fischer group’s North American facilities slash nitrogen costs and future-proof laser cutting operations with NITROCENTER®

Since 1969, the fischer group has been dedicated to manufacturing stainless steel tubing, components, and technologies for industries around the world. Its engineers developed – and continually improve – their entire production process and machinery.

A commitment to quickly responding to diverse customer needs means the fischer team focuses on quality and reliability, and always shows leadership in adopting technology Solutions.

fischer has a global footprint, including locations in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and in Manchester, Tennessee in the U.S. Precise, efficient laser cutting is an essential part of the business, and offers customers nearly infinite design possibilities.

The challenge: wasted nitrogen gas

Nitrogen is essential for producing high-quality, oxidation-free finishes in laser cutting operations. For decades, industrial users had to rely only on third-party delivery services, usually in bulk liquid tanks.

Ben Van De Peer is Manufacturing Engineering Manager at fischer Canada. He explained that 30 to 40% of the liquid nitrogen they once purchased for their laser cutting operation was being wasted through the tank pressure relief valves, which are activated as the nitrogen inside warms and expands.

fischer’s laser cutting work is precise – the machines provide end cuts for 300 series and 400 series stainless steel tubes of various shapes, with an accuracy of within a tenth of a millimetre. They needed a more reliable, efficient solution that would produce the lowest cost per cut.

The solution: on-site nitrogen gas generation

Using Purity Gas’s turnkey NITROCENTER^® system, manufacturers can generate their own supply as needed. Purity’s technical experts assess a client’s needs and engineer a system for their unique infrastructure and application.

Working closely with fischer, the Purity Gas team first conducted a thorough nitrogen usage assessment to ensure the NITROCENTER^® solution would provide the optimal nitrogen purity levels needed for fischer’s laser cutting processes, while minimizing costs. With a Purity Gas system on site, calculations showed projected savings of at least $100,000 per year in nitrogen gas.

Designed for reliability and growth

Purity Gas designed a modular nitrogen gas generation system sized to handle the plant’s existing requirements, while providing scalability for future growth. fischer’s NITROCENTER^® has seven nitrogen generator modules with 88% redundancy. This ensures uninterrupted production during system maintenance.

Precise control over nitrogen production

With a modular design, operators can adjust nitrogen production based on real-time demand. The ability to deactivate modules during low production periods enhances efficiency and reduces wear on the system.

Results: reduction in cost and environmental impact

fischer’s Canadian facility realized these benefits:

• Cost reduction: nitrogen costs are 69% less annually
• ROI: a payback period of 3.4 years
• Lower emissions: 18.77 tons of C02e eliminated annually

Expansion to the U.S.

Fast forward a few years, and the management team at fischer decided to expand on-site nitrogen gas generation to their U.S. facility in Tennessee. For this project, Purity Gas designed a storage-based generation system, which includes high-pressure cylinders called bulk packs.

This system gives a customer the ability to generate nitrogen outside of the time it’s actually being used. For example, fischer can generate nitrogen overnight, when electricity is cheaper, and store the nitrogen for daytime use. A storage-based system also comes with a smaller footprint, suitable for customers with less space.

Responsive, reliable service

From initial analysis, through project management, to installation and support, Purity Gas has empowered fischer to control their own nitrogen gas supply.

Ben said he enthusiastically recommends working with Purity Gas.