CNC tube cutting
Portable or fixed-table CNC tube notcher for fabricators, race shops, serious builders, and product manufacturing.
Bring tube notching in-house
The ARMA CNC Tube Notcher is a compact CNC plasma machine for cutting round steel and aluminum tube and pipe for welded fabrication. It helps shops cut accurate tube joints in-house, reduce manual fit-up work, and add CNC tube-cutting capability for prototypes, revisions, and production tube work.
It gives you faster fit-up and more repeatable fabrication without the manual effort of hole saws and grinders. You can produce repeatable coped joints, tabs and slots, engraved part marks, and connected pie cuts from software-generated files.
Typical workflow
Design or import your tube parts in ADS, generate the cut files, load stock into the notcher, cut the profiles, then move the parts directly into fit-up and welding. This gives you a practical path from design changes to updated tube parts without returning to hand-layout and trial fitting.
For most useful cuts beyond simple straight sections, you will be working from software-generated files rather than manual machine setup. ADS can define intersecting joints, tabs and slots, bend markers, engraving, and connected pie-cut geometry before the machine cuts the part.
Productivity on real tube projects
Manual tube notching often includes measuring, marking, printing or applying a stencil, fixturing, cutting, unfixturing, checking the fit, grinding, and repeating the process when an angle or intersection is difficult.
Lower is better. Manual work includes layout, fixturing, cutting, grinding, and fit checks. Outsourcing includes communication, queue time, and receiving parts.
Higher is better when you are cutting many tubes, repeating a design, or revising from an existing model.
Higher is better. In-house cutting makes it easier to learn from fit-up, revise the model, and cut the updated parts without another vendor cycle.
Lower is better. For a complex chassis, the notcher can pay for itself on the first project when manual layout, fixturing, fit-up, grinding, checking, and rework are included.
This chassis example is a planning model, not a guarantee. Actual results depend on part geometry, tube handling, torch setup, material, vendor lead time, operator workflow, and how much verification is required.
For many shops, the bigger gain is repeatability through the rest of the build. Bend position markers reduce checking time at the bender. Part labels and orientation marks make batches easier to organize. Tabs and slots help tubes fit together in the intended position, which can reduce temporary jigging, measuring, and assembly checks before welding.
Product format
The machine is available in two formats at the same price. Both can be configured around the tube lengths you need to cut.
The portable version packs away into a space about 5 feet long, 32 inches wide, and 53 inches tall. The carriage rolls out to match the length of tube being cut, making it a good fit for shops that want CNC tube capability without a permanent table.
The fixed-table version is a better fit for high-throughput production or shops without a clear, flat floor area for the rolling carriage. Fixed tables can be built to cut lengths such as 8, 12, or 24 feet. The buyer supplies the long 2-inch outside-dimension square tube with 0.083-inch or thicker wall used to set the table length, unless otherwise quoted.
The portable format is useful when you want to handle long stock only when needed and pack the machine away afterward. The fixed-table format keeps the support structure ready for repeated production work.
The torch stays perpendicular to the tube while the machine moves along the tube length and rotates around the tube surface. It is practical for welded fabrication without the size and cost of a more complex articulated cutter. It is not a 4-axis machine and it is not laser-based.
Examples
These project examples show the range of work that can be built with the ARMA CNC Tube Notcher. The machine is designed to help builders cut round-tube parts more accurately, repeatably, and with less manual fitting.
Core capabilities
The notcher is more than a round-tube coping machine. It can add useful manufacturing information directly to the part.
Cut straight lengths and coped intersections, including joints with more than two intersecting tubes.
Create interlocking tabs and corresponding slots that guide alignment during welding and reduce jig scaffolding.
Close tube ends with integrated slots for fabrication and more consistent fixturing.
Cut holes for weld-in bungs and plate attachments as part of the tube-cutting workflow.
Mark labels, part numbers, directions, bend locations, material notes, and orientation marks directly on the tube.
Mark tube position and rotation for manual or CNC bending, with ADS radial-growth compensation.
Add extension tabs for bender fixturing while preserving the final coped-end geometry.
Cut connected pie-cut sections for exhaust, conduits, and tight routing work.
Detailed feature guide
Generate coped joints for intersecting tubes quickly and repeatably. ADS can create notch profiles automatically for two or more intersecting tubes, and you can still adjust them for special cases. You are not limited to simple centered intersections; notches can include multiple joints that do not share the same centreline and can vary in diameter and wall thickness.
The result is cleaner, more repeatable welded fit-up that is dramatically better than hand-cut methods for this type of work.
Tabs and slots can be automatically added to coped tube profiles in ADS. The parts key together in the correct position during assembly, improving alignment, reducing guesswork, and cutting down the need for temporary supports or jig scaffolding during welding.
Cut tube end caps with integrated slots so they locate more accurately during welding and are easier to fixture consistently.
Cut precise holes for weld-in bungs or slots for mating plates. ADS can generate plate profiles around tubes for tabs and attachments while still supporting fully custom cut shapes for specialized designs.
Engrave labels, part numbers, material details, orientation marks, instructions, and other shop information using the built-in engraving feature.
Engrave or cut bend location markers to position tubes accurately in a bender. Markers keep the correct location along the tube length and the correct rotation around the centre axis, while ADS compensates for radial growth in the bend workflow.
End-segment extensions with connecting tabs provide extra tube length for fixturing in benders while maintaining precise coped-end geometry. After bending, the extension can be trimmed away to expose the final coped joint.
Route tubes around bends of almost any radius using ADS. The CNC plasma tube notcher can cut pie wedges that are folded and welded into custom bends for exhaust systems, conduits, or tight-space routing where standard bend radii do not work well.
Software workflow
You can design parts directly in ADS or import geometry from other CAD models, then generate machine code for cutting. For most useful cuts beyond simple straight sections, you will be working from software-generated files rather than manual machine setup.
If you do not already use CAD, ARMA can help you get started with project modelling services, onboarding support, training, educational programs, and starter templates so you can move from a build idea to usable cut files with a clearer path.
Learn about CAD/CAM project services for notcher customers →
Requirements
To run the machine, you will need a compatible plasma torch with remote trigger support, compressed air, proper ventilation, and a safe indoor operating area. The portable version also needs clear, flat floor space for the rolling carriage to move correctly.
Our standard setup uses the Razorweld Cut 45 CNC plasma cutter. If you already have a plasma cutter, ARMA can review the model before purchase. Torches with an external trigger socket can usually be integrated, and we can advise on suitable options if your existing torch is not a good fit.
Included
The purchase includes the core hardware, selected support format, software license, and basic instructions needed to assemble, set up, and start using the system. Fixed-table systems include table hardware, but the long square-tube rails used to set table length are supplied by the buyer unless otherwise quoted.
Not included
To keep the machine flexible for different shop setups, the following supporting items must be supplied separately.
Fit notes
This machine is built for welded round-tube fabrication. You can expect strong fit-up for many welded joints, and many test parts fit with no visible light showing through the joint, but results still vary with setup, torch behavior, material, and operation. It should not be treated as laser-level cutting.
Pricing and ownership
$12,000 USD
$10,500 USD
30 days
1 year
Support
Basic remote onboarding and service support are included with each machine. ARMA can help with assembly questions, calibration, torch integration, first-cut setup, ADS startup questions, and normal operating troubleshooting. Replacement parts and service guidance are available directly from ARMA.
On-site installation, in-person training, custom CAD/CAM work, and production process consulting can be quoted separately when needed.
Send your tube size, material, destination, and the type of fabrication you want to automate. We can help confirm fit, discuss torch and air requirements, and provide current pricing and delivery details.
Contact us for current production slot availability, lead time, shipping quote, and deposit or payment details.
jon@armaautomotive.com 250 686 4070
Request details →Tell us your tube size, material, destination, current plasma setup, and whether you want portable or fixed-table support.