OMAX Corporation is the premier manufacturer of high precision waterjet machining centers.

Abrasive waterjets are used to profitably machine virtually any material. OMAX® offers a complete line of machining centers, pumps, controllers, software, and accessories.

Designed to complement or replace existing processes such as milling, laser, wire EDM, and fine plasma, OMAX equipment will take you from drawing to finished part in minutes and make your shop more profitable than you thought possible.

An example of two aluminum parts done in ½" (1.3 cm) thick aluminum, which took approximately five minutes machining time


OMAX Corporation
21409 72nd Ave South
Kent, WA 98032 USA
Phone: 800-838-0343
or 253-872-2300
Fax: 253-872-6190
Email: omax@omax.com 

 


          

OMAX® Software

Intelli-MAX™ Software

The Ultimate Software

OMAX Corporation was the first abrasivejet machine tool manufacturer to introduce a PC-based controller, and we remain the only corporation to hold a control methodology patent. Our reliable CAD/CAM and control system software makes the OMAX® JetMachining® Center as easy to use as it is accurate.

Designed specifically for abrasivejet machining, each of our Windows® 2000-based software modules features icon-driven menus with clear, specific options. In addition, help is available nearly every step of the way. Since no previous programming experience is necessary, it is remarkably simple for even novice operators to achieve fast expert results.

The OMAX Software Guarantee

OMAX makes JetMachining Centers, abrasivejet machines that are controlled by software. OMAX is not a software company. We don't want to make piles of money by overcharging our customers for new software upgrades. We want to make our customers successful by continually improving our software and giving it to them.

We call it our Software Guarantee and it goes like this:

The OMAX Technology Guarantee entitles you, as the original owner, to free OMAX software upgrades for the life of the machine. You can have as many seats of software as needed for off-line programming.

When we upgrade the software, you get the upgrade for free. No charge. No hidden fees. No catch.

Typically, the software is updated about twice a year. While some of the updates are minor improvements, new technology is also regularly added. In fall of 2002, the new software included major improvements to the cutting model that improved machining times by 25% or more.

While other companies charge you for upgrades, OMAX thinks you deserve the best. And we give it to you. For free.

The Layout software

Layout is the OMAX program that lets you draw the part you want to make. This full-featured CAD program was created by OMAX and designed to work with the JetMachining Center.

The main Layout screen

There are three main ways you can create part drawings with Layout:

  • Draw the part using the drawing tools
    Layout has a full set of drawing tools, so you draw exactly the part you want.

  • Import a drawing from another CAD program
    Layout supports the standard DXF drawing format (along with a variety of other formats). If a customer gives you a DXF file, you can quickly and easily open it in Layout, optimize it for abrasivejet machining and create the tool path.

  • Trace a drawing or photograph
    Layout lets you display a bitmap or photograph that you can then trace using the drawing tools. Even if a customer gives you a napkin with a part drawing on it, you can make the part!

Once your part is finished, use Layout to create the toolpath that will be used to make your part.

The Make Software

Make is the software that actually controls the JetMachining Center to create your part. Creating the part is a simple process with Make:

  1. Open the toolpath file created by Layout (or another CAD/CAM drawing tool).

  2. Choose the material you want to use and the thickness
    Make then calculates the exact nozzle motions required to make the part accurately to within 5/1000ths of an inch (0.1 mm).

  3. Click on the "Begin Machining" button and Make begins machining your part.

The Make main screen

If that was all Make could do, it would only have three commands. Make can also:

  • Accurately determine the time required to machine the part
  • Provide array nesting so that you can easily make multiple copies of the same part while getting the most from your material
  • Use a stack height calculator to find the optimum number of sheets of material to use to make multiple parts in the shortest time
  • Go to a specific location on the toolpath
  • Dry run in forward and reverse at multiple speeds
  • Up to 100 user defined tooling locations
  • Automatic machine homing
  • Preview to screen for path verification
  • Automatically detect potential collision areas and use Heads-up traverses to navigate around them
  • Cut off saw
  • Measure / Inquire
  • Rotate / Scale
  • Automatic tool offset compensation
  • Automatically record Machine, part and user history logs

And you can install Make on a desktop computer that's not connected to a JetMachining Center. This lets you see how your part will be made, how much time it will take, and how much it will cost before you begin making it.

The OMAX Interactive Reference

The OMAX Interactive Reference (OIR) is more than just a Help file. It contains:

  • Detailed descriptions of every command in Layout and Make
  • Troubleshooting information about the JetMachining Center
  • Tips and tricks for making the best, most accurate parts
  • Technical details for advanced users who want to push the technology
  • A step-by-step tutorial on using Layout and Make
  • A comprehensive Glossary defining more than 120 abrasivejet related terms and concepts
  • Tips on getting the most out of the software

If we provided a printed version of the OIR, it would run to more than 1200 pages (we do provide PDF files for each section of the Help for those want to print it out for reference).

 

OIR main screen

The OIR has been growing and expanding for the last five years. Information comes directly from the OMAX programmers, from testers, and from our customers.

And the OIR is directly linked to all the OMAX programs. If you have questions about a particular dialog in Layout, click on the Help button and bring up the OIR page for that command, complete with links to related commands.

OMAX Utilities

The OMAX software also includes a full set of useful utilities. These include:

OMAX Watcher
The Watcher lets you monitor your OMAX machine over your office computer network (the computer that controls the OMAX must be connected to the network). Connect a camera, and get live pictures of what the OMAX is doing!
AbrasiveJet Feedrate Calculator
A calculator that lets you see the nozzle speed for different materials and machine setups.
3D Path Editor
The Path Editor lets you add up/down motion to your tool path. This lets you machine uneven material and add features to partly assembled pieces.
JetSimulator
A graphical representation of how the abrasivejet water stream changes as the nozzle moves. Useful for understanding the complexities of predicting nozzle behavior.
Calculator
A calculator with support for degrees, radians, and gradians. It can also be used for hexadecimal, binary, or scientific calculations. Calculator lets you enter complex mathematical expressions
Viewer
A file viewer that lets you see previews of file content. Useful for organizing your files.
Timer
A simple countdown timer. Great for timing that burrito you put in the microwave while the OMAX makes your part.
OMAX Video Player
A simple video player that plays instructional videos on the OMAX CD-ROM.

Some of the OMAX utilities