Build Perfect Tube Joints in Minutes - Not Hours
Portable or fixed-table CNC tube notcher for fabricators, race shops and serious builders.
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.
Owning the notcher gives your shop more control over tube work. Use the material already on your rack, revise parts as the build changes, and keep prototype or low-volume tube assemblies moving on your schedule.
If you build with round tube, this machine is designed for the kind of work where accuracy, repeatability, and fit-up speed matter. It is a strong fit for chassis, roll cages, bumpers, racks, off-road structures, and repeat welded tube production.
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.
The time savings are not only in the cutting pass. Manual tube notching often includes measuring, marking, printing or applying a stencil, fixturing the tube, cutting, unfixturing, checking the fit, grinding, and repeating the process when an angle or intersection is difficult. That work can be manageable for a few simple 90-degree joints, but it gets much slower when a tube has compound angles, rotation-sensitive ends, or multiple intersections on the same part.
Lower is better. Manual work includes layout, fixturing, cutting, grinding, and fit checks. Outsourcing includes communication, queue time, and receiving parts.
Higher is better. The ARMA workflow is strongest 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 a fit-up, change the model, and cut the updated parts without waiting on 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.
This also changes how you can approach design work. Instead of rushing the design because every revision means more manual layout and grinding, you can spend more effort improving the model, cut the parts faster, learn from the first assembly, and update the next revision with less friction.
You can cut round steel and aluminum tube and pipe from 1 inch to 4 inches outer diameter. Recommended wall limits are less than 0.25 inches for steel and less than 0.3 inches for aluminum, depending on your torch capability, material, and use case.
The ARMA notcher is a 2.5-axis plasma cutting system. The torch stays perpendicular to the tube while the machine moves along the tube length and rotates around the tube surface. That gives you a practical machine 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 a laser-based system.
The machine is available in two formats at the same price. The portable version uses a rolling support carriage and 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 that do not have a clear, flat floor area for the rolling carriage. Fixed tables can be built to the cut length you want, such as 8 feet, 12 feet, or 24 feet. To keep shipping practical, fixed-table buyers supply the long 2 inch outside-dimension square tube with 0.083 inch or thicker wall used to set the table length.
Both formats can be configured around the tube lengths you need to cut. The portable format is useful when you want to handle long stock only when needed and pack the machine away afterward, while the fixed-table format keeps the support structure ready for repeated production work.
The ARMA CNC Tube Notcher gives you CNC tube notching without giving up the features that matter in real fabrication work. Choose the portable version when you want a machine that can pack away after use, or choose the fixed-table version when production throughput and a dedicated support structure matter more. Both formats give you long-stock handling, tabs and slots, engraving, and connected pie cuts that are difficult or impractical with hole saw methods.
These project examples show the range of work that can be built with the ARMA CNC Tube Notcher. From chassis and roll cages to bumpers, racks, and custom welded structures, the machine is designed to help builders cut round tube parts more accurately, repeatably, and with less manual fitting.
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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 when needed. 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. |
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Tabs and slots can be automatically added to coped tube profiles in our CAD/CAM software. This is a major advantage on complex projects because the parts key together in the correct position during assembly. That improves alignment, reduces guesswork, and cuts down the need for temporary supports or jig scaffolding during welding. |
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Cut tube end caps with integrated slots so they locate more accurately during welding and are easier to fixture consistently. |
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Cut precise holes for weld-in bungs or slots for mating plates. ADS can also generate plate profiles around tubes for tabs and attachments, while still giving you the option to create fully custom cut shapes for specialized designs. |
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Engrave labels, part numbers, orientation marks, bend directions, material notes, and other shop information directly onto the tube so parts are easier to identify and assemble later. |
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Engrave or cut bend location markers so you can position tubes more accurately in a bender. These markers help you keep the correct location along the tube length and the correct rotation around the centre axis, while ADS also compensates for radial growth in the bend workflow. |
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End-segment extensions with connecting tabs give you extra tube length for fixturing in benders while preserving the final coped-end geometry. This is useful when your bender requires minimum straight length near the tube end. After bending, the extension can be trimmed away to expose the final joint. |
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Route tubes around bends of almost any radius using ADS. The machine can automatically cut pie wedges that are folded and welded into custom bends, which is useful for exhaust systems, conduits, and tight-space routing where standard bend radii do not work well. |
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ADS software is part of the 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, we can help you get started. We offer 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.
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.
We can supply a compatible torch or point you to suitable sources if you prefer to purchase one separately.
Our standard setup uses the Razorweld Cut 45 CNC plasma cutter. If you already have a plasma cutter, we can review the model before purchase. In general, 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.
When you purchase the machine, you receive the core hardware, your selected support format, the software license, and the basic instructions needed to assemble, set up, and start using the system. Fixed-table systems include the table hardware, but the long 2 inch outside-dimension square tube used to set the table length is supplied by the buyer.
To keep the machine flexible for different shop setups, a few supporting items are not bundled with the sale and must be supplied separately.
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.
U.S. customers may be responsible for import duties, tariffs, brokerage, and related fees. These costs depend on current trade rules, product classification, and whether the shipment qualifies for USMCA/CUSMA treatment. We can help provide the information your customs broker needs, but buyers should confirm final import costs on their side.
Basic remote onboarding and service support are included with each machine. We 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.
ARMA-supplied machine components are covered against defects for one year. Consumables, misuse, plasma cutter consumables, and third-party equipment are not covered by the ARMA machine warranty; third-party equipment warranty is handled by the original manufacturer.
On-site installation, in-person training, custom CAD/CAM work, and production process consulting can be quoted separately when needed.
If you are considering one for your shop, send your contact details and a short description of your workflow. We can help you 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.
Prefer direct contact? Email jon@armaautomotive.com or call/text 250 686 4070.
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