Page 28 - MetalForming March 2014

Waterjet-Cutting Technology
Don’t Let the Small Footprint Fool You
WardJet, Tallmadge, OH, introduces the Emerald 0606 (below) (2 by 2 ft.) and the Emerald 0612 (2 by 4 ft.) waterjet- cutting machines to its existing Emerald series. The smallest
waterjet ever man- ufactured by Ward- Jet, the Emerald 0606 reportedly offers the quality of a large, expensive waterjet-cutting sys- tem at a reduced size and cost. Because of its rigid, sturdy tank design, the Emerald 0606 can cut 12-in. stain- less steel just as eas- ily as a 2-in. sheet of foam.
The Emerald 0606 offers 12 in. of Z-axis travel, and features ballscrew drives and a cantilever-style arm. This short-trav- el, cantilever architecture effectively balances the reduced machine footprint, say company officials, and minimizes the number of moving parts while maximizing cutting enve- lope and maintaining overall stiffness.
The Emerald 0612 offers double the cutting envelope of the Emerald 0606. The cantilever-style arm is ballscrew-driven and the tank is beefed up for extra support. It can index sheets of unlimited length from front to back, while standard 4- by 8-ft. sheets of material up to 2 in. thick can be cut with greater convenience.
WardJet: 330/677-9100; www.wardjet.com
Taper Compensation All the Rage
At FABTECH, Flow International, Kent, WA, showcased its Dynamic Waterjet taper-compensation feature that it most recently made available (in May 2013) on its Mach 2c, which it calls an “affordable waterjet system.” Dynamic Waterjet pre- viously was only available on Flow’s advanced Mach 3 and Mach 4 waterjet systems.
Dynamic Waterjet produces faster, more accurate parts by adjusting taper angle in concert with cutting speed. The feature avoids the stream lag and taper inherent with all waterjet-cutting machines, previously only minimized by reducing cutting speed. Dynamic Waterjet (with Flow’s Active Tolerance Control) counters taper and stream lag using Flow’s SmartStream mathematical models. More than just a tilting cutting head, SmartStream technology changes the angle dynamically based on cutting speed. The precision motion system can attain travel speeds to 800 in./min.
Flow Intl.: 253/850-3500; www.flowwaterjet.com
26 MetalForming/March 2014
www.metalformingmagazine.com