin Brannon, Vice President of Brannon Steel. “Their concept of building machines from the perspective of years of experience servicing them has resulted in a rock solid machine with minimal downtime.”

Specialized control systems, circuit boards, and other electronic components have been replaced with off-the-shelf Burny or Hypertherm controllers, Yaskawa drives, Hypertherm plasma torches, industry standard bearings, and similarly well known standard items. Pinnacle’s method of designing and building CNC plasma cutting machines avoids costly delays in the manufacturing process because of hard-to-find, hard-to-machine, or otherwise expensive and inconvenient special components. The focus is on high reliability, maximum uptime, and fast turnaround in the event of almost any machine problem.

“Through over seven years of 24/5 operation and now eight Pinnacle machines online, we have yet to experience any significant breakdown,” Brannon said. “Our Pinnacle Plasma and Oxy-fuel machines have only enhanced Brannon Steel’s position as the quality choice for carbon steel profiles.”

To learn more about Pinnacle Industrial Automation and their product offerings, visit their website at www.pinnacle-ia.com.

To learn more about Ursviken, visit their website at www.ursviken.com or contact Mr. Thomas Wessel, Director of Sales, at (847) 214-8700.

Cliff Ankersen is a manufacturing engineer with extensive experience in industrial automation and fabrication.