Abrasivejet Cutting Delivery Systems

These letters were made from 0.5" (1.3 cm) Plex AC Composite and took about four minutes to make.

D. Abrasive Delivery Systems

Throughout the years, abrasivejet systems featured a variety of complex abrasive metering systems. This complexity originated from the belief that the abrasive flow rate needed to be adjusted for different material types and thicknesses. Nowadays, the preferred approach is to use a simple fixed ratio of abrasive flow to water flow for the full range of materials to be cut, and to change only the nozzle cutting speed. Nozzle speed is easily altered by the X-Y table control system.

This means that a simple fixed abrasive flow rate is all that's needed for smooth, accurate cutting. Modern abrasive feed systems are eliminating the trouble-prone vibratory feeders and solids metering valves of earlier systems and using a simple fixed-diameter orifice to meter the abrasive flow from the bottom of a small feed hopper located immediately adjacent to the nozzle on the Y-axis carriage. An orifice metering system is extremely reliable and extremely repeatable. Once the flow of abrasive through the orifice is measured during machine set-up, the value can be entered into the control computer program and no adjustment or fine tuning of abrasive flow will ever be needed.

The small abrasive hopper located on the Y-axis carriage typically holds about a 45-minute supply of abrasive and can be refilled with a hand scoop while cutting is underway. This simple manual system is used by many owners of small cutting systems, such as the OMAX Model 2652 and 2626. On larger cutting tables such as the OMAX Model 55100 and Model 80160, the small hopper may be difficult to reach during operation. In addition, some small-system owners fear they may forget to refill their abrasive hoppers on a regular basis.

For these reasons, OMAX offers a bulk abrasive feed hopper that can be located anywhere in the vicinity of the cutting table. This can be pressurized with shop air to move abrasive from the bulk hopper to the small Y-axis-mounted hopper whenever the level of abrasive in the small hopper drops below a pre-determined level.

Address: 21409 72nd Ave South, Kent, WA 98032 | Telephone: 1-800-838-0343 or 253-872-2300
Fax: 253-872-6190 | Email: OMAX@OMAX.COM | Privacy Policy

Home Welcome FAQ Top 10 Reasons Test Cuts Site Map Links Contact Us Abrasivejet About Abrasivejet Technology 101 Compare Considerations Taper Water Treatment Glossary Applications Overview Typical Apps Users Materials Cut Articles Spotlight Case Studies Products Machines Pumps Accessories Software Fast and Precise Ease of Use Accuracy Company About OMAX OMAX Founders History Employment Trade Shows Sales Staff Directions Support Support Intro Financial Info University Packs Training Job Shop Match Technical Support Domestic Distributors International Distributors


	Technology 101 Technology - Brief History Technology - Pumps Technology - Nozzles Technology - Abrasive Delivery Systems Technology - X-Y Tables Technology - Control Systems These letters were made from 0.5" (1.3 cm) Plex AC Composite and took about four minutes to make.		D. Abrasive Delivery Systems Throughout the years, abrasivejet systems featured a variety of complex abrasive metering systems. This complexity originated from the belief that the abrasive flow rate needed to be adjusted for different material types and thicknesses. Nowadays, the preferred approach is to use a simple fixed ratio of abrasive flow to water flow for the full range of materials to be cut, and to change only the nozzle cutting speed. Nozzle speed is easily altered by the X-Y table control system. This means that a simple fixed abrasive flow rate is all that's needed for smooth, accurate cutting. Modern abrasive feed systems are eliminating the trouble-prone vibratory feeders and solids metering valves of earlier systems and using a simple fixed-diameter orifice to meter the abrasive flow from the bottom of a small feed hopper located immediately adjacent to the nozzle on the Y-axis carriage. An orifice metering system is extremely reliable and extremely repeatable. Once the flow of abrasive through the orifice is measured during machine set-up, the value can be entered into the control computer program and no adjustment or fine tuning of abrasive flow will ever be needed. The small abrasive hopper located on the Y-axis carriage typically holds about a 45-minute supply of abrasive and can be refilled with a hand scoop while cutting is underway. This simple manual system is used by many owners of small cutting systems, such as the OMAX Model 2652 and 2626. On larger cutting tables such as the OMAX Model 55100 and Model 80160, the small hopper may be difficult to reach during operation. In addition, some small-system owners fear they may forget to refill their abrasive hoppers on a regular basis. For these reasons, OMAX offers a bulk abrasive feed hopper that can be located anywhere in the vicinity of the cutting table. This can be pressurized with shop air to move abrasive from the bulk hopper to the small Y-axis-mounted hopper whenever the level of abrasive in the small hopper drops below a pre-determined level.
		Address: 21409 72nd Ave South, Kent, WA 98032 \| Telephone: 1-800-838-0343 or 253-872-2300 Fax: 253-872-6190 \| Email: OMAX@OMAX.COM \| Privacy Policy