For the Long Haul: Ongoing Support for AnnaMax Machines

We’re proud to remind our existing—and future—customers that the people at AnnaMax stand behind every machine we put into the field. Our support doesn’t end at the point of sale.

If you’ve already purchased from us, you know that we include a professionally-bound manual and set of gauge charts with every coping/notching machine. We want our customers to experience the full benefits of using our machines to improve the way they work. And that begins with having a knowledgable understanding of how to best use our products.

If you’ve lost or misplaced your user manual or gauge charts, please let us know. We’ll be happy to replace them for you at no charge.

When our customers are successful in business, everyone wins. This belief is why AnnaMax goes out of our way to support our customers.

Tips for Prolonging the Life of Your Cutter (Pipe Notching, Cutting, etc.)

The way you cut your pipes and tubes to length makes a difference.

If you are sawing with a “toothed” blade, band or circular, there shouldn’t be any issues. Also acceptable is a cut using a “hot saw”—these methods probably won’t raise the concerns we’re addressing today.

If you are oxy-fuel cutting or plasma cutting, however, the cut surface of the pipe or tube may inadvertently be hardened.

To check for this condition use a “new” or “sharp” file. Run the corner of the file on an uncut area of the pipe and note the “bite” of the file into the pipe or tube. Then move to the cut end and perform the same test. If the file slides across with less “bite,” it’s an indication of a hardened condition. You can remedy this by lightly grinding the surface to remove the hardened area.

Turning your cut into chips is also critical. If the cut is not turned into chips, the end of the workpiece can catch on the cutter and potentially stop the machine. For instructions on how to turn your cut into chips, please consult the gauge chart and manual.

As always, take special care when inserting a workpiece into the machine. If a workpiece is thrust in forcefully, it may hit the cutter and cause it to break.

Finally, remember that the machine works best when the cutter is sharpened or replaced regularly.

Customer Success Story: Coping Machine Paid for Itself in the First Job

Justin Knull at JD Enterprises in Alberta, Canada recently contacted us to share an exciting update about his business’s use of the CopeMatic Pro coping and notching machine.

Justin’s shop had built a batch of 20 panels using 2-1/2” Schedule 40 pipe with a 2.9” outside diameter.

He goes on to tell us that they’ve benefited in several ways:

They saved $450 in oxygen and acetylene costs per batch of 20 (in just one week).
Their shop significantly sped up the fitting time. With the now perfect copes, the pieces could be put together in half the time, saving valuable labor hours.
They even saved a few dollars in grinding wheels used on the rough torch-cut edges.

Summary
We’re always pleased to hear from customers who have been able to decrease the time required on their jobs, while saving money overall. In this case, Justin made up the full cost of his CopeMatic Pro coping machine in only eight sets of panels, in oxygen and acetylene savings alone.

Keep your success stories coming.

If you’re new to AnnaMax Machine and haven’t experienced the cost and time savings of the CopeMatic yet, what are you waiting for? Contact us today to find out how easy it is to get your own.

Big News (Regarding Something Smaller)

You’ve probably already met the CopeMatic Pro (originally the CopeMatic 4500). Now say hello to the CopeMatic MiniPro.

Our newest machine is a great choice for our customers whose coping needs range from 1/2-inch to 2 inches in diameter. The same things that make the CopeMatic Pro great for years are also found in the CopeMatic MiniPro:

uses a standard 1/2” end mill
portable like its predecessor, and even easier to move
its workpiece remains stationary as the head moves to make the cope
our materials meet demanding quality standards, and are sourced from local vendors
every machine is assembled in the U.S.

To be notified when this machine is available, just fill out the customer inquiry form found here and mention the MiniPro. Rather talk to a human? Give us a call at 612-355-9337.

Pricing Updates and New Ordering Options

We’ve updated our machines overview page with new details on pricing and additional ordering options that are now available. If you haven’t already checked it out, head over there right now and see what we’ve added.

Other News About the Machine
We’ve listened to the needs of our customers and found that are quite a few shops that would like our machine to accommodate larger stock. We’re happy to announce that all new CopeMatic 4500’s can now be made to accommodate 4 1/2” stock and will be able to cope a 4 1/2” diameter.

As always, we’re able to create custom fixtures to accommodate unusual projects. Just let us know what your next job requires and we’ll see what we can do to make your projects faster, easier, and perhaps a bit more profitable.

Questions about our products, or ready to learn more about ordering? Contact us through our website here, or give us a call at 612-355-9337.

Custom Clamping Systems for Metal Tube Coping and Pipe Notching Now Available

We’ve listened to the needs of our customers and are excited to announce a custom clamp system for metal tube coping and pipe notching. Designed to be used with the CopeMatic 4500 machine, the new optional clamp can be custom engineered specifically for your machining needs. For shops that cope pre-formed or pre-bent tubing, this is good news when it comes to getting jobs done faster and more accurately.

Our custom clamp system can be designed for use in multiple ways allowing for coping more than one pre-formed tube angle without needing multiple clamp ﬁxtures. We anticipate our clients will appreciate the value of having fewer pieces of equipment needed, especially when that means less time spent readjusting a machine, and a ultimately, a higher throughput.

Here are a couple more reasons you may want to order a CopeMatic 4500 with a custom clamp system:

1. When you’re ﬁnished with the project your custom ﬁxture was needed for, you can use the standard clamp system to continue performing copes or notches on straight tubing and pipes.

2. For a small fee, we’re able to hand deliver the CopeMatic 4500 with the custom clamp ﬁxture. Some customers prefer this option in order to see a demonstration firsthand, and to receive personal instruction on how both the basic CopeMatic 4500 and the custom ﬁxture can be used.

If you’re curious to see how we can provide for your shop’s unique needs, feel free to contact AnnaMax Machine with questions. Whether by phone or email, we’re here to support our clients over the long haul.

What Does Coping or Notching Mean?

There are several types of coping or notching applications in the metal fabrication and manufacturing industry. Three of the common ones include beam coping, wood coping, and tube coping.

Beam Coping
Beam coping is used to fit beams against each other. Often a torch is used to cope steel beams.

Wood Coping
Wood coping machines would be used to fit crown moldings perfectly together; for example to make cabinet doors and moldings. Here is a video demonstration of one of the tools used to cope moldings.

Tube Coping
Tube coping, on the other hand, means taking one piece of tube and cutting it to fit against another piece of tubing. When using cylindrical tubing, a concave cut from the piece of tube needs to be made, and often it’s necessary to have an angle on the cut to produce the desired result. Currently most tube coping is done with hole saws or abrasive notchers.

These methods of tube coping each present their own limitations, and often don’t produce the desired result. This is why at AnnaMax Machine we decided to invent a better, faster, more precise way of tube coping and notching. Take a look at the CopeMatic Pro and you’ll see why it’s the right choice for your next coping project.

Questions about our products, or ready to learn more about ordering? Contact us through our website here, or give us a call at 612-355-9336.

5 Ways the CopeMatic 4500 Coping Machine Wants to Boost Your Shop’s Productivity

It’s become pretty common these days to find the “green” stamp of environmental friendliness everywhere you look. From your food and beverage packaging, to the fuels you put in your truck; everyone wants to get on the green train.

But what exactly “green” refers to in each context isn’t always clear. And most product manufacturers are happy to let the public assume the best. At AnnaMax Machine, however, we’ll be up front with you every time. And our labeling of the CopeMatic 4500 as green is no exception.

While using this coping machine won’t cut your carbon footprint in half, it will indeed help conserve your business’s resources and improve process efficiencies, both of which can help your shop reduce consumption in a variety of other related ways.

Some of the ways the CopeMatic 4500 can reduce consumption of resources include:

The machine requires relatively little electricity to operate
Its design eliminates the need to cut the angle before coping
Because the advantages of the CopeMatic 4500 allow shops to spend less time on related welding work, overall operation time for projects is reduced
It is very quiet (ear protection is not needed), dramatically cutting down noise pollution
Its remarkable portability allows your team to avoid using large trucks or trailers when moving it

Of course there are fiscal reasons that make the CopeMatic 4500 attractive to shop owners. Nearly every benefit this machine offers in regard to energy and environmental impacts, also has an appealing impact on your company’s bottom line.

To find out more about our company, this machine, and how we can help you do better (and more) business, contact us today.