Plasma processing long steel product including beams

A method of processing long product defining a lengthwise longitudinal direction on a numerical control machine including a cutting bed and a gantry, the gantry coupled through a drive box and a pantograph to a plasma cutting torch, the method comprising:

• moving the gantry to position the plasma cutting torch over a long product on the cutting bed along the lengthwise longitudinal direction while performing a step of cutting the long product with the plasma cutting torch, the cutting including cutting on a first surface and a second surface of the long product, to process the long product, where the long product is selected from a group consisting of I beams, channel, equal angle, unequal angle, rolled hollow section having rectangular cross-section, and T section products,
• wherein the plasma cutting torch is configured to be able to rotate at least 90 degrees about the lengthwise longitudinal direction between cutting on the first surface and cutting on the second surface and is adapted to move in at least one of the lengthwise longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, an azimuth direction, and a vertical direction relative to a coordinate system defining the dimensions of the long product;
• and
• where the long product remains stationary on the cutting bed throughout the plasma cutting torch rotation and cutting on both the first and second surfaces of the long product;
• the first and second surfaces of the long product are perpendicular to each other;
• and
• where the plasma cutting torch is configurable to be positioned in a pantograph with a tip of the plasma cutting torch at a first point and configurable to be positioned in the pantograph with the tip of the cutting torch at a second point, the first point being where the central lengthwise axis of the plasma cutting torch and a twist axis of the pantograph intersect, and the second point being along the central lengthwise axis of the plasma cutting torch extended beyond the twist axis of the pantograph toward the long product;
• wherein the step of cutting comprises cutting at least a first hole in the first surface and a second hole in the second surface of the long product, the first surface at right angles to the second surface of the long product;
• wherein the step of cutting comprises two plasma cutting functions performed by the plasma cutting torch, the plasma cutting functions selected from a group consisting of cutoff of the long product, cutting holes in the long product, penetrating the long product, coping the long product, mitering the long product, text marking on the long product, and line marking on the long product, and wherein the two plasma cutting functions are performed on at least the first and second surfaces of the long product and each of the two functions is performed with the plasma cutting torch at right angles to the surface.