Universities.

University of Ballarat, VIC, acquired an ART 4800XP plasma profile table for the TAFE division to keep up with technology. “Many of our clients are upgrading to this type of technology and we needed to upgrade our equipment train our apprentices on industrial-level machines,” says Peter Schreiner. “The ART plasma cutter is well-established in industry and our instructors find it easy to learn how to operate the machine, which is fully Australian-made – which is not a must-criteria for us, but certainly something that I pushed for.”

Among many other education providers around the country, the Canberra Institute of Technology trains around 100 students a year on its XP4000 CNC plasma cutter, using computer aided drawings (CAD) to create various designs, in preparation for their chosen careers. “In times gone by, the accuracy of metal fabrication was limited to how steady your hand was,” says metal fabrication trades teacher Steven McMahon. “Tradespeople experienced particular difficulty cutting circles, notches, holes and angles. That’s not an issue anymore. If it can be drawn, it can be cut.”

Mr McMahon explains why purchasing the XP4000 CNC plasma cutter was so important: “It is so important for education providers to keep up with changing industry practices in order to ensure we are meeting current industry standards. If we’re not keeping up with technology then we’re not able to provide students with the skills they will actually need once they reach the workforce.”