OMAX User Testimonials

Showman Fabricators

ARTISTRY BEHIND THE SCENES: SHOWMAN FABRICATORS

What do the Nightly News, a Broadway show, and a museum exhibit all have in common? Scenery engineered and constructed by Showman Fabricators, Inc. and expertly machined on an OMAX 80160. With an impressive project list that has included sets for the newly launched FOX Business Network, the CNN Communication Center, the GORE Capabilities and Visitor Center, and stage design for the new Broadway musical The Little Mermaid, this 21-year old company has continued to outpace the competition by crafting stunningly realistic sets that combine sound construction principles and technical expertise with the best elements of scenic design. Headquartered in Long Island City, New York, Showman was founded in 1986 by Bob Usdin and Michael Cioffi, graduates of the SUNY Purchase College Technical Theater program. The company offers a variety of services to Broadway, the movie industry, museums, corporations, restaurants and retail. Employing a diversely talented staff of over 100, their shop is fully equipped to handle any number of carpentry, metalwork, and engineering challenges. In nearly every area, the 80160 has proven itself as an essential complimentary technology for Showman. “Before the waterjet, we weren’t really looking at projects the same way,” says Showman head of Design and Engineering, Mike Riccio. Prior to the OMAX, Showman started out with a small 4 x 4 CNC router in 1990 which they used primarily for wood and plastic, while they sent most of the metal-work to outside fabricators. However, it soon became clear that extra technology was still required to bring their metal work in house, streamline their operations, and increase overall productivity. Before finally choosing OMAX in February of 2006, they looked hard at several companies. “Mike and I looked closely at one particular OMAX competitor,” explains Usdin. “At that point, we wanted a large table. But their cantilever arm gave us concerns with respect to how practical it was for our usage. We liked the design of OMAX better.” Going forward, Showman is poised to leverage its considerable expertise to meet even more technical and artistic challenges. “Our plans are to obtain more work on Broadway fabricating automation equipment,” says Usdin. This is the equipment that helps to move scenery around on stage. “Also, now that HDTV is more prevalent, the industry is demanding more detail oriented and realistic materials.” With viewers now able to focus in on every detail of a set, Showman has begun to hone their capabilities in the machining of stone, laminates, and glass, materials that the OMAX excels at cutting. Could this mean that another OMAX might play a future role at Showman? “We have just one OMAX at the moment,” says Riccio. “I wish we had more.”

Showman Fabricators
Owner: Bob Usdin
Location: Long Island City, NY
Specializes in: Scenic Design
Founded: 1986
Website: http://www.showfab.com/

Microtech

MICROTECH KNIVES:
ON THE CUTTING EDGE

Mother of Pearl, Abalone, Stingray skin, these are just a few of the exotic materials Microtech Knives incorporates into its innovative and revolutionary designs. Serving the military and law enforcement, as well as private collectors, this Pennsylvania company has a well-established reputation for pushing the boundaries of contemporary knife making, successfully re-envisioning the use of shape and form to distinguish itself as an industry leader. Founded in 1994 by Anthony Marfione, a former machinist and current master knife designer, Microtech Knives is headquarted in Bradford, Pennsylvania and has grown to include thirty employees, a third of whom operate the grinders and CNC mills used to help manufacturer the knives. Assistant Plant Manager Keith Durphy, with the company since April of 2005, has the distinction of being the sole operator of the company’s waterjet, a Model 55100 with a Tilt-A-Jet® cutting head. “I love it,” says Durphy of the 55100. “It’s so user-friendly; that’s what I find so impressive about it. It holds very close tolerances and runs flawlessly.” So flawlessly in fact, that Durphy took time out of his busy schedule to phone John Petras, OMAX head of customer service, and extol the virtues of OMAX’s JetMachining® “workhorse. Prior to purchasing their waterjet in January of this year, Microtech found itself stuck in a production bind. According to Durphy, “We had to order blades from a laser company and then wait for product to ship. With the waterjet, we have easily cut our process time in half.” OMAX came to the attention of Microtech through their milling machine distributor. “When we initially looked at OMAX, we had no idea it would save us so much time and money. But we knew the more we could do in house, the more control we could have,” says Durphy. The resultant move to a just-in-time, manufacturing option has vastly improved profitability for Microtech. Do they have plans for another machine? “Maybe down the road,” concedes Durphy. “But the one we currently have more than exceeds our expectations.”

Microtech Knives
Owner: Anthony Marfione
Location: Bradford, Pennsylvania
Specializes in: Advanced Knife Technology
Founded: 1994
Website: www.microtechknives.com/

BrydgeWorks

BRYDGE TO SUCCESS

Learn how Steve Brydge, of BrydgeWorks Waterjet Cutting Services, parlayed a visit to a trade show into a successful business. When artistic passion, family experience, and happy coincidence combine with excellent timing, business can blossom. No one knows this better than Steve Brydge of BrydgeWorks Waterjet Cutting Services. His company specializes in architectural design and industrial cutting for business, government and manufacturing. With a Model 2652 and dual-head Model 80160, BrydgeWorks machines everything from countertops and inlay floor designs to airplane control panels and government prototypes. “We started in 1999.” Brydge explains. “My wife Rebecca is an artist who works with stained glass and other media. Her father, Carl Esch, owns Select Tool & Eng. in Elkhart, Indiana, and has more than 45 years of experience in the tool and die trade. His experience and her artistic interests combined to lead us in the direction we are heading today. After seeing waterjets at a tradeshow, and seeing how the machine would work with her talents, Carl recommended the waterjet idea to us. I flew to Chicago to the trade show to research waterjets, and that was the beginning of our venture into the business.” When Brydge was introduced to the OMAX machine, a 2652, what he saw made a distinct impression. He was especially taken with the PC Controller and what it could do, and immediately envisioned how the direct drive pump could help a business decrease costs and save energy. “I was impressed by the direct drive pump and its electrical efficiency over that of the intensifier pump.” Eventually, Brydge purchased the Model 2652, with high hopes of attracting business. “We bought the machine without one job to do. We got the equipment and went out and found the work. Our employees had no waterjet experience, so we all started learning together. We became fairly familiar with using it in about six months,” he says. “It was easy to learn the software and run the machine.” BrydgeWorks only recently purchased the larger format 80160, equipping it with dual cutting heads to increase productivity. The strategy has worked well, helping the company to realize steady growth. Future plans for BrydgeWorks include possibly acquiring a Model 55100 and, of course, continued expansion. They’re quite pleased with the performance of OMAX JetMachining Centers. “I am sold on OMAX,” praises Brydge. “The advantages I have seen with the OMAX machines, as well as the superior customer service, leave me confident that we have the best machines available.”

BrydgeWorks
Owner: Steve Brydge
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Founded: 1999
Website: www.brydgeworks.com

Advanced Waterjet and Design

Verve & Vision Propel Local Fabricator into the Future

When Scott Angus began working with abrasive waterjets twelve years ago, the technology was so new, few people had heard about it or used it. Having worked with a Wire EDM CNC machine for nearly a decade, Scott instantly recognized the potential of abrasive waterjets. “Waterjets being able to cut virtually all materials seemed like a reasonable market to enter,” he says. “Also in 1995 there were few competitors.” Although the field has since widened on this still evolving technology, that hasn’t slowed Angus’ momentum. In 2005, he leveraged his extensive experience with waterjets to found his own establishment, Advanced Waterjet & Design. Scott’s business has been so successful that he currently has plans to procure a second waterjet five years down the road. Until then, he continues to fully exploit the versatility of his twin nozzle 80160, cutting just about everything that a waterjet is capable of machining, such as art, aircraft components, marble and granite, among other materials. Since beginning his business, Scott has used OMAX with several complimentary technologies, but those have often required more training to operate unlike his trusty OMAX, which is known for its intuitive, user-friendly software based on the Windows XP® operating system. “OMAX has been the most progressive and refining machine tool and software we’ve used,” praises Scott. “Originally we had to promote ourselves and the technology. Now customers do not need to be sold on the method of cutting. I’ve been very fortunate not to have to be out on the street looking for work.” What does Scott Angus love most about OMAX? “Local business, real people, emerging technology.” Enough said.

Advanced Waterjet & Design
Owner: Scott Angus
Location: Kent, WA
Specializes in: Kitchen design work
Founded: 1995 by Scott Angus
Website: www.advancedwaterjet.com

Aquajet Art

"Our business reputation is built on providing the best quality product to our customers. The precision, efficiency, and dependability of the OMAX is vital to our business."

	Ken Strub Aquajet Art Escondido, CA

"There is no better method in the world that makes it possible to create these 'crazy design motorcycles' to which I give the credit directly back to OMAX."

Mike Brown, Owner, Amen Motorcycles http://www.amenmotorcycles.com Rogersville, TN

"A new level of artistic expression in stone and steel was made possible with the introduction of an OMAX^® abrasive waterjet system at our Northern California facility six years ago. Their innovative products combine performance, precision and reliability, and their staff provide a level of technical support that is second to none."

Gino Rinaldi, Sr. President, Gino Rinaldi, Inc. Royal Oaks, California

"The software is very friendly and usable—it is incredible. When quoting a customer's project they have been totally intrigued with the simplicity of the OMAX software. We use all the utilities, but especially the Watcher feature because of its ability to turn off one of our four OMAX machines from our desk. The Intelli-MAX™ feature allows me to trim a 28 hour part to a 17 hours part, which saves us time and money.

I advertise having the Tilt-A-Jet^® for cutting tight tolerance, however when quoting a specific project, I can use it as my secret weapon to meet my customer's accuracy guidelines. This allows me to produce taper-free parts."

"Once the OMAX^® was installed, I read through the tutorial on the Software and utilizing my Auto CAD background I was able to cut parts without any difficulty. I found the software was intuitive enough to start cutting from day one of owning our OMAX.

The Tilt-A-Jet^® has been rock solid for us. We are able to download drawings into the software and within an hour cutting a perfect part with no taper eliminating secondary processes."

"The software is very simple to use. 3-D Path Editor allows us to cut a 3-D part that would normally require secondary machining. The ability to import from virtually any CAD system saves us time and money. It allows us to go from file to finished product in very few steps.
The Tilt-A-Jet^® gives us the edge over the competition. It can deliver parts with virtually no taper. It makes us more profitable because it eliminates secondary machining.

Everyone who sees my machine in action has commented on how quiet it is compared to other machines they have been around. One customer went as far as to bring in his decimeter to show me that our machine was running a full 30 decibels quieter than the last place he was taking his work. With our OMAX^® Machine doing its job, it seems like we are quickly becoming the preferred waterjet cutting source for all our customers. I can’t say enough times “thank you” for helping us to show our customers how abrasivejet cutting can make a huge impact on their ability to compete in today’s market."

"We do a lot of industrial accounts and custom tooling for the aircraft industry now ... when we bought the waterjet, we didn't imagine those options. It's developed into a lot of work for us."

"The reason we chose OMAX in particular was the software and the support. It's really made taking on new kinds of jobs very simple. They are the best machine manufacturer I've ever dealt with in regards to standing behind their products and customer service.
"It was very easy for my sons and me to learn. It's simple enough to use that we can have one operator run two machines at once.

"We cut stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, Inconel®, polypropylene, and wood with the OMAX. We're doing a lot of architectural metawork. Today's market requires odd shapes and designs, and the waterjet has been great for that — it has gotten us into the market."

"We were concerned that OMAX could maintain the quality of cut on both sides. Once they proved to us that they could cut this vane, that was the selling point. It's like light years ahead of how we were doing it. The waterjet does it in four minutes. Laser couldn't cut the hollow cavity accurately.

We're able to cut a lot of small holes in tight tolerance in very thin material, which no one can do as well as we can with our OMAX."

"...Since there's no heat affected zone, there are no secondary operations involved, so it's a much quicker process."

"Customer service is very good. We get responses to questions and follow-ups immediately."

"I don't usually get involved, unless the situation is critical. But every time I've had to call, someone's there to help us. The customer service has been very helpful.

OMAX customer service has walked us through even basic stuff, because we were novice users. Once you have the parts on hand, it's easy to keep the machine up and running."

"They always ask us to send back the replaced parts to see how they failed, so they can show us better ways to do things. They help us with spare parts for our machine, letting us know when they need replacing, and making sure we always have on hand what we need."

Pro Cutting

"Walk through a Las Vegas mega-resort and Omax technology surrounds you. The level of innovation and design can certainly be challenging, plus casino clients submit jobs in a wide variety of formats with demands for 24-hour turn-around. We can't gamble. We only have one shot to get it right, so we rely heavily on the flexibility and accuracy of OMAX software for importing and converting a wide variety of files."

Charlie Smith, Owner
Pro Cutting
Las Vegas, NV