Flowing into new business: General Industry Coverage

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END USER: Designers Metalcraft, (508) 378-0404, www.designersmetalcraft.com. CHALLENGE: Generate additional business from existing customers and prospects. SOLUTION: A waterjet cutting machine. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Flow International Corp., (800) 446-FLOW, www.flowwaterjet.com.

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A shop can build a business by having a specialized capability, but augmenting that specialty with an additional value-added offering is often needed to grow.

Founded more than a half century ago, Designers Metalcraft established its reputation as a job shop that laser cuts sheet metal, offering prototyping and production of component parts to complete assemblies.

“We specialize in laser cutting services for thin-gauge steel, stainless steel and aluminum,” said Glenn Mueller, sales representative for the East Bridgewater, Mass., company. “But we were limited in our offerings and, to remain competitive, we started looking for ways to better serve our customers and gain new ones.”

Designers Metalcraft was aware that many customers were sending work to shops for abrasive waterjet cutting. “The waterjet seemed like an ideal way to expand our capabilities for our current customers and to address the needs of new markets we hadn’t been able to reach,” Mueller said.

President Mark Svizzero, General Manager Rob Anthony and their team began collecting information about waterjets on their own and at trade shows. They narrowed their focus to three waterjet machine builders. After extensive evaluation, including visits to the manufacturers’ facilities, the parts manufacturer purchased a 6.5 ‘×13 ‘ machine from Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash.

While researching waterjets, Svizzero, Anthony and their team learned that higher pressure cuts faster—similar to higher wattage lasers—and consumes less abrasive. As a result, Designers Metalcraft specified the optional HyperJet pump instead of the standard 60,000-psi pump. The 94,000-psi-rated pump cuts up to 50 percent faster and generates a smaller diameter jet that consumes 30 to 50 percent less garnet than a conventional waterjet, according to Flow.