Robotic Plasma Cutting with Precision

Depending on your workflow, the Hirebotics Cobot Cutter can boost fabrication productivity by 2 to 10 times. Most shops experience 2–4X more cutting output, saving significant labor hours and freeing your team to focus on high-value manual tasks like fitting, layout, and assembly.

Tank Technology’s ASME Production Lead reported that the Cobot Cutter took their rework time from almost 25% down to almost 0%. Most shops see full payback in 18 months or less. Hirebotics also offers financing and rent-to-own options to reduce upfront risk.

See Tank Tech’s Story

Absolutely. The Hirebotics Cobot Cutter maintains perfect standoff distance, torch angle, and travel speed on every single cut—eliminating the variability that comes with manual plasma cutting. This dramatically reduces dross, excess material removal, and accuracy errors. Tank Technology reported rework dropping from almost 25% to almost 0% after deploying the Cobot Cutter. The result is weld-ready edges with minimal post-cut cleanup, fewer bottlenecks, and significant time and cost savings.

Yes. The Hirebotics Cobot Cutter can plasma cut any electrically conductive metal—mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and more. The standard Hypertherm Powermax85 SYNC handles most common shop materials with recommended cut capacity up to 1 inch on mild steel. For thicker applications, optional upgrades to the Powermax105 SYNC or Powermax125 extend the cutting range for structural and heavy plate work. The cobot maintains consistent cut quality regardless of material type.

The Cobot Cutter is built for fabrication shops, job shops, and manufacturers that need consistent, repeatable plasma cuts without the complexity of CNC programming or traditional robotic cells. If you’re running short batches, handling varied part geometries, or looking to increase throughput without adding skilled labor, the Cobot Cutter fits your workflow. It’s operated through the Beacon app on a phone or tablet—anyone on your team can learn it.

In most cases, no. The Hirebotics Cobot Cutter produces clean, weld-ready edges with minimal dross by maintaining precise torch standoff, angle, and travel speed on every pass. This eliminates post-cut grinding and cleanup for the vast majority of cutting applications. Tank Technology’s ASME Production Lead reported rework dropping from 25% to almost 0%. The Hypertherm SmartSYNC torch and consumable system further improves cut quality by automatically setting the correct amperage for each cartridge.

For flat sheet cutting with CAD files already prepared, CNC plasma tables excel. But the Hirebotics Cobot Cutter has major advantages for many applications: it requires no CAD/CAM or G-code programming (jobs are taught in minutes using the Smart Puck tap-to-teach method), it handles 3D surfaces and complex geometries that CNC tables physically cannot cut (tank heads, pipes, formed parts), it fits on a mobile cart instead of consuming significant floor space, and it’s often the better choice for high-mix, low-volume batches where CNC programming overhead doesn’t make sense.

Absolutely—this is where the Hirebotics Cobot Cutter excels compared to CNC plasma tables and traditional automation.

Because you teach new cut paths in minutes using the Smart Puck tap-to-teach method (no CAD/CAM, no G-code, no offline programming), switching between parts is fast and practical. Jobs are saved in the Beacon app and can be recalled instantly for repeat orders. With Beacon Pro, Enhanced Playlists let you sequence multiple parts with autoplay.

Most shops find the sweet spot is batches of 10 to 500 parts, but the cobot works equally well for larger production runs.

Yes. The Hirebotics Cobot Cutter excels at cutting on curved surfaces like tank heads, pipes, and formed parts—3D geometries that CNC plasma tables physically cannot handle. Using the Smart Puck tap-to-teach method, you guide the torch along the desired path on the actual part surface, and the cobot records the full path including all curves and contours. With the UR8 Long’s 68.9-inch reach and full 360-degree joint rotation, the Cobot Cutter can access difficult angles and positions that would be ergonomically challenging for manual cutters.