Waterjet cutting machines cut flawlessly through almost all materials

Whoever says cutting usually thinks of laser or plasma. Verloy Metaalwerken, however, does it with a water jet. A choice that enables the company from Beerse to cut virtually all materials without heat input and therefore without deformation. For this it relies on the machines of Resato.

When Bernard Verloy started his own business with Verloy Metaalwerken, the focus was initially on stairs and railings and later fencing. Step by step, he evolved toward fabrication work for industry. This also involved more cutting and bending work, work that he was forced to outsource in the early days. Verloy: "Ten years ago I decided to invest in a sheet metal department myself. However, the cooperation with suppliers was going very well. But I saw on our side the orders for sheet metal work becoming larger and larger, while the delivery times became longer and longer." Laser seemed to become the logical choice, until Verloy also discovered some cracks in that armor of the image of ideal cutting tool. "Laser also has its limitations, in terms of material selection and sheet thickness. Moreover, there were already many around here and I saw no way to stand out in this market."

Perfect all-rounder

Resato's second waterjet cutting machine at Verloy Metalworks features a cutting area of 9,000 x 3,000 mm and two cutting heads. A fixed 2D cutting head with drilling unit and a mounted cutting head that rotates and can cut 2.5D.

So Verloy looked beyond his nose and ended up with waterjet cutting. "The perfect all-rounder on cutting," Verloy knows. "But what I and my customers especially appreciate is the fact that it is a cold cut. As a result, there is no change in the material structure, so even the most heat-sensitive materials come out of the water bath with a perfectly burr-free cut." In 2009, the first waterjet cutting machine arrived on the shop floor. After a thorough exploration of the market, Resato had decided the case in its favor. "The fact that they have their own high-pressure pumps certified for the gas and oil industry appealed to me enormously. Verloy Metalworks is EN1090 Class 4 certified so we can also work for the petrochemical industry. In addition, the machine appealed technically. Resato has thought out its concept down to the smallest detail and the picture is right. Moreover, the service could be done completely in Dutch."

Different way of working

However, it was not love at first sight with the machine. "The first six months I did have some doubts about the investment. The technology requires a completely different way of thinking and working than machining. It does involve a bit more to set the parameters ideally for each material. However, I have not regretted my choice of Resato for a second. I received and still receive very good support. When I call, I always have someone on the line and I am helped in no time. Both for challenges in programming work and for a breakdown." When Verloy Metaalwerken received an order from a kitchen builder in 2013 to install Dekton^® mitre sawing, they went knocking on the door for a new machine. "With an open mind," Verloy points out. "But a number of manufacturers could not meet the requirements we set for the new machine. Resato did, which only increased our confidence in the machine. And of the service we were already convinced."

Handle most difficult cutouts

Some great examples of realizations on the waterjet cutting machine.

Whereas the first waterjet machine on the shop floor at Verloy Metalworks is limited to a cutting range of 1,500 x 3,000 mm with 2D cutting head, the second has a cutting range of 9,000 x 3,000 mm and two cutting heads and supplementary drilling unit. A fixed 2D cutting head with a mounted drilling unit and cutting head that rotates and can cut 2.5D. "With this, we could flawlessly start making the most difficult cutouts. As a small cutting company, we make a difference because of our expertise and our ambition to cut our teeth on technical challenges. The machine allows us to control the abrasive and cutting speed ourselves according to the product. We have mastered that. So we think along with the customer to come up with the best possible solution and try to get his workpieces out in a very short period of time. If the material is in stock it can even be done within the week."