Live Chat Support

This week we launched our LIVE CHAT SUPPORT.  So if you see that one of our product specialists are online, just click on the link and we will be able to answer your questions. 

Rich

4 New IGEMS Videos Added

4 new videos are added to the video library http://www.wardjet.com/videolibrary.asp  showing some easy to use features of the CAD / CAM software and how to use this with WARDJet waterjets.

·         Creating a new parametric part

·         Programming drilling and tapping for the X-Series controller

·         How to program tapping in conjunction with waterjet cutting

·         X-Series drilling and tapping post processor set up

There are other videos on the tech support section which are not open to the public to see, so if you are a customer please keep up to date with the support section too.  http://wardjet.com/support-steps.asp 

Rich

 

Waterjet Cutting and Tapping Tube

Here is a great application for a WARDJet waterjet. One length of this 6" x 6" tube with 1/2" wall thickness, needed multiple windows cut into it, with 4 tapped holes in each corner to receive a cover plate.

The entire job took 35 minutes to cut including the tapping of the holes. The beam was put on the table diagonally so the entire beam could be cut and tapped in one program.

A great use of our motto - NOT JUST A WATERJET

Rich

Cutting Thick Material Guidelines

I was asked about some tips on cutting thicker material.  The following are the points I mentioned to look for.

 

·         Always do a few test cuts of the different sections of the part at the speeds you expect to cut at.  So take the part and look for inside corners, outside corners, radii etc, then make a small part that will have all these features and program it and cut it so you get an idea as to how these will look on the finished part.

·         Write down the home position.

·         Practice some job interrupt as you may well need to do this in a long cut. 

·         Decide where you will pause the program if you have to in the middle of the cut.  In other words, is there a section of the part that is not critical to tolerances.  In your case of the gear, the very inside and tip of each tooth will never come into contact with anything and hence will be in fresh air.  As a result this would be a good place to pause the program and do any tests.

·         Once you have the part on the table, run the full program with water only at a high speed. This will mark the material and confirm that the part will fit on the piece of material and your set up is correct.

·         If you have to stop the program or you get a power failure do not rely only on the home position you wrote down.  Rather start the program and run the first part with water only and check that it follows the cut that you have already done.  You may also want to move it to another portion of the program and check that it still lines up there too.  I am always concerned that when restating a program you could be a few to several thousands of an inch out of position and this might not be good.

·         As you cut through the part, take a hack saw blade and grind off all the teeth so you have a  thin long gauge that will fit down the kerf that has been removed.  Let’s say the material is 6” thick.  Put a mark on the blade at say 6.5”.  Then take the blade and insert it into the cut and with the bottom of the blade sticking out the bottom, slide the blade along the tool path and check that the material is cut all the way through.  You of course have to make allowance for grates.  But this will give you a good guide as to the status of the bottom of the cut.

·         Make sure your abrasive is calibrated and set.

·         Use the coarsest hard rock garnet you can with your orifice nozzle combination.  In your case try to use 50 mesh hard rock with a 40^th nozzle. 

·         Make sure the pressure is correct.

·         Ideally put in a diamond orifice as this is a much more reliable way to go especially when the material you are cutting is costly.

·         Check the condition of the nozzle.

·         Make sure the cutting head is vertical as if it is not the tolerances of the part will be compromised.  To do this line up the head or pierce a small hole in thin material. Then raise the cutting head up and the stream should go through the hole.  If the head is not vertical it will ‘walk’ out of the hole and the direction of the cut will tell you how your cutting head needs to be adjusted.

 

When we were a job shop we did a lot of heavy work with 4 heads simultaneously and the guidelines above helped.

Rich

 

 

WJTA Show Houston

It was great to see so many friends at the WJTA show.  This is held every second year in Houston.  Although primarily aimed at waterjet cleaning, it was interesting to see how new cleaning applications have been developed in the last 2 years.

Rich

63 pdf Files In Tech Support Section

We add to the TECHNICAL SUPPORT section all the time.  There are now 63 manuals and downloads there for customers.  As a customer, if you have not checked it out please do.  I know I have mentioned this a few times, but as a WARDJet customer there is tons of information at your fingertips.

Rich

Cutting Computer Cases With Waterjet

Watch a great video of WARDJet waterjet cutting the logo and name into a computer case. http://www.wardjet.com/videolibrary.asp

Rich

A Punch In The Face

Well when you travel you are never quite sure what will happen.  I fly tonight and parked my car in the usual secure parking lot.  The bus picked me up at the car and we headed for the airport.  I sat opposite a lady at close quarters.  Well a minute passed and I decided to take my car keys and put them in my laptop case where I consistently keep them when traveling so I know where to find them when I get back.

My back pack is particularly heavy today so I reached to pick it up off the floor and swing it onto my lap.  Realizing it was heavier than usual, I added extra power to my lift as I grabbed and swung the bag into place.  Of course all this is done in a professional manner in keeping with the silence in the bus …. Sort of like an elevator type thing.

Well in mid flight of the backpack, my grip on the backpack slipped and came free.   The immediate loss of the weight on my hand with the extra force and muscle power exerted resulted in my hand flying up and punching myself in the nose and lip.  And I mean a punch!  I immediately could taste the blood in my mouth and of course pretended that I felt nothing at all, again in keeping with the continued silence in the bus other than the moan as my face, nose and lip went numb.  The silence in the bus remained and everyone pretended they had not noticed I punched myself in the face. 

I sucked as much blood away as I could and then decided I had better give my lip a casual brush with my hand to see if there was any blood on the outside.  There was.

My lip then began to swell in what seemed like seconds.

I must say I felt pretty stupid. 

Anyway, I thought you would like to hear something on the lighter side of life.

Rich

 

Tech Support 24/7

All WARDJet customers have access to virtually all manuals, drawings, documentation and information through our 24/7 Tech Support section.  http://wardjet.com/support-steps.asp  If you are a WARDJet customer please visit this section.  You will be amazed with the detail available at your fingertips.

Rich

Register Now For Waterjet Cutting Techniques Course

We will be holding our 60^th Waterjet Cutting Techniques Course in September.  If you are looking to learn more about waterjet cutting, with a practical session every few hours, this is the place to be.  (So no, you wont get bored sitting in a chair and fall asleep!)  You will have fun, learn more than you can imagine, get answers to questions you didn’t know existed, and leave more educated than most salespeople in the industry. 

I still remember the first course I ever gave.  It took me 4 months to get the information together, we used overhead slides with marking pens, and it was a 5 day course.  Probably the first 20 courses were 4 to 5 days.  As time has passed, we have got more information in a better format into a 2 day course.  Just like technology I guess.  http://www.wardjet.com/TrainingCourse.asp 

Rich

New Videos on Web

There are several new videos on the web. http://www.wardjet.com/videolibrary.asp

Under Waterjet Cutting Videos: See Cutting Speed and its Effect on Kerf Angle and Custom Computer Case: Scarlet

Under Waterjet Machines: JX-813 In Action

Under Waterjet Options: How a Height Sensor Works

We update and add more information to the web daily as we strive to help you find all the information you would need on waterjet cutting.

Rich

Z-813 Waterjet - Floor Model Ships

It always puts a smile on my face when we are told by a prospective customer they can buy a 'floor model' from another company at a good price. I can't help asking myself, how many floor models do people have! Do they build machines and then use the excuse to discount a unit as floor model? Well, here are photos of our floor model shipping today. It was built in September 2006, and has been used every day to demonstrate our waterjet capabilities to anyone who comes to visit. We replaced it 2 weeks ago with a ZX-813 with the X-Classic controller along with several options and capabilities that are not available on the 3 year old treasure. We also sold it with a shorter as-new warranty so we took the opportunity to strip it down and go over the unit with a toothcomb. We re-mapped and ball barred the unit and were able to see any wear patterns etc. What was pleasing to us all, is the great shape of all the working components such as ball screws, bearing, linear rails etc. So, yes we do sell 'floor models', which at our current rate is every 3 years. Sorry if you were looking for a good deal on a great machine. Give us a call in 2 1/2 years and I am sure we can get you an excellent deal.☺

Rich

Automatic Material Feeding into JX-813 Waterjet

With the WARDJet pinch roller, feeding material in sheet or roll format onto the JX-813 Waterjet Cutting System is easy. Have a look at the video. The JX-813 can also be set to cut while the material is moved underneath the cutting head. Click here to watch video

Rich