b'Benefits of Waterjet Cutting smoothness of cut decrease. Despite the challenges posedcutting plastics); and part accuracy of 0.003" (0.076mm). by thick materials, Draper said RMWL has cut aluminumDraper has invested significantly in laser operations, to parts up to 12" (304.8mm) thick. the extent of having a laser custom built to make parts for a In addition to waterjets, RMWL operates two lasers: alongtime customer.400w Kern and a 4,000w Ermaksan fiber-laser machine,It took more than a year to build the machine, which cuts which is suitable for cutting thin materials and etching.parts as long as 20\' (6.1m), but it was definitely worth it in Advantages of having parts cut by laser include smoothterms of the results were able to deliver to our customer,edges; quick setup, making small-volume and prototype workhe said.practical; a kerf width two times the beam diameter (whenR. WillcuttThe quality of municipal water, es- RMWL filters its water and runs themistake to think that other machin-pecially the particulates it can con- water through chillers to maintainist skills are readily transferable to tain, varies a great deal from cityan ideal temperatureone thatswaterjetting. Most waterjet build-to city. Any material suspended inno higher than 45 F (7 C). ers include customer training in the the water can damage the jewel innOperator training. It would be apurchase price; the most reputable the spray nozzle. The concentratorremain at the leading edge by offer-found in the nozzle body can costing ongoing operator training.from $80 to $800. Temperature isRuss Willcutt is a freelancenMaterial storage and handling. also important. Overly warm waterwriter, editor and photographerKeep in mind that waterjets gen-based in Birmingham, Ala. can deteriorate seals in the water- Contact him at rwillcutt@ erally cut large sheets of material. jet mechanism and halt production.mindspring.com. This calls for a different approach www.genswiss.com1-413-562-4800ctemag.com/cteguide.com65Waterjet.indd 65 2/14/18 10:17 AM'