Categories
Industrial Engineering

The Best Specs To Look Out For When Buying A Water Jet Cutter

Waterjet cutting is the technique of cutting through things by eroding the matter away at the point of contact with a jet of water moving at incredible speeds, which is created by placing water under high pressure and pushing it through a narrow orifice. Below are the specs to look out for when approaching a water jet manufacturer.

Best Features of A Water Jet Cutter

Pure Water vs. Abrasive Cutting

A typical waterjet cutter has a pressure range of 300 to 400 MPa. At 300 MPa, the water jet can travel at 680 m/s, and at 400 MPa, it can travel at nearly 1,021 m/s.

abrasive cutting

Cutting soft materials like rubber, foam, gaskets, leather, textiles, and food-related objects using pure water is typical. When working with hard materials that can’t be machined with just water, the nozzle is frequently replaced by an abrasive cutting nozzle with a mixing tube.

Pure Water

MaterialThickness(in/mm)Cutting Speed(ft/min or mm/min)
Rubber.78/23.94/107.87/2089/27.00033/11.5007/2.200
Synthetic material.78/21.97/53.94/1074/22.50029/8.90011/3.400
Foamed3.94/1039.4/10090/27.50018/5.500

@4.137 bar; orifice sizes: .004″-.01″; surface quality: medium – fine

Abrasive Flow

MaterialThickness(in/mm)Cutting Speed(ft/min or mm/min)
Titanium.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.113/3306/1523/76
Marble.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.131/78714/3566/152
Stainless Steel.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.112/3055/1273/76

@4.137 bar; 7.0 lb/min; abrasive flow; 0.01” orifice diameter

Abrasive Compound and Water

Due to its direct impact on the service life of equipment components such as check valves, seals, and orifices, the water delivered to the intensifier is necessary for waterjet cutting.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration causes increased wear of any components that come into touch with it. TDS levels of 60-70 ppm are ideal, with a pH of 6-8.

In waterjet cutting, red garnet is the most frequent abrasive. Garnet is rather complex, and when it fractures, it produces sharp edges, both of which are beneficial in waterjet cutting.

A gentler abrasive, like olivine, can be used on metal. The use of a gentler abrasive has the benefit of reducing mixing tube wear.

A coarser abrasive is applied for maximum cutting rates. The most common abrasive is No. 80 mesh, and most nozzle manufacturers specify this particle size for their machinery.

Nozzle

For the nozzle’s mixing chamber and orifice, water jet makers have developed very wear-resistant materials. However, this does not eliminate nozzle wear, and as a result, the jet’s precision will deteriorate with time.

The rate of wear varies depending on various conditions, but the orifice is generally changed after 20-40 hours of active usage and the nozzle after 40-80 hours.

cnc manufacturing

Edge Quality

The edge quality of a waterjet cut is generally described as Q1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. The quickest cut is Q1, which is typically utilized for material separation and forms for subsequent machining. Then, depending on the edge polish required, slower cutting rates of Q2 to Q5 are employed, increasing the cost.

Motion Control

The motion control system is an integral part of the operation because the cutting stream bends as it cuts. A waterjet, as a result, tends to undercut corners and swing wear rate wide on bends.

Final Thoughts

When thinking about approaching water jet manufacturers, it’s very crucial to consider these aspects. Water jetting appears to be a simple operation, but it requires a lot of thinking.

Categories
Technology

What Type of Ink Does a 3D Printing Machine Use?

The global industry of 3D printing has a crucial role in ushering us to the modern age. It holds for us the key to the future. Expert minds see and understand how this groundbreaking manufacturing technology is transforming business and global commerce these days. 3-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allows users to virtually print anything, from buildings to appliances.  

There is one thing about this manufacturing technique though that most people from the manufacturing sector are not certain about if it needs an ink of some kind. If it does, then they would naturally want to know everything about it. Only then can they start to contemplate integrating the method into their manufacturing operations.

Video Credit to: Fast Company

Does A 3D Printer Machine Use Ink?

Yes, 3-dimensional printing machines require ink to produce or print out an object. There is now a specialized form of ink intended for use by 3D printers. So far this is the latest development about the 3D printing space. Scientists fondly call this latest invention they’ve made as “flink”, which means to say that the ink itself is an active living ink.

Unlike the past generation of 3D printers, which made use of powdery metals and plastics to make ink, this groundbreaking invention harnesses the power of bacteria for printing purposes.  

This technology is laying the foundations for tiny biochemical factories. And it is safe to say that this kind of 3D ink is teeming with life simply because it is bacteria-based. In other words, 3D printer machines can now create living components that can help in degrading toxins.  

In addition, these printed living materials can potentially promote living organ transplants to benefit the human body or its systems. The elements that the medical community used before in place of ink can only help in the production of anything artificial, such as artificial bones. It can be taken advantage of in the production of, say, super-strong steel. 

However, with this particular type of 3D ink, it  can print any kind of bacteria-based material. . This type of 3D printer ink made it possible for researchers to print out any kind of 3D structure they need or require, and carry out the entire process in just one single blow. 

However, there is a catch here. The output you will get will depend upon the species of bacteria you will use for this purpose. 

Moreover, the process you will use here will significantly influence the rate of success in producing your required biological material. Such materials are capable of breaking down toxic substances or even high-purity cellulose which can be used as well in the production of biomedical appliances.  

What Material is a 3D Printer Ink Made Of?

The new generation of 3D printing machines that will be flooding the market soon is derived from different kinds of live bacteria. Every single one of them is offering different functions. They produce different saturations of bacteria to help in the production of a wide range of objects with different physical properties. 

ultrasensor

In addition, the ink structure could be derived from a certain kind of biocompatible hydrogel. This may include hyaluronic acid, pyrogenic silica, and long-chain sugar molecules.  

These scientists would mix the culture compound to help the bacterial ink propagate. Later on, the process will be providing for the bacteria all the elements they require to thrive and grow. This way, when these researchers make use of the hydrogel as a base, they would be able to add the bacteria that possess the appropriate spectrum of properties they require. 

The result of which would allow them to 3D print any structure. But during the ink’s development process, the researcher must ascertain that the ink he will be using is liquid enough. Otherwise, it will have a hard time in passing through the 3D printer machine’s nozzle. 

Moreover, in case that the ink becomes too stiff to flow out, it renders the material difficult to move about. Besides, it will also limit cellulose secretion. 

Wrapping up!

With all these positive developments taking place now in the 3D printing sphere, it is making it easier to come up with intricate structures in a faster, smarter, and more economical manner. 

For the longest time, the creation and development of complex structures were unimaginable in the recent past. However, with 3-dimensional printing technology, things have become a lot easier and projects now can be handled in a more efficient manner. 

Categories
Blogging

What Benefits are Being Enjoyed by the Defense and Aerospace Industries from 3D Printing Australia?

The use of additive manufacturing may have been stalled in some ways, but at the current rate of how things are going now for 3d printing Australia, its adoption for production of parts that are believed to have higher associated  risks are on the way. 

3D printers

Nowadays, top decision-makers from the defense and aerospace industries are confident that they can move past the use of non-structural parts towards the utilization of critical systems applications.

And rightly so, because we have a sundry of benefits to enjoy from the use of additive manufacturing or 3-dimensional printing for aerospace and defense.  

3D Printing Reduces Supply Chain Costs

When you can shrink 75 individual parts down to just 1 part, it is sure to bring about a major trickle-down impact to your entire supply chain. The part reduction paves the way for a leaner supply chain. 

Ponder on this by thinking of having a tighter and elevated supply chain, characterized by reliable and a more consistent production level. Here is an example for better understanding.

The industry nowadays doesn’t need a foundry anymore for its front-end just so it can produce its required metal components that will be relayed to machine shops for shipping to its destination. 

The majority of 3D printing Australian companies are heading in just one particular direction, towards becoming self-sustaining by virtue of using only common but certified powders for delivering components and parts. 

If there is an open opportunity for localized production, it will take away the lead times and shipping costs which are part and parcel of the traditional system of manufacturing.  

Consolidation of Bill of Materials (BOM) Simplify Your Required Parts 

3D printing Australian industry has a lot to offer with respect to a design perspective. But it is of prime importance to think out of the box, beyond just using the individual parts.

Let us cite an example. Say for instance we have a fan, and within that fan is a cooling system comprising of 75 time-consuming and labor-intensive parts. 

By virtue of 3-dimensional printing, you can find a way to consolidate everything up down to just a single part. 

As for the benefits, they go far beyond designing. When you employ the use of 3-dimensional printing, assembly time is significantly reduced and possible failure points are alleviated. 

Hence, it is safe for us to say that additive manufacturing or 3D printing method will not just simplify the part but minimize the production of waste which is an inherent characteristic of conventional and subtractive methods of manufacturing.  

While simplification remains as its chief benefit, 3-dimensional printing also paves the way for the creation of intricate designs that are not viable with injection molding technique and other similar traditional manufacturing styles. 

This works to the advantage of architects and engineers because they get to enjoy the benefits of freedom on designing parts and components which they think will help in delivering maximum performance. 

From a manufacturing point of view, this signifies that you can work away with fixture costs and tooling. In the same way, also, you’d be able to enhance the lifecycle and durability of parts and components you are making. And lastly, it gives you the freedom to take advantage of smarter design geometries.  

Expert minds from within the industry believe there are an awful lot of good possibilities for 3D printing Australia, that what it can do will likely extend far beyond our own atmosphere. 

We see many new different applications for 3D printing in the aerospace and defense industries and we can anticipate that upcoming innovations in the coming years will bring excitement to everyone concerned, all happening while it is trying to secure its rightful place in the aviation sphere as an essential tool.

We sum up everything to this, in the absence of 3-dimensional printing, we have a dismal future for the aircraft industry.