Page 16 - MetalForming August 2012

Waterjet Cutting Keeps the Work Flowing
on the Model 55100.
“While aluminum cuts fairly straight
and often does not require compensa- tion,” he says, “steel can taper quite a bit.” Taper occurs because the energy of the waterjet is greater at the top of the cut than at the bottom, resulting in a wider kerf at the top. In some cases, fabricators can experience reverse taper. Here the waterjet removes more material from the bottom of the cut than from the top; the phenomenon can occur during very slow cuts or when working with very soft materials.
The Tilt-A-Jet cutting head positions the nozzle at an angle determined by the Omax Intelli-Max software—based on material type and thickness, and cutting speed—to compensate for the predicted taper. This moves the tapered edge to the scrap rather than the work- piece. The head offers programmable tilt to ± 9 deg., as well as 6 in. of vertical travel.
“The parts come off perfectly square with taper-free edges,” says Stegh,
Stegh pointed out this plate skeleton to highlight the edge straightness and quality achieved with waterjet cutting. Shown is 2-in.- thick type 4140 mild steel. “This is wire-EDM-like quality,” he says, “with top-to-bottom straightness within 0.020 in.”
“without having to reduce cutting speed—the alternative method to reduce taper. We’re achieving taper as little as 0.003 in. top to bottom on 1-in. steel plate. That’s unheard of, on par with wire-EDM.”
In addition to software support for taper compensation, Stegh also appre- ciates the software’s ability to control cutting-stream pressure to allow pierc- ing of brittle materials. “That feature has allowed us to pierce and cut ceram- ic tile and glass,” Stegh adds.
The ability to quickly produce straight-walled precision cuts allows Stegh to process some work that might otherwise require CNC machining—a slower and more costly option. “And, we can waterjet-cut very small holes in thick plate that we’d otherwise have to machine,” he says. “For example, we just processed a part from 3⁄4-in. mild steel that required waterjet cutting of 0.312-in.-dia. holes. Can’t do that on a laser, and it’s much more cost effective than CNC machining.” MF
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14 MetalForming/August 2012
www.metalformingmagazine.com