First Cut subsidiary, gas safety expert Gas Safety International (GSI), is revolutionising traditional industrial brazing with cutting-edge technology which enhances safety, quality and efficiency. This innovative solution is game-changing for industries reliant on high-performance brazing, including the automotive, white goods, storage (racking and shelving), fabrication and engineering sectors.
Brazing is a crucial process in various manufacturing sectors, allowing for the secure joining or bonding of dissimilar (and similar) metal components: for example, copper to brass, or copper to copper. However, traditional brazing methods come with inherent risks, including gas leaks, inefficient fluxing, and safety risks due to high-pressure systems. Recognising these challenges, gas safety stalwart GSI has added its revolutionary S.A.T. regulator, valve and torch to the innovative liquid fluxing system known as the D69. The S.A.T. flux system significantly reduces gas contamination risks and enhances gas welding and brazing efficiency, optimising operational productivity.
Already, GSI has achieved extensive traction with the S.A.T. flux system in the nationwide branches of a well-known white goods manufacturer, as well as with national wheelchair and motorcycle frame manufacturers.
Commitment to safe and efficient brazing
Peter Rohlssen, Managing Director of GSI, highlights the importance of safety in brazing operations: “Our goal is simple: to make brazing safer and more efficient – without compromising performance. Traditional brazing systems are often negatively impacted by pressure-related hazards, contamination, and downtime issues. The S.A.T. flux system tackles these challenges head-on, by ensuring a safer working environment while improving productivity.”
The D69 fluxing unit enriches flammable gas (for example, acetylene) with liquid flux by passing the gas through a reservoir, where it absorbs the liquid before reaching the torch for brazing. This process enhances brazing efficiency, improves joint quality, and operates under negative pressure to increase safety by preventing backflow, reducing explosion risks.
The negative pressure approach not only minimises workplace hazards, but also ensures compliance with international safety standards, making it a preferred choice for manufacturers which prioritise worker safety and operational excellence. The system is further validated by American quality assurance institute UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approval, and its sister institute, ULC (Underwriters Laboratories Canada) – a globally recognised mark of product safety and quality assurance.
The GSI S.A.T. flux system also adheres to stringent industry compliance regulations, including ISO 2503, which governs gas pressure regulators for gas welding, cutting, and allied processes; ISO 5175-2 which governs the valve; ISO 5172, which sets standards for blowpipes used in brazing and gas welding applications; and SANS 3821, ensuring the integrity and safety of the flexible hoses used in gas applications.
Reducing downtime and Increasing efficiency
The S.A.T. flux system addresses one of the most pressing concerns in modern industrial manufacturing – downtime. In traditional brazing operations, equipment often needs to be de-pressurised for maintenance or reloading, leading to a halt in production and lost operational time. The S.A.T. flux system eliminates this obstacle, by offering a continuous operation model, ensuring that manufacturers can achieve peak efficiency without interruptions.
The S.A.T. flux system furthermore features a gas economizer with pilot flame, which ensures that the flow of gas and liquid flux to the torch stops when it is not in use, thereby saving product and time – and crucially, ensuring operator safety. “Economizer contamination is also prevented, substantially reducing the amount of maintenance required, from once every 2 months to once a year,” Rohlssen comments.
“In manufacturing, time is money. Every minute of downtime translates to lost revenue. GSI’s innovative S.A.T. flux system is about delivering a brazing solution not only enhances safety – but also optimises quality and operational efficiency. This is a game-changer for manufacturers requiring reliability and precision in their production lines,” says Ian McCrystal, CEO of First Cut.
Training, service and support
GSI is an authorised service centre for the D69 fluxing unit. With the exception of the gas fluxing unit itself (which is US-manufactured and imported), the heart of the S.A.T. flux system – namely the S.A.T. valve – is ‘proudly local’, manufactured by GSI in Johannesburg. In close co-operation with Messer Cutting Systems small, medium and large gas welding and brazing torches are used.
GSI can also offer a full repair service, exchange units and spare parts as required. Beyond the technology itself, GSI is committed to providing comprehensive training and support for customers adopting the new system. Understanding that new technology adoption requires knowledge and hands-on experience, GSI offers tailored training programmes, ensuring that businesses can seamlessly integrate the solution into their operations.
“Implementing new technology is not just about the equipment; it is about ensuring that teams understand how to use it effectively,” Rohlssen adds. “That is why we offer in-depth training and support, helping companies to transition smoothly to a safer and more efficient brazing process.”
A bold brazing future
As manufacturers worldwide seek to improve safety, quality, reduce costs and enhance productivity, the demand for innovative solutions continues to grow. By setting new industry benchmarks with their forward-thinking approach to gas welding and brazing safety and efficiency, First Cut and its subsidiary GSI are set to redefine industry standards, offering manufacturers in a broad range of sectors a superior solution which prioritises both worker safety and operational excellence.
“We are always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what is possible in industrial cutting and joining technologies. Bringing this next-generation brazing solution to market truly addresses the needs of modern manufacturers,” McCrystal concludes.
About First Cut
First Cut is a leading South African provider of a range of cutting, welding and grinding consumables and equipment, with over 68 years of industry experience. First Cut meets the needs of a vast range of industries through its supply of band saw blades, circular saw blades, hacksaw blades, and other cutting consumables.
The company’s machine division specialises in metal cutting, sheet metal processing, structural steel and tube and pipe processing. First Cut’s service programme enables the company to provide repairs and maintenance services for a wide range of machines, from entry-level band saws to state-of-the-art plasma and laser cutting machines.
In 2019, First Cut extended its services with the milestone introduction of a new welding division, offering welding solutions to complement its cutting and grinding product ranges. As well as acquiring Messer South Africa and incorporating its products and solutions, First Cut has acquired gas safety training stalwart GSI, to further strengthen its offering.
Gas Safety International (GSI), a subsidiary of First Cutprovides certified gas safety training and quality gas equipment to a wide range of sectors, to ensure a safe and efficient working environment. While he was working previously for a large international gas welding company, GSI’s Managing Director and founder, Peter Rohlssen, identified the need for safety training for people working with gas. He then established GSI in 1985 to provide professional gas training in the workplace. The company’s training seminars provide both practical and theoretical insight into the behaviour of gas and recommended safe working practices. Participants who pass are presented with a GSI Safety Certificate valid for up to three years. Equipment sold by GSI is calibrated and tested to meet and exceed minimum safety requirements.
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