Ease of use and versatility remain main arguments in choosing waterjet

For example, the repeat accuracy is absolute, the cutting force can be matched to a wide range of materials, and in addition, the machine combines its high speed range with a very fast response. The cold cutting process also preserves the full material integrity of the workpiece without having any thermal impact on it. And this even at the highest possible cutting speeds. 

This provides an unprecedented range of deployment possibilities. We look at two customer cases from manufacturer RESATO, which has already been able to provide cutting solutions in a wide variety of situations with its ACM3015 waterjet machine.

Case Defense 

In the month of October 2018, Resato was allowed to deliver to the Dutch Landsverdediging an ACM 3015 to replace the existing oxy-fuel burner. Defense thus killed three birds with one stone: an older machine was not merely replaced, the customer received advanced technology in its place that immediately meant an expansion of cutting capabilities. Indeed, the ACM came with a 2.5D cutting head and special drilling unit to support both construction work and damage repair for tanks and other vehicles. Maintaining the integrity of the armor steel was an essential criterion here, as the previous oxyfuel torch inevitably fell short of it. Indeed, oxyfuel cutting introduces excessive heat into the armor plates, which could lead to structural changes, and thus weakening of the armor. Defense will also use the waterjet for cutting laminated plastics. Especially then the bullet- and shrapnel-resistant blankets for army vehicles come into focus. The included drilling unit is capable of cutting the laminates without causing damage to neighboring materials. The customer is clearly betting on the "plug-and-play" principle. Eventually, he would opt, for example, for an additional 3D cutting head to be installed on the current machine. Initially, however, the 2.5D head was chosen because it can be used very effectively for rounding thick steel sheet metal.

Case Vives 

In the summer of 2015, Vives University College in Kortrijk also purchased an ACM 3015 waterjet cutting machine from Resato. The machine had to support the school's pronounced "think-and-do" principle. After all, the technical bachelors who graduate there are extremely stimulated to come up with new technical ideas and solutions themselves. That the presence of adequate production resources at the school is then all-important, agrees Tom Scharlaken, IWT Mechanics teacher at Vives. Says Scharlaken, "It is very important for students to be able to properly study the operation of a machine on the one hand, and to be able to quickly arrive at a final product on the other." Two criteria we can confidently tick off for the waterjet. "Students also switch quickly, and learn an enormous amount about the machine in a short period of time. It is an excellent platform to start acquiring rich material knowledge in a practical way," Scharlaken knows. Especially then the almost unlimited choice of materials offers enormous learning potential. In the case of laser cutters, for example, you are faced with an important thermal effect, which makes the cutting of some materials, such as plastics, among others, delicate or even impossible. Vives' choice of Resato as a machine builder fell mainly on the basis of the results of a test sample. There, the excellent cutting quality, ease of use and power of the software clearly stood out.