Page 24 - MetalForming March 2014

Manufacturers Keep the
Manufacturers Keep the
Waterjet-Cutting
Waterjet-Cutting
Technology Developments
Technology Developments
Flowing
Flowing
Versatility, accuracy and minimal impact on workpiece-material properties—these and other attributes of waterjet-cutting machines have the tools at the top of the “must-have” list of many metalformers. Here’s a sampling of the latest/greatest new technology recently introduced by waterjet manufacturers, some seen for the first time at FABTECH 2013 last fall in Chicago.
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Analysis from Technavio, a UK- grators who purchase components and
based technology-research com-
pany, forecasts the global water- jet-machine market to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3 percent from 2013 to 2018. The flexi- bility afforded by the waterjet-cutting process fits right in with the goals of metal fabricators, to achieve lean man- ufacturing and use innovative tech- nologies to develop unique products.
According to the recently released FMA 2014 Capital Spending Forecast, which projects spending among 30 cat- egories of equipment, waterjet-cutting ranks 10th, just above ironworkers and just below tube- and pipe-bending equipment. Of the $2.2 billion of pro- jected spending accounted for in the report, waterjet cutting represents $68 million, or 3 percent of the total.
For a look ahead at how waterjet- cutting technology is evolving, we turn to a recent article posted to water- jets.org, noting that:
• There is a push toward smaller, more precise and more affordable machines.
• Machines will be made by more manufacturers, mostly system inte-
22 MetalForming/March 2014
www.metalformingmagazine.com
assemble them in some new way.
• As fabricators continue to learn and understand the capabilities of the waterjet-cutting process, more of them
will add the process to their resume.
• Refined machine designs and improved part quality will reduce the amount of maintenance required to keep waterjet-cutting machines oper- ating, and make them easier to work
on.
• Precision and speed will continue
to improve—“by 2015, the machines of the early 1990s will seem quaint and crude,” the article notes.
• The shift from older intensifier pumps to more efficient and faster-cut- ting direct-drive pumps will continue.
• Predicted is the eventual develop- ment of an affordable long-lasting mix- ing tube.
Jet Edge marketing manager Nancy Lauseng echoes much of these sentiments, noting in particular the “growing demand for entry-level no- thrills systems... Customers also are demanding solutions that make their operations as productive as possible— lights-out cutting, remote monitoring,