Top 5 in 365—Articles about waterjet cutting

Precision Waterjet's Flow Mach 4 4030 waterjet has a cutting head capable of delivering bevel cuts up to 45 degrees.

The last installment of “Top 5 in 365” showcased the five most-popular articles on thefabricator.com published within the last year about tube and pipe fabrication. Previous installments have focused on bending and folding, laser cutting, arc welding, assembly and joining, automation and robotics, consumables, cutting and welding prep, finishing, manufacturing software, materials handling, metals and materials, plasma cutting, safety, shop management, stamping, and tube and pipe fabrication. This post is about the waterjet cutting category on the website.

The waterjet cutting technology area has information on the machines and processes and also covers abrasives, hoses, nozzles, and pumps. Here are the top five articles about waterjet cutting published within the past year.

5. Compact waterjet cutting machine sits on a desktop
Machine tool designed for those looking for an affordable way to cut sheet metal

The story of Wazer Inc. is a story familiar to all fabricators: The company founders needed a better way to cut metal, so they found a way to do it. Nisan Lerea and Matt Nowicki, the company founders, just happened to design and build their own desktop waterjet, which is a slightly new wrinkle to this type of story.

In fact, to further go against familiar story lines, the duo didn’t develop its new machine tool in a two-car garage. The development work took place mostly in a laboratory space in Brooklyn, N.Y., following a successful Kickstarter campaign, which launched in September 2016. The work over the last couple of years was aimed at building a commercial version of the desktop waterjet that Lerea and five other students built as part of their senior design project at the University of Pennsylvania back in 2012.

4. EcoSift designed to help with recycling waterjet abrasive
Managing and reusing abrasives is good for operators, the planet, and the bottom line

Operation costs of a waterjet table can be somewhat abrasive.

According to a study by Hypertherm, manufacturers report that the garnet or aluminum oxide abrasive can account for up to 55 percent of the cost of keeping the table cutting. That includes the initial abrasive purchase and sending the used abrasive to a landfill.

John Caron, marketing manager at Hypertherm, shared some thoughts recently about his company’s two new products that form a waterjet abrasive management system developed to reduce those operating costs. The EcoSift™ can recapture 50 percent or more of used abrasive for further use, and the PowerDredge™ abrasive removal system automates the cleanout process. The two products were introduced during the FABTECH® 2017 exposition held in Chicago last fall.

3. Abrasive waterjet cutting goes robotic
For the right application, robotic waterjet overcomes cutting challenges

Industrial 6-axis robots are being used more than ever in manufacturing. They can move material, weld, paint, palletize, and assemble. And it’s not unusual to see robots mounted with various cutting heads. An oxyfuel or plasma cutting robot may cut around pipes and vessels. A laser cutting robot may trim the edges of a formed sheet metal part.

What’s not quite as common is a robot that can cut with a waterjet. But thanks to advancements in robotic system design, integrating a robot with a waterjet isn’t as challenging as it once was. For the right application, a fabricator can reap the benefits.

2. Fabricator uses compact waterjet to make custom motorcycle parts
Cutting tool proves to be the best choice for new family business

Many people have a dream to own their own manufacturing business, but the requirement for a hefty capital equipment investment can be daunting.

Dan Dunphy had a similar dream, and he made it happen. He found a way to combine his love of motorcycles and manufacturing into a thriving business with the help of some right-sized equipment.

1. High-precision cutting in part fabrication
Shop builds its reputation and business on high-tolerance work

Waterjet cutting caught Rich Edwards’ eyes at a trade show in 2005, and he couldn’t shake the idea that maybe he could make a living with waterjets.

Back then he was working in the corporate research and development lab for a Chicago-area manufacturer, fabricating prototypes, running CNC mills and lathes, and working with shops to ensure that they could build parts his company needed. He was basically taking engineers’ ideas and translating them into the real world of manufacturability. Edwards, who had been trained as an aircraft mechanic, left that career because he wanted to create, not just follow repair procedures. This waterjet idea looked like it could be an outlet for him to foster his problem-solving ability and unleash the creative side of his brain.

During this time, his son was born prematurely, so he was spending a lot of time at the hospital. Idle time is not good for a person with an active mind, and Edwards kept thinking about waterjet cutting and the niche he saw his business occupying: high-tolerance cutting.