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Overview

We've all heard the maxim: Haste makes waste. All our lives, we've been told that doing something quickly will give us an inferior product. Take your time, do it right. Great art can't be rushed.

While this certainly applies to things done by people, it's less true about computers. And it's not at all true about the OMAX. Because the OMAX machine is controlled by high-speed computers and efficient programs, it is both precise and fast.

The following sections discuss some of the reasons why the OMAX can be the fastest, most precise machine in your shop.

Cutting Model

An abrasive waterjet is not a simple tool. While a knife will retain the same shape as it cuts through something, a waterjet stream is constantly changing. It splashes back when it hits the material, it bends when it moves, the stream can bounce back-and-forth inside the cut and so forth.



Predicting how the waterjet will behave during the process of cutting material is complicated. In fact, the OMAX cutting model has its roots in the early work of Dr. Jay Zeng, who wrote his doctoral thesis on a mathematical model for abrasivejet behavior. Since then, Dr. Zeng has joined the staff of OMAX and continues to improve and refine his model.

As the model develops and becomes even more accurate, it lets the OMAX create parts even faster and more accurately.

Intelli-MAX^® technology enhancements

The latest round of enhancements to the abrasivejet cutting model is a collection of technologies known as "Intelli-MAX." While the Intelli-MAX technologies led to a small increase in precision, they led to a large decrease in machining times. Parts are made 30% faster (on average) with Intelli-MAX.

How is this possible? Consider one of the many Intelli-MAX enhancements, something called "corner passing."


The old way

Machining a corner in the traditional way proceeds as follows:

• The nozzle is moving along the material
• As it approaches the corner, the nozzle slows down to prepare for making the turn
• As the nozzle goes around the corner, it needs to slow even more - the stream will tend to be pushed to the outside as it rounds the corner

The traditional method: blue is slowest, red is medium speed, white is fastest


Using corner passing

Using corner passing, the current process:

• The nozzle heads into the corner at full speed
• It passes the corner (and into the scrap)
• Once the entire jet is past the corner, the nozzle immediately reverses direction (since it is now completely in the scrap), comes back to the corner and resumes cutting along the tool path.

Same corner using corner passing: blue is slowest, red is medium speed, white is fastest

The result is not only faster machining of corners, but also more precise corners- the traditional approach tends to "wash-out" corners when the jet slows down.

Pumps

Some people think if an OMAX uses lower horsepower pumps, it can't be as fast. After all, a 450 horsepower car is faster than a 200 horsepower car, right? Well, not necessarily. If the 450 horsepower engine is in a fire truck, but the 200 horsepower engine is in a motorcycle...
What really matters with abrasivejets is the amount of power delivered at the nozzle, not at the pump. The more power delivered to the nozzle, the faster cutting can occur.

OMAX machines use a type of pump called a "crankshaft drive" pump. Many other manufacturers use "intensifier" pumps (which, incidentally, was invented by OMAX founder John Olsen). For a comparison of the two types of pumps, see A Comparison Between Intensifier and Crank Drive Pumps.

In a study of crankshaft drive efficiencies, OMAX found that a crankshaft drive pump delivers between 80% and 90% of its power to the nozzle. This means a 30 HP pump delivers between 24 and 27 horsepower at the nozzle.

A 50 HP intensifier pump, on the other hand, will only deliver about 30 HP at the nozzle.
In other words, to do the same amount of work, you need either a 50 HP intensifier pump, or a 30 HP OMAX crankshaft drive pump (see also What size pump would be best?).

The conclusion

Despite the old adage, "Haste makes waste," it is possible to be both precise and fast. Using a combination of advanced computer algorithms, Intelli-MAX technologies, and crankshaft pumps, the OMAX machines can make exactly what you want, and faster than you thought possible.