Abrasive water jet cutting systems have become an alternative to EDM wire EDM machines

The introduction of two abrasive waterjet cutting systems from Omax has opened up new machining operations for Jack's Machine because of its good cost-effectiveness or alternative machining method for EDM wire EDM machines. Every once in a while, Mr. Jack McGrail will machine new parts for free for some potential customers. The purpose is to take advantage of these opportunities and let customers know that the EDM wire cutting equipment in Mr. Jack McGrail's workshop is the most suitable for machining such parts. of. This is because Mr. Jack McGrail uses Omax's abrasive water jet cutting machine to meet all the customer's specifications in a relatively short period of time. Mr. Jack McGrail is the President of Jack's Machine Company. Founded in 1985, the company specializes in water jet cutting and EDM machining. In 1995, the company added its first abrasive waterjet cutting system, taking it a step further. Mr. Jack McGrail said that the abrasive water jet cutting machine can process parts that do not require extremely high dimensional tolerances, but its processing speed is much faster than that of EDM wire cutting machines. Due to the ever-increasing precision requirements, the workshop invested in newer processing machinery, turning it from EDM electrical discharge machining to water jet cutting to meet the processing needs of more parts. The workshop's existing equipment is mainly composed of two JetMachining water jet machining centers from Omax, consisting of a 2652 machine tool and a 55100 machine tool. The cantilevered 2652 machine is the shop's newest waterjet cutter, complete with Omax's Mazjet 5i nozzle, programmable Z-axis motion and a sealed ball screw drive. The 55100 machine is a larger cantilevered machine with a table size of 126in x 65in and cutting strokes of 100in and 55in for the X and Y axes, respectively. The cantilevered Y-axis is mounted on the bridge-type X-axis, and the machine is also equipped with a motor-driven Z-axis. Mr. Jack McGrail explained that a big advantage of this design is that it is open on three sides for easy loading and unloading of materials. Before purchasing the machine from Brooks Associates, Mr. Jack McGrail provided the dealer with a set of CAD files for the machining project that he ran on the EDM machine. On the Omax machine, Brooks technicians cut the part in about 1 minute, while it took more than 45 minutes to cut on one of the shop's EDM machines. Key factors in achieving these results include: Omax's Tilt-A-Jet tilting accessories, IntelliMAX control software, a sophisticated motion control system, and a 30hp (1hpu003d735.499W) and 55,000psi (1psiu003d6894.76 Pa) Direct drive pump for cutting capability. The shop's EDM machine can meet the requirements of ±0.003in tolerance dimensions, any equipment within this machining accuracy range is its potential candidate equipment, and through water jet cutting technology, higher machining speeds can be achieved. In addition, water jet cutting parts usually require the minimum measurement value of the inner cavity radius to be between 0.02 and 0.025in, and the requirements for surface quality are not very high. Most parts machined with EDM are usually first machined with water jet cutting. The shop tries to use water jet cutting technology to rough the less demanding parts, and then finish them on the EDM machine. This not only greatly shortens the processing time, but also helps to save the consumption of wire rods, which enables the EDM machine to be used for other more precise processing projects. Whether it is processed on a water jet cutting machine or an EDM wire cutting machine, most of the workpieces in this workshop are 410 stainless steel plates and 300 series stainless steel plates from 2ft×4ft (1ftu003d304.8mm, the same below) and 4ft×8ft As well as 17-4 titanium or aluminum sheet metal to start cutting. Some parts are the size of a paper clip, while others require a forklift truck. The workshop ships between 150 and 200 orders per month. The number of parts shipped for each order is 1~1000. Mr. Jack McGrail said that the waterjet cutting machine's Intelli-Max control software can make it very simple to load a customer's DXF file, start the toolpath, and start its entire machining cycle in a few minutes. In addition, the control software enables the operator to document the part from scratch if desired. Its built-in nesting software helps to improve the utilization rate of materials, as long as the size of the sheet is simply input, this function can be fully utilized. This can reduce hours of work to minutes. Once in the machining cycle, the Tilt-A-Jet system can ensure machining accuracy by automatically compensating for taper. The control system positions the cutting head to a specific angle and keeps it within ±9°, and then transfers the cone head to the waste section. At the same time, the movement of the X-axis and Y-axis of the machine can provide it with a linear repeatability of ±0.002in. At present, about 10% of the workload, which used to be processed by EDM machines, is now transferred to water jet cutting machines for processing. The workshop also took on new jobs in high volumes, especially for mass-produced work items and medical components. Medical components are particularly well suited for waterjet cutting because it does not create heat-affected zones or edge stresses, both of which can affect part integrity. On the other hand, high-volume production tasks will benefit from the processing speed of waterjet cutting relative to EDM processing. Of course, Mr. Jack McGrail emphasized that water jet cutting technology cannot completely replace EDM machines. Instead, these processes can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. Working with customers to determine the fastest, most efficient and cost-effective way to machine parts will bring us more orders and more repeat customers.