All In The Details

Companies creating parts for elaborate aerospace projects or artistic placards often prefer to use a precise waterjet cutter rather than plasma or laser cutting alternatives. From metals to plastics, OMAX Corp., Kent, Wash., provides the tools to cut parts for heavy-duty regenerators as well as chisel intricate designs into statues and monuments. Today's manufacturers rely on the latest software to meet customer demands in an expeditious manner.

For heavy-duty regenerators, gas turbines and pipelines for gas and electrical applications, Randy Thompson, president, Pal-Con Ltd., Stephenville, Texas, needed a waterjet cutter to cut fins. The company purchased three OMAX 80160 waterjet cutters. According to Thompson, fins are corrugated pieces of metal that wouldn't manufacture well using a laser. Other software would be unable to process the download and the material would not be picked up, causing the machine to shut off. "Any other type of machine was more expensive to operate than the waterjet, and we couldn't use heat because we didn't want the war page effect you get using heat.

"We didn't realize how precise it would be and how much easier it makes fabricating,"Thompson continues. "We do a lot of structural steel as well and you don't even have to use a square," he says. Originally, the company purchased the waterjet for cutting parts for its regenerator core, but after seeing its success, "we were able to use it elsewhere in our shop," says Thompson.