The principle underlying all things is water, for water is everything and everything returns to water. Thales of Miletus, natural philosopher

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1 Waterjet Cutting

2 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting 2 The principle underlying all things is water, for water is everything and everything returns to water. Thales of Miletus, natural philosopher Elementary Since ancient times we have been making use of water in many different ways. The successes of the early high cultures in Egypt and Mesopotamia were essentially based on the capacity to build effective irrigation systems. Water mills (dating from the fifth century B.C.) are among the oldest machines that are not driven by muscle power. It s not surprising, therefore, that the natural philosopher Thales of Miletus suspected that the basic principle of all things lays in water. The first hydraulic system (1795) was able to increase the force applied 2000-fold. Cutting with water? There is one crucial observation that made cutting with water possible: compressed under high pressure, water splits even the hardest materials without altering their structure. A wide variety of processes have been developed on the basis of this observation. Using waterjet technology, almost any material can now be cut precisely with equipment that is easy to set up. Numerous production processes have been simplified or made possible by cutting with water. The story so far The precursors to this technology were applications used in coal and mineral ore mining. But the emergence of composite materials in aircraft engineering, which were difficult to machine with conventional cutting processes, led to the first industrial experiments with waterjet cutting in the 60s. Significant progress was made in the early 80s with the introduction of abrasive agents, and in the 90s with taper reduction devices. The advantages of the new technology quickly led to commercial success. Whether it was the hardest stone or the softest foam, paper, wood or foodstuffs, high-tensile steel, metals, even non-ferrous metals it was possible to cut anything with water. No heat is applied to the material and there is no need for any deburring. Today, waterjet cutting is mainly used in: metal processing, plastic and composite materials processing, leather processing and stone processing. Advantages of waterjet cutting: no deburring, no structural changes, wide variety of materials.

3 3 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting cutting head ruby or diamond nozzle infeed of abrasive agent mixing pipe high-pressure waterjet work piece Waterjet cutting Water is compressed by a highpressure pump to a maximum of 6000 bar and fed through a mixing pipe to the cutting head and nozzle. As an option, an abrasive agent can be added to the pipe. Keeping control of water The success of waterjet cutting is closely linked with the development of control technology. One of the biggest challenges was to improve the quality of the cutting edge. With the aid of intelligent control technology, it was possible to compensate for the v-shaped angle error that occurs because the waterjet loses energy on its way through the material. Precise vertical edges could now be cut without having to reduce the speed. The process reliability and therefore the economic success of the process has also been enhanced considerably by a steady improvement in practical knowledge about speed, pressure, type of abrasive agent and dosing, depending on the material and the shape of the work piece. Intelligent control technology has combined this knowledge with the process technology. As a result, it has become possible to adapt the machining process simply, quickly and safely to the material and the contour required. Outlook: trends and developments Suitability even for small batch sizes and easy integration into a just-in-time production chain meet the needs of the trend towards product individualisation. What matters here, above all, is efficient preparation. Seamless integration of CNC and CAM and an intuitive and uniform user concept are important factors in the success of the technology. An increase in cost-effectiveness as a result of higher water pressures is expected. In addition, entirely new fields of application such as micromachining are opening up thanks to smaller jet diameters. This development also requires the control technology to play its part with precise process management and integration of appropriate pump technology. New production techniques have been created from the combination of innovative machine designs, process management that is increasingly more integrated and inventive control technology. Protection of natural resources and sustainable production are further trends that pose challenges for machine engineering. Improved control technology will make a significant contribution to managing resources more efficiently. As a result, production processes will not only become more sustainable, but also more cost-effective. See: Wikipedia; TU Graz, BauWiki; Kolb, Marcel: Wasserstrahlschneiden - Materialbearbeitung mit einem Hochdruckwasserstrahl, Die Bibliothek der Technik, Band 295, Bystronic; Flow International Corporation.

4 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting 4 Taper reduction On its way through the material, the waterjet loses energy as it cuts. As a result, a v-shape is created instead of a perpendicular cutting edge. Especially with thick materials, this means a fall in quality. There are two ways to avoid this taper: reducing the cutting speed, which brings with it a drop in capacity and therefore in cost-effectiveness, or taper reduction. With taper reduction, the cutting nozzle is positioned at a slight angle, with the result that the waterjet hits the material at precisely the angle required to keep the cutting edge perpendicular. Intelligent control technology calculates the angle of the nozzle using complex mathematical algorithms, thereby ensuring a precise cut. Taper reduction can also be used to create precise angled edges. You control the waterjet cutting process Every cutting process opens up a range of specific advantages and economic opportunities. In order to exploit these advantages to the maximum, the technology must be under full control. In waterjet cutting, ensuring the highest quality of cutting edge is the crucial factor. Control of the taper reduction process is essential here, but avoiding washouts on the bottom of the work piece is also an important quality feature. Maximising the cutting speed, which is slow in comparison to other technologies, is a further challenge. The specialists at ProCom understand the processes of waterjet cutting and put their expertise at your disposal. We support technological progress and see ourselves as making an active contribution to it. Working closely with you, we will develop innovative automation solutions with creativity and passion, solutions that will make your waterjet cutting machines even more efficient: with simple handling even in complex applications, higher capacity and better cutting edge quality, your customers will increase their profits and will always be a cut ahead of the competition. In calm waters, it s easy for anyone to take the helm. Old proverb. ProCom performance: precision, dynamics and simple handling Quality + Precise cutting at optimal cutting speed Height sensing: support for various strategies and sensors (cyclical, path-controlled, once per work piece, automatic readjustment) Taper reduction: AB and BC kinematics Corner and radius handling specially designed for waterjet cutting Material parameter management Efficient machine operation + Working flexibly and cost-effectively even with small batch sizes Interactive graphical setting of starting point Interactive graphical restart Skew position adjustment Manual cutting Caliber cutting Insertion of express jobs during processing Import of parts or upstream sub-assemblies in DXF format CAM software fully integrated into CNC software on request

5 5 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting You optimise your machines and control the waterjet cutting process. Cost-effectiveness + More precise calculation, cut by cut Job-queue operation: making preparations easier by linking processing jobs while one job is being cut, others can be assembled Integrated and direct control of plunger pumps Advantages through optimal combination of CNC and CAM: jobs are prepared using the CAM software and started up directly on the machine using the quick-start function Manual and automatic positioning of parts with minimal material waste Common line cutting Interactive and automated set-up of processing sequence Easy calculation functions: calculation of processing time and therefore production costs, fast, transparent generation of quotations Management of waste material Individual process management + The right process management for every job Pure water and abrasive waterjet cutting Multi-head cutting Water-level monitoring Parameterisation of abrasive agent dosing High level of machine availability + Monitor the status at a glance avoiding, identifying and rectifying faults Service functions (text message alarms, log files,...) Displays of diagnostic and status information from the drives in the control unit Collision monitoring for the cutting head Further applications + The unusual becomes possible Bevel cutting Pipe cutting Brick wall cutting (exclusive customer relationship) Room for individuality + Automation solutions for your very specific machine designs Individual machine configurations: control of all standard pressure intensifiers and integrated interfaces for direct control of plunger pumps Open interfaces Support for special data formats, e.g. UNI Individual extensions to CNC and CAM software: you can integrate these yourself or have ProCom experts take care of them for you

6 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting 6 Reliable hardware Intelligent CNC/CAM software High-performance components, e.g. drives Individual consulting = Automation a cut above the rest Basis for our solutions: the CNC300ET Basis for the ProCom automation solutions is the CNC300ET with its high dynamics, intelligent contour machining and clear graphical user interface. It comes into its own when you require not only a high level of precision and maximum capacity, but also complex functions for individual machine designs. The CNC300ET is based on the tried and tested ProCom CNC core software. Fitted with technology packages for waterjet cutting, laser cutting and plasma cutting, which make our expertise in various processes available to you, it provides incisively better results. A compact and robust design facilitates spacesaving installation in the control box. A CD-ROM drive is available as an option, which makes it possible to save even more space. The CNC300ET supports Ether- CAT as interface with the drives and the field level. It therefore offers you maximum flexibility and provides access to the whole range of EtherCAT-based drives and peripheral components. Development partnership is a beneficial relationship. As a development partner, you will receive expert advice in all matters relating to automation and reliable support, based on our 30 years of experience. Outstanding technical expertise is what we deliver for all your cutting processes, including waterjet, laser and plasma cutting. As a specialist in this field of technology, we understand the cutting process. Individuality is something we can always accommodate, enabling us to provide you with the best possible support for your very specific machine designs that give you the competitive edge. Integration takes place seamlessly with ProCom automation solutions, since we offer overall solutions that meet your needs precisely, from CNC control, through CAM software, to drive technology. Sound advice in all issues relating to automation is all part of the package with us. A cut above the rest! Throughout the world, thousands of ProCom solutions are being used successfully. ProCom customers are among the market leaders in their industries.

7 In ProCom you have a development partner on whom you can always rely. 7 Application Folder Waterjet Cutting

8 Waterjet Cutting Contact us! ProCom GmbH Luisenstraße 41 D Aachen Phone Fax