Technology in Action


and providing a cut edge smooth enough for immediate use in many situations. Low cutting forces minimize workpiece- clamping issues, and CNC programming enables quick adapta- tion of the process to small-part runs and rapid modifications required to meet changing combat environments.


Camp Leatherneck Deployment Te Marines’ first in-theater use of waterjet technology


took place in Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Af- ghanistan, before the recent troop drawdowns began. Accord- ing to Gunnery Sergeant Charles Tompson, who command- ed the repair and fabrication unit when the waterjet machine arrived overseas, the idea to deploy waterjet technology to the war zone arose during the development of deployable CNC lathes and mills. Te shop Tompson ran at Camp LeJeune prior to deploy-


ment to Afghanistan had a waterjet machine, and according to him “some of the guys came up with the idea of a deployable waterjet. Like a CNC lathe, the waterjet is not inherently mobile, but obviously you can do it. Te waterjet we used in Afghanistan was almost a proof-of-concept kind of thing.” Te idea, he said, was to “provide as much flexibility as possible in machining and fabrication to give combat commanders more options on what can be done. Tat became a huge force multiplier for us.” Te machine sent to Afghanistan was an Omax Mobile


JetMachining Center, a portable system ideal for applications in mining, oil exploration, large ships and even high-rise


construction. Te model 2652 sent overseas can handle a max- imum-size sheet workpiece of approximately 54 × 42" (1.4 × 1.1 m), and 8" (203-mm) thick. Engineered to be quickly and easily moved, the machine was mounted on an epoxy-coated platform featuring liſting eyes, tie-down rings, and flooring consisting of rubberized, non-skid, antifungal material. Te system is transportable in a standard shipping container.


Local Water Issues At Camp Leatherneck, the machine sat on a cement pad


under a tent. A water container to feed the machine was filled daily. “Te available water was bad for the machine and destroyed a lot of filters,” Tompson said, “If ever in the same situation, a lot of the technicians have suggested a secondary water filter or maybe some kind of totally self-contained sys- tem that we wouldn’t have to refill. We didn’t have time to look into something like that, but if I had six months to get ready that is probably something I would explore.” In abrasive waterjet machining, proper water treatment is


critical because it influences the longevity of certain critical ma- chine components, such as the nozzle orifice, on/off valves, seals, check valves and plungers. In order to maintain the high-quality cutting of an abrasive waterjet, it is important to take water con- taminants, hardness and temperature into consideration. Te machine proved to be extremely useful. “I could run it


24 hours a day,” Tompson said, “because as you go through combat operations, equipment breaks. And, the waterjet gave us a lot of flexibility logisti- cally to fabricate parts right there, in-theater 10 miles from where they would be used. Te machine saved a lot of time and repair costs.” Te machine’s flexibility


Repair and fabrication unit members with the Mobile JetMachining Center at Camp Leatherneck.


64 Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2013


helped coalition forces counter ongoing changes in enemy tac- tics. When combat command- ers needed different tools to overcome new threats, “Tey were able to come in and talk to us about what they’d like to do. We would design some- thing on the spot, cut it and give it back to them within an hour,” Tompson said. “Tey would test it and come back and say, ‘We want 200 of them’ or ‘Hey, tweak this, and then give us 200 of them.’ Because we had almost unlimited fabrication capability with our waterjet, CNC machines and


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