Waterjet cutting to the max

A state-of-the-art waterjet cutting system is designed to offer advanced technology while being easier on operators than other systems of its kind.

Manufactured by Omax Corp. in Kent, Washington, the OptiMax is billed as an accurate, efficient, general-purpose cutting machine. The company also touts the system’s improved automation, which is aimed at making the OptiMax exceptionally user-friendly and maximizing uptime.

“A lot of work was done to automate the OptiMax as much as possible,” said Arion Vandergon, waterjet product marketing manager at Omax’s parent company, Hypertherm Inc., which does business as Hypertherm Associates.

An example of this is the technology behind the operation of the system’s direct-drive pump, called the EnduroMax.

“A lot of competitive waterjet systems rely on operators to tweak the software parameters or pump settings to optimize (the flow of) high-pressure water going out to the cutting head,” Vandergon said.

By contrast, the EnduroMax features automatic pressure control.

“You set the pressure you want,” Vandergon said, “or the system will default to the optimum pressure, and then the pump takes care of everything else.”

During cutting operations, he explained, a closed-loop pressure-control circuit monitors pump pressure and the speed of the motor is adjusted automatically when necessary to maintain exactly the right pressure.

The OptiMax waterjet offers general-purpose cutting capability and automation aimed at minimizing demands on operators. Image courtesy of Omax

“That’s going to ensure that parts come off the table with consistency,” Vandergon said.