Page 36 - MetalForming March 2019

Fabrication: Waterjet
Kitchen and bathroom countertops made of granite, marble, or engineered stone (usu- ally a quartz and epoxy resin combination), often are cut with abrasive waterjet.
glass quickly, even thick fiberglass insu- lation used in attics.
Cement Board
Cement board finds common use as a building product. Usually 1 to 3 cm thick, it provides strength and mois- ture resilience, and can be formed into various shapes for building siding, sub- strate for wall tile, or as underlayment for floors. Cement board can be cut with a saw, the obvious cutting tool of choice at the job site. However, in the factory, cutting the cement board when in an uncured state, sometimes called a green state, is desirable.
A pure waterjet easily integrates into a manufacturing line to slit the cement board before final curing. Like stone- material applications, the abrasive waterjet can be used to cut cement board into intricate shapes after the cement board has been cured. MF
Information for this article was sup- plied by Flow International Corp., Kent, WA; www.flowwaterjet.com.
abrasive waterjet. The gentle super- sonic erosion process removes small amounts of material at high speed; not enough heat is generated to be trans- ferred; and forces are localized. Abra- sive-waterjet applications include trim- ming composite boat hulls for personal watercraft, cutting sporting goods products, trimming automobile com- ponents, and cutting huge commercial
airplane parts and small airplane clips and parts.
Insulation Material
Insulation material used in HVAC and automotive applications, or in the walls of buildings and homes, can be difficult to cut, as they often utilize some type of fiberglass, either crushed or fluffy. A pure waterjet can cut fiber-
High Precision Guide Elements
Preloaded high precision guide systems for stamp and mold tooling allows for tighter tool clearances, more stability and lower cost of maintenance.
Greater Accuracy Added Stability Lower Maintenance
AGATHON Machine Tools, Inc
9 Parklawn Drive Bethel, CT 06801 Tel: 203-730-8741
mailamt@agathonusa.com
www.agathon.com
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34 MetalForming/March 2019
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