Re: PO BOY Water Jetter ????

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Ken Campbell" <deltainc@...>
wrote:

>
> Hi peeples: we are a ma/pa shop that occasionally cuts some thin ( 1/8
> inch ) graphite/composite sheet the hard way ... with an old Boss4
> Bridgeport and a speeder head at about 10 K rpm with a 1/8 carbide

pin that

> has to be replaced about every 30 inches.
>
> Cant afford a pro water jet cutter, but it seems there should be

some way to

> crutch up a head that could go on a DIY xy (z? ) table to do

lightweight

> water cutting .......
>
> ***********
>
> If seals are the $$$$ problem, how about encapsulating a cam-push pump
> inside a reservoir and just let it leak a little bit ...
>
> ... if need be, the injection could be timed with the software to
> synchronize with the stepper movement to give a smoother cut ...
>
> how about using fuel injection injectors or bodies for the jet

nozzles? pop

> pop pop ... hey, we are talking PO BOYS Crutched Up Miracle Machine

here ...

>
> *******
> Heh, if any of you have ever routed graphite sheet, you will

understand the

> desperation to find a better way. dirty itchy dangerous to lungs ...
>
> Anyone solved this already ???
>
> regards, ken campbell, deltainc-usa.com
>

Ken: This has been discussed and speculated on several times on this
and other lists. The base problems are that you need a lot (40,000
PSI) to push the volume of media throught the tiny oriface. That
means big pumps, 3 phase power and a commercial location. In addition
you will be giving up one messy operation for another. The AWJ uses
special media and water. It gets contaminated with the materials you
cut so recycling is tedious and expensive. Most shops just collect it
and don't try to recycle it. In a lot of areas you cannot just dump
the waste outside or in the drain. All the hoses and fittings have to
be super high pressure as well.

I'm just not sure how well you can scale the process. If you use
conventional tips then they are made for the higher pressures. If you
use something else you will proabably have to make it yourself and
there will be a lot of experimenting.

I would love to have an AWJ in the shop but I would first have to move
my shop to a big city to get enough 3 phase power then suffer through
all the big city regulations! Kinda like the 2 KW laser I found
locally (in Dallas) for 200 bucks. It was the size of a small house
and it sucked 50 to 100KW off the line. I don't think my 5HP 3 phase
rotary converter out here in the country would have handled it (:-o