How sub-contractor has boosted business through
innovative and cost-saving waterjet cutting technology

A recently-established West Yorkshire engineering sub-contractor is already extending the scope of this fast-growing business through imaginative use of its newly-acquired waterjet cutting installation.

New applications
After five years as managing director of Water Jet Sweden (UK), Chris Baker might have been forgiven for thinking that he's seen just about every task this modern process can be applied to. However, start-up company Creative Water Jet in West Yorkshire, under the direction of owner-manager, Richard Miles, is already proving otherwise by creating a host of totally-fresh and sometimes quite innovative ways of applying the water jet principle.

From profiling training knives for martial arts devotees to making carbon fibre nuts and working with materials as diverse as bamboo, through iron balustrades, right on up to 200mm-thick titanium, this sub-contractor's Waterjet Sweden NC 3015 profiler has proven to be an instant success.

Breakthrough
In one application a requirement for cutting out a small 3D panel in automotive roofs, to permit the insertion of an optional extra for customers, posed a problem. This was because it meant cutting through a radius and from one plane to another. In spite of not having the benefit of WJS's latest 'Beveljet' 5-axis option on his profiler, Richard proved the reality of his company's 'Creative' claim by combining the use of the equipment's programmable nozzle height with a smart way of presenting the component to the water jet thus providing a perfect solution to the problem.

A fresh philosophy
Often one of the first questions prospective customers ask of a water jet sub-contractor, especially those in the engineering sector, is, "What accuracy can you provide". Richard Miles could readily quote the basic +/- 0.1mm offered by the Waterjet Sweden equipment, but prefers instead to simply offer to meet customer's requirements whatever they may be, since rarely do customers require accuracy to this level.  He asks only that the customer lets him have the drawing for the part and a quotation will then be forthcoming.

In the event of a required tolerance being tighter than can be achieved solely by use of the waterjet profiler, Richard Miles will take responsibility for supplying the part to the specification regardless.

Pictures top right: An overall view of the Water Jet Sweden NC3015 in operation at Creative Waterjet showing its compact nature and clean operating environment. Below right: An overall view of the Water Jet Sweden NC3015 in operation at Creative Waterjet showing its compact nature and clean operating environment. Richard Miles, owner-manager of Creative Waterjet, checks progress of a complex nested profiling program on his newly-acquired WJS NC 3015 profiler.

This is achieved by involving a suitable 'strategic partner' company to carry out any necessary machining or finishing operation and saves the customer from having to deal with more than one service provider. Some post-profiling operations are now carried out in-house.

In this way the customer still gets the benefits of the cost-savings offered by utilizing the waterjet process for what often accounts for 90 per cent of the total work involved.

Not only are the carbon-fibre nuts, mentioned earlier, a case in point, the threads being tapped by Creative in house, this highlights another important aspect of the Waterjet Sweden equipment - economic viability.  Although the NC 3015 has a cutting table capable of accepting sheet as large as 3 x 1,5m, the small nuts are fashioned from short narrow bars of material, and yet they can be produced at a price attractive enough to satisfy both the customer and the provider.

Complete sets of parts
Another innovative development of this theme has been to supply complete sets of parts, largely produced on the NC 3015, in bespoke tote bins, all neatly-presented ready for instant assembly into the customer's product.

Richard Miles sees the present economic climate as being full of opportunities for companies such as his that, having equipped themselves with the best new technology available, are marketing imaginatively.

Pictured above left: A specially-adapted tote bin containing a complete set of components, largely produced on the WJS profiler at Creative Waterjet, and presented ready for assembly into a customer's product. Right: A complex stainless steel profiling job is this disc that is one of a stack of several used within large industrial heat exchangers.

For instance, there is business to be had from manufacturers who have been forced to cut back and who, instead of buying-in large quantities as in the past, now want smaller batches, but with shorter lead times - something that their traditional suppliers cannot do economically.

To further this competitive approach stocks of the most-commonly used materials are held in sheet form to meet urgent delivery requests, sometimes as short as 24 hours.  More normal are two weeks from drawing to manufacture. With a strong re-order pattern emerging, says Richard Miles: "Such is the business potential using this kind of marketing philosophy, we are now actively seeking a good sales engineer to take advantage of the situation and create further growth. It is interesting to note that, even in these times, after presenting a solid business plan, we had no difficulty in securing the necessary finance to acquire the Waterjet Sweden equipment".

WJS choice
Full advantage of the waterjet's advanced control system capabilities has been taken by having two pairs of heads fitted, each pair comprising of one pure waterjet and one abrasive head. Not only does this duality permit the production of parts on a two-up basis for routine higher productivity, but a switch from one mode to the other can be made instantly should the workload require introducing much greater operational flexibility.

Richard Miles readily acknowledges the vital part played by his Waterjet Sweden profiler in forming the backbone of the business and declares himself totally satisfied with his choice. Having previously worked for two well-established profiling companies in West Yorkshire, he not only gained a good insight into the various markets that could be served, but also gained practical experience of a number of different suppliers of such equipment.

Nevertheless, before choosing to buy from Water Jet Sweden, he made a thorough re-assessment of all leading brands available, but this only served to confirm his belief that the WJS package, with its use of a top-level (KMT) intensifier for the 3,600 bar operating pressure needed, plus a CNC control system acclaimed worldwide in Fanuc GE's 18i MB CNC, he would have the best possible chance of success. He says:  "Nobody else can offer the accuracy and good all-round construction, plus a spares and service backup that is amongst the best in the world".

On the topic of reliability, Richard likes to highlight the profiler's remote control capabilities and the fact that it safely can be left to run for eight hours in its 'lights-out' mode, thanks to a text with his mobile that enables him to check its status and to be alerted should anything require attention. "It's great to be able to relax in the evening", he says, "knowing that the WJS machine is keeping itself busy earning us money!" 

Picture shows: Richard Miles, owner-manager of Creative Waterjet, in W Yorks, at the controls of his new WJS NC 3015 profiler.

For further information on the WJS NC 3015 Proflier, waterjet cutting machine from Water Jet Sweden, e-mail: info@wjsuk.com

LT Rack Sentry® -- cold room/freezer rack protection

Protecting pallet racks in cold rooms or freezers (down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit) is newly possible with LT Rack Sentry®, a reformulation of the energy absorbing rack protectors pioneered by Sentry Protection Products that is specifically engineered to absorb collision impacts in colder evironments. 

Rack Sentry LT makes the troublesome steel protectors used in many cold storage environments obsolete, and provides a low-cost virtually zero maintenance way to protect racks, inventory, lift trucks and workers operating in cold room or freezer room environments from collision damages.

Jim Ryan, General Manager of Sentry Protection Products explains: "Rack Sentry® has changed rack pallet upright protection for worldwide plants, warehouses, retailers, wholesalers, distribution centers and hospitals, among others.  Before Rack Sentry was introduced, the only method used to protect racks involved using steel protectors bolted to floors, which more often than not damaged floors when there were collision impacts---sometimes irreparably. The unique composite materials in the original Rack Sentry effectively absorb impacts and return to shape again and again without damage.  However, use of Rack Sentry was limited to normal temperature environments where the energy absorbing formulation retained this ability to return to shape.  Now, after considerable research and testing, Rack Sentry LT has been developed to work in colder environments without becoming brittle or losing effectiveness. Rack Sentry LT installations can be expected to help many with cold rooms or freezer storage significantly cut operating costs by eliminating repair costs to structures, lift trucks, rack uprights and making collision-caused workers comp incidents a thing of the past."

Rack Sentry LT is available in the same size ranges as the original Rack Sentry, including 3" (75 mm), 3.25 " (80 mm), 3.5 " (90 mm), and 4" (100 mm) widths.  Rack Sentry LT is also available in the unique End and Cut-out varieties configured for use on uprights with low horizontal beams.   

Sentry Products created the first patented solution for column protection in 1998 and now is the world leader in patented high performance collision protection products.  Product inquiries can be directed to: Sentry Protection Products, 16927 Detroit Avenue Ste.3, Lakewood, OH 44107 USA, Tel: +1-216-228-3200, Fax: +1-216-228-3214, US 1-888-265-8660, e-mail: info@sentrypro.com or view website: www.sentrypro.com