Many people believe that high-volume output from a water jet cutting system depends solely on faster cutting speeds, larger pumps, and more horsepower. While that combination makes sense for NASCAR or Formula 1, it falls well short of creating a system that can reliably and consistently maximize a water jet's output.
It’s more involved than a singular “more power” approach. It requires the skillful integration of four independent elements, something we call the Four Pillars of High-Volume Cutting. Those four pillars are:
- Machine Configuration
- Durability & 24/7 Capability
- Operations & Automation
- Maintenance & Support for Extreme Uptime
In part 1 of our 4 part series on high-volume cutting, we’ll explore machine configuration.
Machine Configuration in High-Volume Water Jet Cutting
It may sound obvious, but if you don’t configure your water jet for extreme production, it won’t deliver the serious production-level output you need. Let’s take a moment and discuss what we mean by production. In short, “Production is achieved when the water jet operates uninterrupted, producing a high volume of parts, maximizing throughput because you program your water jet, set up material supply and parts offloading, then turn it loose.”
The best jobs for production configuration are long runs of the same or similar parts.
Most water jets begin their product lives as precision cutting and machining tools, like a Swiss Army Knife: they can cut nearly everything and are fairly simple to set up for different jobs compared to other cutting technologies. This configuration is batch-oriented rather than production-oriented.
The five elements of production configuration are:
- Cutting Method Strategy
- Multiple Cutting Heads
- Proper Machine Size & Architecture
- Pump Size Selection
- Continuous Programming & Part Queuing
Let’s look at each element in turn.
Cutting Method Strategy
The first step in building the Machine Configuration Pillar is to determine your cutting method based on the type of material being cut. To maximize your throughput, you will need to make decisions on the following:
- Does the material require abrasive or water only?
- Have the process parameters been optimized to ensure the correct balance of edge quality and speed?
- What is the optimal orifice and nozzle size?
To answer these questions, enrich your in-house expertise with recommendations from trusted vendors. And perhaps most importantly, make test cuts using varying combinations until the perfect results are dialed in.
High-Volume Insight: You’ll want to get this just right, as configuration is a key driver for cut efficiency
Multiple Cutting Heads
If your water jet setup has the proper rail-and-gantry architecture to support multiple-head cutting, or can be adapted to handle multiple heads, this is a great way to multiply your output. Your options for multiple heads include double, triple and quad heads, as well as parallel cutting setups.
The key benefit of multiple-head setups is cutting more parts in a single pass, which leads to increased output and reduced per-part costs. Add CAD-driven nesting and common-edge cutting, and you further help the bottom line by minimizing scrap losses.
You can determine an optimal number of heads by looking at your typical workpiece size compared to the size of parts you are commonly producing, i.e. how many can fit across the sheet or web. If you have a range of sizes to consider, it is good to opt for a configuration that allows adjustment of head spacing / location, and to remember that individual heads can be selected to run from within the program. This means that while for some smaller parts you may want to run 8 heads, for a larger part perhaps you will shift the head positions and run only 3 heads. It is also good to consider, as many high-volume producers do, that you may be able to place more than one work piece on your table, potentially increasing the number of cutting heads that can be producing parts simultaneously.
High-Volume Insight: Using a single-head solution amounts to leaving output on the cutting table.
Proper Machine Size & Architecture
Selecting the optimal machine size and architecture is fairly straightforward, but there are a few considerations that are not always evaluated.
If you have a standard raw material size, it is easy to understand that your machine must be at least big enough to process that size workpiece, but it is also common for high-volume producers to consider arrangements with multiple work-pieces placed on the table at one time.
For example, if you are always handling common US workpiece sizes like 4 x 8 and 5 x 10 sheets, then a common configuration like a Mid-Rail 5’ x 10’ table may be an easy choice. Mid-Rail machines are frequently configured with 2 cutting heads, and depending on your situation, that may be a good option. However, if you would benefit from the higher productivity achieved by 4, 8, 12 or some other number of cutting heads, opting for a High-Rail configuration is generally the right answer.
Another benefit of the High-Rail configuration for high-volume applications is accessibility to the work envelope from all four sides. This can improve ergonomics for operators who can access parts from any side or can allow for ease of automation integration.
High-Volume Insight: High-rail systems support large-format production and high-volume production. They are designed with special attention to structural rigidity, including the use of spreader bars and stronger gantry designs.
Pump Size Selection
Selecting the proper pump size is not overly complicated, but requires knowledge of a few specific factors for your situation – the production process parameters (namely orifice size & operating pressure) combined with the optimal number of cutting heads for your situation. Using this information, the necessary size of the Intensifier Pump can be determined, along the lines of what was described in this blog.
For example, if you’ve determined that you need to power 8 cuttings heads running .007” orifices operating of 55k psi, this will place you in a Hero100 pump. Alternatively, this pump could be used to run 3 cutting heads running .012” orifice size at the same pressure.
High-Volume Insight: Pump size selection is a straightforward exercise, but benefits from working with an OEM partner producing a wide range of pump sizes to ensure you get the system you need, not just the only one they sell.
Continuous Programming and Part Queuing
Reaching production-rate throughput also requires programming your CAD/CAM software to queue multiple parts or nested cuts and then scheduling them in a specific order. The program is fed to the controller, which executes the queued items back-to-back, eliminating idle time between cuts. We have standardized on IGEMS software for our CAD/CAM needs. IGEMS has this to say about the value of continuous cutting and part queuing:
“When combined with automatic nesting and optimized toolpaths, queuing supports long, uninterrupted cutting runs”
Put simply, part queuing keeps the machine cutting instead of waiting.
If you can pair part queuing with automatic stock supply to the cutting table, you're on the cusp of 24/7 unattended cutting, the mark of maximum production throughput.
High-Volume Insight: Programming and software plays a big part into the overall efficiency and productivity that is achieved in the real world.
High Volume is Engineered, Not Assumed
The bottom line is that high-volume production and continuous operation don’t just happen. They are the result of meticulous engineering, manufacturing, installation, configuration, operation, and maintenance. It’s engineered, not assumed.
Get the four pillars of optimal configuration, industrial-grade durability, process automation, and unstinting maintenance, combining on-site and structured OEM support, and you’ll turn your water jet cutting system into a high-volume powerhouse.
Want to learn more about the four pillars? We’re ready to help. Contact us online or call today at 1-800-538-3343 (US) or +1-763-497-8700 (Internationally). We look forward to helping you.
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