[jmullett]

New machine day. This awesome WardJet 5 ft. by 10 ft. abrasive water jet cutting machine is open for business. We won this machine as part of a contest at IMTS in Chicago this year.

Thank you Richard Ward and the WardJet team!


WARDJet Gives Away Two Waterjets at IMTS 2016 - PR.com

[awerby]

What a score! Congratulations on winning it. What are you going to use it for? Are you offering cutting services to the public?

[jmullett]

What a score! Congratulations on winning it. What are you going to use it for? Are you offering cutting services to the public?

Yes. In addition to small machine automation and industrial ovens, we do job shop work with our machining and turning center and wire edm already. Just a new service for both internal and outside use. Previously we have been contracting this work out, and I have to admit that this WardJet really excels in it's rigidity and quality of cut compared to the cantilever design of our suppliers water jet machine. These guys from WardJet even came out and did ball bar calibration on it after it was placed on our floor within a few thousandths of circularity on a 24" diameter circle. Pretty amazing for this large of a machine.

I had the chance to visit the WardJet factory and they do a number of custom tailored machines with automated feeders and even 5-axis units that can cut at 7000 inches per minute. Even the big tech, companies like Facebook and Tesla have installed WardJet machines for use in their skunk-works. Pretty amazing repertoire. We are really excited to put our unit to work. We've already done some paying jobs and also a few "government jobs" with it for personal use at home.

[asuratman]

I just want to know size of motor and ballscrew on x and y axis, if you want to share these info to me. I just want to compare with cnc router application in general...

[jmullett]

I just want to know size of motor and ballscrew on x and y axis, if you want to share these info to me. I just want to compare with cnc router application in general...

They use Delta Tau's Geobrick control and Kollmorgen servos. As I recall when the bellows were opened the screws appeared 40 mm in diameter. This unit is rated at 500 in. per minute but they custom tailor systems with half a dozen heads or more at speeds of 7000 in. per minute. So they would design the kinematics according to the application. The gantry is a beastly I-beam construction with thick flanges. I know they do drilling and tapping heads. I don't know about router spindles, but I'm sure they could build anything you might need.

[asuratman]

Very fast speed and big ballscrews, thanks for the info...