Nitrogen is an essential requirement for laser-cutting and the traditional way for this to be supplied is to buy the gas in bulk and store in a cryogenic storage tanker on site.

This is the way that Blackrow have purchased their nitrogen, but with usage at 12,000 kg per month and set to rise in order to keep up with increasing demand, Blackrow looked towards new technology for a more sustainable and greener option.

In 2019, a £90,000 investment saw the introduction of an innovative NitroCube on Blackrow’s Grimsby site. This cutting-edge technology creates the nitrogen on demand, negating the need for gas to be shipped across the country and stored on site.

A low carbon solution 

The traditional supply of nitrogen has a heavy carbon footprint.

Shipping large metal containers filled with gas across the country involves fuel, manpower and materials.

The NitroCube ‘Plug and play’ technology means that this compact unit can produce nitrogen and only requires compressed air and power.

Ben Tiffney, Operations Director, said

“The NitroCube gives us the freedom to produce high quality nitrogen when we need it 24/7. We won’t find ourselves in the position of running out whilst we wait for a new delivery, nor is there any waste associated with stored nitrogen. The NitroCube’s specifications have been defined to allow us to increase the volume we produce in the future to match our growth plans”.

The investment in the NitroCube is part of a £1m investment by Blackrow in the last 12 months that includes new machinery, infrastructure and people.