Voortman V808

The Voortman V808 is a versatile CNC plate processing machine designed to handle the full range of flat plate operations required in structural steel fabrication — including drilling, countersinking, tapping, thermal cutting, and scribing — on a single automated platform. Rather than routing plate through multiple standalone machines, the V808 consolidates these processes onto one gantry-style machine, sharply reducing material handling, floor space consumption, and work-in-process inventory.

The V808's gantry configuration positions the machining head above a stationary or shuttle table, allowing it to reach any point on a plate up to its maximum working envelope without repositioning the workpiece. The drilling spindle is servo-driven and supports a range of drill diameters for standard bolt-hole patterns in structural connections, base plates, gussets, and shear tabs. An integrated tool changer allows rapid switching between drilling, countersinking, and tapping tools, enabling complex multi-operation parts to be completed in a single setup.

In addition to its mechanical processing capability, the V808 integrates an oxy-fuel or plasma cutting head alongside the drilling station on the same gantry. This means profiling cuts — trimming plates to shape, cutting copes, notches, and slots — can be performed in the same machine cycle as drilling, with part programs generated from the same NC file. The ability to drill and cut in a single fixturing step eliminates the registration errors that arise when a plate is moved from a drill press to a separate cutting table and re-clamped.

Voortman's VACAM software drives the V808 and handles the full range of part programs: drilling cycles, cutting contours, countersink depths, tap cycles, and scribing routines for layout lines. VACAM imports files in DSTV format and also accepts DXF profiles for plasma cutting contours, bridging the gap between structural detailing software and general plate fabrication workflows. Operators interact with the machine through a large touchscreen at the machine pendant, with job queuing, tool management, and diagnostics all accessible from the same interface.

The V808 is especially well suited to fabricators who produce large quantities of base plates, connection plates, and miscellaneous steel items alongside their main structural beam work. By consolidating multiple plate operations onto one CNC machine, fabricators reduce the number of setups per part, decrease the skilled labor required for layout and manual drilling, and gain the consistent hole placement accuracy — typically ±0.5 mm — needed for quality bolted connections in commercial and industrial structures.