Specialty Precision Fabrication Shop Grows with Waterjets

Precision Waterjet Concepts Inc. (Pequot Lakes, MN) uses their third waterjet cutting system from Jet Edge Inc. (St. Michael, MN) at their full-service 5-axis and 3-axis waterjet cutting facility in Northern Minnesota. The thriving water jet cutting service features three 3-axis waterjet systems and three 5-axis waterjet systems.

This system is a 4 ft x 4 ft Jet Edge High Rail Gantry equipped with four abrasive jet cutting heads. The system is powered by a 150 hp Jet Edge waterjet intensifier pump. The company also has a Jet Edge Mid Rail Gantry capable of processing materials up to 8 ft x 13 ft and a Jet Edge High Rail Gantry capable of processing materials up to 9 ft x 13 ft, as well as three 5-axis waterjets which process materials up to 144 in x 96 in x 36 in.

An ISO9001:2008-certified company, Precision Waterjet Concepts serves a wide variety of customers nationwide and cuts virtually any material, specializing in AR Plating and titanium.

http://youtu.be/xTrL0-aZg7Y
A demonstration of a 21 ft x 13 ft Jet Edge Mid Rail Gantry.

The company has grown an average of 20 percent to 30 percent each year since opening in 2002 and has had to relocate three times to accommodate its growth, said Joe Quaal, the company president. In 2008, the company built a state-of-the-art 19,000 sq ft headquarters in Pequot Lakes, designing it especially for the waterjet cutting process and for future growth.

Quaal attributes his company’s success to an overall increase in awareness about waterjet technology as well as to his company’s commitment to quality and its full-service solutions approach that includes CNC programming, intricate 3D cutting, high-volume 2D cutting, CMM inspection, final machining and welding. The company even machines its own 5-axis fixtures on a vertical machining center to ensure parts are cut to customer specification.

Precision Waterjet Concepts originally started as a 5-axis only shop, but added its first Jet Edge 3-axis waterjet system in 2006 after determining that many customers also needed high-volume parts cutting services that were impractical on a 5-axis system.

“We chose Jet Edge for our 3-axis systems because they are easier to run and maintain than the competitor systems that we looked at, plus we were looking for a manufacturer in Minnesota that could get someone in here quick if there was a problem,” Quaal said. He also noted that his Jet Edge intensifier pumps have been much less expensive to maintain than a competitor pump that powers his 5-axis systems.

“Our Jet Edge pumps cost 20 percent less to maintain than our other pump because the seals are less expensive. The seal life is similar, but we save $8,000 to $9,000 a year. The Jet Edge iP60-150s are the best thing on the market. I will keep putting them in.”

In addition to its 3-axis waterjet systems, Jet Edge offers its Mid Rail Gantry system with Permalign EDGE® taper control and bevel cutting capabilities.

Precision Waterjet Concepts, Inc., 3414 Rosewood Street, Pequot Lakes, MN 56472, 218-568-5052, www.waterjetconcepts.com.

Jet Edge, Inc., 12070 43rd Street N.E., St. Michael, MN 55376-8427, 800-538-3343, [email protected], www.jetedge.com.