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CarbonXtreme . Midland Helicopters . HeliProz

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CAD - Engineering - Technical > How much would a waterjet be?
 
 
Crashr30
Senior Heliman
Location: DFW

I would like to consider buying a waterjet to start a small business. I need a small machine, not any of the monsters that I have found. A 4'x4' table would big for what I need. Can you recommend any machines, and just how much do these things cost. I know they use the machines for PC boards but who makes a machine that small. Used equipment would be fine. I will not be doing anything thing thicker than 8-10 mm. Mostly I want to cut carbon. Thanks in advance for the input.
08-23-2006 Over year old.
 
 
TMoore
rrProfessor
Location: Cookeville, TN

Good luck cutting Carbon with a WJ. I've got access to the best WJ's on the planet and if I could have cut CF with it I would have done it years ago. You are better off using a router or a Vertical Machining Center.

TM
08-23-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
stickyfox
Key Veteran
Location: Troy, NY, US

What problems have you had cutting carbon fiber? We cut it every day here. (I'm not asking to be a smartass, I just want to know because I have a theory about cutting CF on a waterjet.)

-fox
08-23-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Timg
Heliman
Location: Littleton, CO, USA

From what I have seen they start out at about $60K - $70K for a small abrasive water jet with no extra features.
08-23-2006 Over year old.
 
 
TMoore
rrProfessor
Location: Cookeville, TN

Splaying on the edges is the number one problem that I've seen. The aircraft industry won't accept CF cut on a WJ unless it's for trim purposes, otherwise there would be a lot more of them out there.

TM
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
stickyfox
Key Veteran
Location: Troy, NY, US

Well that's what I was thinking, that the pressure would delaminate it. But we're cutting it all the time, and I've checked out some of the samples and it seems to work.

I'm told that they need to use a special abrasive for it, but I'm not sure how true that is. I've never actually witnessed it being cut.

-fox
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
TMoore
rrProfessor
Location: Cookeville, TN

I sell Jet Edge water jets and Jet Edge builds the finest pumps and heads that I've ever seen. Some of the competitors even use their pumps and heads.

The performance depends on the thickness of the CF to cut. The WJ works on some thickness' but not on the range that you will encounter in the job shop world.

TM
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
stickyfox
Key Veteran
Location: Troy, NY, US

We've got a Flow, and the stuff we typically cut is perfect for helis; between 1/8" and 1/4" thick. Don't think I haven't been sorely tempted.

-fox
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
KCT
Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Cutting CF, FR4 or G10 for that matter can ber very tricky on a WJ.
consistant quality can not really be guaranteed since delamination
may occure along side the cutting edges.
As mentioned, miling would yield much better quality.

Cheers

Kay


That's not flying, that's crashing with style...

TeamBob00, WildCat, Helitron
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Crashr30
Senior Heliman
Location: DFW

SO....

So then would you say that all the various carbon parts for our machines are cut with a router/vertical mill vs. waterjet. The reason I ask is I see some very tight/sharp inside corners that I can only envision being cut with a water jet.

I am a novice at all this if you haven't guessed.
08-24-2006 Over year old.
 
 
TMoore
rrProfessor
Location: Cookeville, TN

Most of the tight stuff is done with a .062" diameter endmill. This leaves a .031" corner rad.

TM
08-24-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
SSN Pru
Elite Veteran
Location: Massachusetts

airbus is using abrasive waterjet cutting for carbonfiberr panels on thier a380. i read about it in a manufacturing engineering magazine. i think they add aluminum oxide to the water stream.


pru

If you avoid failure, you also avoid success.
09-09-2006 Over year old.
 
 
Beezer
Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Can CF be cut with a CNC laser?
I have a CNC router at home but haven't cut any CF on it yet. Just wood and delrin sheet. Would like to try it sometime but need to find some CF sheet material.
09-29-2006 Over year old.
 
 
OT45
Senior Heliman
Location: Kingston, NY

I have tried cutting CF with a CO2 laser. It did not work. The beam gets absorbed. Maybe YAG or higher wattage laser? Milling/routing as mentioned before works fine. Just use a good dust collector to keep dust to a minimum. It's not good to breathe and it's conductive...

scratch building is not just for planks
10-02-2006 Over year old.
 
 
stickyfox
Key Veteran
Location: Troy, NY, US

I thought you want the beam to be absorbed. Is it being scattered or something weird like that?

-fox
10-02-2006 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
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