Page 30 - MetalForming May 2019

Fabrication: Waterjets
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greater appreciation of production methods, and the abrasive waterjet cutting machine has played a key role in helping us to meet that demand.”
Critchley and his colleagues have directed students in the creation of parts ranging from brake discs to steel brackets intended for use on race cars, eco-friendly vehicles and superbikes. But the versatility of the waterjet cut- ting machine extends capabilities even further–the UCLan team has assisted the university’s Physics department with ceramic and silicate components. With a cutting envelope of 1575 by 1575 mm, the Maxiem 1515 has proven large enough to handle big race-car components, but precise enough for specialized uses at UCLan while preparing its students for the future of manufacturing.
Provides Opportunities to Grow
The versatility of abrasive waterjet cutting machines allow shops to branch out, grow their businesses and garner expertise in cross-industry applications. In South Australia, for example, Zenith Custom Creations didn’t originally house such equip- ment. When Craig Vanderstelt founded the company in 2001, it was at the behest of peers impressed with his work on a custom transport rig for a
friend’s sprint car. But he credits his 2017 purchase of an Omax Maxiem 1530 JetMachining Center as a key moment for the company.
“It improved the quality of our end product, and improved productivity and time efficiency,” he says.
The Maxiem 1530, featuring a cut- ting area of 3048 by 1575 mm, has proven ideal for handling the aluminum plates used to construct custom trailers of all kinds, from goosenecks to semi- trailers. But the application possibilities have pushed Zenith into new indus- tries, keyed by the machine’s linear- motion system that employs digital lin- ear encoders to provide instant micron-level cutting-head-position feedback to the controller to assure accurate part production. New appli- cations for Zenith include projects for the Australian Defense Force.
“The waterjet cutting machine has opened up the market of custom cut- ting and also allowed us to increase productivity by manufacturing in dif- ferent ways,” says Vanderstelt. “We’re saving massive amounts of time and the finished product is better and more consistent.” MF
This article was supplied by Omax Corp., Kent, WA; 800/838-0343, www.omax.com.
At Dunphy’s Cycles Machining, a compact abrasive waterjet cutting machine gets the call when producing custom motorcycle add-ons such as this nameplate.
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MetalForming/May 2019
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