Precision Hydrojet
Saskatoon fabricator brings the power of water to its customers
July 7, 2010
Three-head waterjet reduces setup costs as well as cost-per-part.
Cutting with water and light may have sounded like a myth or even witchcraft to our ancestors, even those of just a few generations ago. However, it is these cutting forces that have allowed Saskatoon’s Precision Hydrojet to become innovative and flexible as a custom fabricator in a part of the country best known for its potash and agriculture industries.
By using both waterjet and laser cutting technologies, the company is able to process various materials in thicknesses up to 10 in.
“We have cut plastics, wood, foam, carpet, food, rubber, titanium, ceramics, aluminum, regular glass, QT material, granite, INCONEL®, stainless steels, stone, and on and on,” explained Precision Hydrojet’s Sales Representative Dave Greenhorn. “We can waterjet-cut thicknesses up to 10 in. thick and laser-cut up to 3/4 in. in mild steel and 1/4 in. in stainless steel.”
This small fabrication company began in 1997 with just two employees and a 4- by 10-ft., three-head waterjet machine made by Jet Edge. Soon the company grew too large for its original rented building, moved into its own space, and purchased another waterjet, this one with an 8- by 12-ft. table and three cutting heads. Then in 2007, a 4,000-W Prima laser with a 5- by 10-ft. cutting envelope and shuttle table system was added to the shop floor.
Waterjet technology allows the company to serve both its industrial and architectural customer bases, and the use of CAD/CAM software and CNC cutting methods eliminates secondary processes and decreases material usage while cutting cleanly and to tight tolerances.
Like most shops though, Precision Hydrojet relies not just on its equipment, but also on the flexibility of its employees to work with multiple machines on multiple projects.
“Growing to an eight-employee staff has allowed us to meet the needs of our customers, and to better meet delivery times,” said Greenhorn. “Our staff is exceptional and always available to come in after hours to meet the needs of the shop demand. Also, most everyone in the back shop is diversified enough to be able to run all of our machinery.”
This flexibility allows the company to serve area machine shops, welding shops, signage companies, and flooring companies. These customers supply the local oil and gas, potash, and many other industries.
The waterjet also lets the company cut profiles that would be virtually impossible to machine. Complex designs are easily cut, and no heat-affected zone (HAZ) is produced, meaning that the material’s chemical and physical properties are not affected by the cutting process.
Taper Versus Tolerance
Generally speaking, as material thickness increases, tolerances become more difficult to hold, partly because of the taper produced during cutting. However, this can be controlled to a point by slowing down the feed rate, which compensates for the taper.
Depending on what the part is going to be used for, Precision Hydrojet has five levels of cut quality. Starting at Q1, the lowest-quality cut, and progressing to Q5, which is the highest, the company assigns each part being cut with a Q-factor before processing begins. This lets the operator know at what speed to run the waterjet.
“Q1 is the fastest of the cuts and Q5 is the slowest, but also the most accurate,” said Greenhorn. “You can also have a combination of any of the five qualities of cut on the same part.”
For example, if the outside dimension of a part is low-tolerance, it can be run at the Q1 or Q2 level. Then, if the inside dimension needs a tighter tolerance, it can be run at Q4 or Q5.
The part requirements always determine the quality level and therefore the cutting speed.
“Elimination of taper is not always necessary, and may save the customer money by speeding up the process,” said Greenhorn.
Precision Hydrojet’s waterjet can also save customers production costs farther down the manufacturing chain by reducing assembly and labor time and by reducing or eliminating secondary operations.
“Production costs will definitely be saved at machine shops and flooring companies. For example, in the flooring industry all we require is a DXF or DWG file, and we will save the installers a lot of time by having detailed cuts finished so all they have to do is put the end products together like a puzzle. It will be a lot more accurate than doing this by hand as well.”
Production Cutting
Both of the waterjet cutting tables at Precision Hydrojet are equipped with three heads. Cutting with multiple heads allows the company to cut multiples of the same part simultaneously, which can save its customers money and time.
“By cutting this way our customers are not paying for multiple setups,” said Greenhorn. “But most of all, they are getting three parts cut in the same time as one would normally be cut. You do the math.”
By nesting parts this way the company reduces production time and makes the best use of its material.
This means that programming becomes a very important step in the manufacturing process not only to customers, but to the shop as well.
Proper training is also important, especially as new equipment is added.
“It is important for all our operators to know the ins and outs of the waterjet, such as setup techniques, and the operation of the controller of each machine, as they may change from one to another,” said Greenhorn.
For more information, visit www.precisionhydrojet.com.
