Page 39 - MetalForming November 2016

week’s worth of waterjet cutting, no problem for CSM’s new Omax 80X Jet- Machining Center bridge-style machine —equipped with 50-hp pump, linear- drive motion system, Tilt-A-Jet cutting head and a 180 by 90-in. worktable with an 8-in. Z axis.
“We’re processing 1⁄8-in. Hastelloy for that project,” says CSM manufac- turing engineer Matt Brewer, hired on to help integrate the new waterjet-cut- ting machine into the company’s oper- ations. “We’re also cutting high-tem- perature polypropylene on the waterjet, for the project.”
Cutting Custom Dies
Brewer then describes a somewhat unique application for the 80X JetMa- chining Center: cutting 1.5-in.-thick steel plate to fabricate custom press- brake dies that CSM will use to form some of the Hastelloy into saddle brackets.
“Being able to fabricate our own, unique press-brake dies has been a big
benefit since adding the waterjet machine,” he says. “We can make our own tooling rather than going outside, to ensure short lead times.”
The shop operates two press brakes —a 14-ft. 300-ton model, and a new 190-ton CNC model from Ermaksan. That new brake, along with the waterjet machine and the new PAC machine (from Multicam) added to the plant floor early in 2016, represent CSM’s commitment to growing its custom- fabrication business.
“We must continue to expand our core competencies into other areas of metal fabrication,” says owner Jack Craver. “Specifically, with the waterjet machine we’ve gained the confidence of new customers that we can meet tight dimensional tolerances, to ±0.005 in. And, there’s no heat-affected zone with the Omax. Lastly, in many cases cleanup on plasma-cut work added labor costs to proposals, which pre- vented us from being competitive. Since waterjet-cut work requires little
to no cleanup, we are better able to compete on a broader range of jobs.”
CSM consistently processes 3⁄4- to 1.5-in.-thick material on the JetMa- chining Center. It’s also cut 2.5-in, UHMW plastic and even fiberglass floor grating on the machine, as well as tile, concrete and glass.
“We’re just experiencing the tip of the iceberg with the process,” says Brewer. “We’re getting a lot of walk-in business as word spreads in the area of our waterjet-cutting capabilities. This occurs several times per week.”
Five-Axis Feats
While Brewer admits that there’s still some learning to do when it comes to optimizing its use of the Omax five- axis cutting head, there’s no question that the capabilities are paying off for the company. Some 30 percent of the work processed on the machine lever- ages its five-axis capabilities, and Brew- er expects that percentage to quickly increase.
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