WATERJET TECHNOLOGIES
Innovations in waterjet technologies are focused around increasing either ma- chine capabilities or through- put, noted Scott Wirtanen, Northeast regional manager, Jet Edge Inc. (St. Michael, MN). “With our X-5 contour beveling and Taper Angle Control, or TAC, we can now produce multiple bevels and hold very straight edges or nearly any material and thickness,” Wirtanen said. Some examples are weld prep bevels, chamfer holes, beveling two sides of a plate at once, and multiangle beveling, he said. “Using multiple heads increases productivity in a linear way. When we add a cutting head, we double the production, three
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Software Leads the Way With most waterjet suppliers, software innovation also leads to more precise, productive cutting processes. At IMTS, Flow introduced its new FlowXpert 2016, which lever- ages the 3D-modeling capabilities of SpaceClaim software through Flow’s partnership with simulation software devel- oper Ansys Inc. (Canonsburg, PA).
“The waterjet functions of pathing a part, and all the 40 years of waterjet experience in Flow is built right into FlowXpert’s ad-
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Waterjet software like OMAX’s IntelliCAM enables easy 3D path creation for waterjet cutting operations.
heads equals 3× improve- ments,” he added. “Wa- terjet is a slower process in comparison to laser or plasma, for example, so adding this capability along with the fl exibility of processing a much wider range of materials and thicknesses is what makes a Jet Edge system so at- tractive to customers.” When processing ma- terials with a single cutting head, higher pressures can
achieve 35% faster cutting speeds, he said, and the Jet Edge XP pumps with 90,000-psi capability provide that ability. Refi nements are always being made to the three most critical aspects involved in abrasive waterjet (AWJ) technol- ogy, added Dave Anderson, Jet Edge international sales
manager, which include “the UHP [ultra-high-pressure] pump, XYZ motion system, and the CNC control system that uses various computer software programs needed to operate it.
Software is a critical part of all waterjet performance since it affects precision, speed and ease of operation.
“It’s not new, but at Jet Edge we design, engineer, and build all three of these crucial parts of the waterjet system to work together smoothly and safely with each other, they are all interconnected,” Anderson said. “Much like your heart, brain, and the circulatory and nervous systems of your body are all interconnected, you want them all made to work together by the same company.”
Image courtesy OMAX Corp.
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