Missouri S&T Wins Waterjet

Representatives from Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T; Rolla, MO), WARDJet, Inc. (Talmadge, OH) and Hypertherm Inc. (Hanover, NH) gathered at the Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center (RMERC; Rolla, MO) on the Missouri S&T campus to inaugurate the new WARDKit 5×5 waterjet cutting system. Unlike the other machinery in the RMERC lab, this waterjet was won by a student team at the recent IMTS 2016 trade show. The group had traveled to McCormick Place in Chicago to participate in WARDJet’s Build It! Challenge competition that was organized in association with the Smartforce Student Summit, which was established to provide a forum for students, parents and educators to discover and use technologies utilized in advanced manufacturing.

During Build It! Challenge over 200 individuals registered for one-hour time slots to build components of a waterjet cutting system. The competition engaged teams of mechatronics students in a hands-on experience that required them to assemble a high-end waterjet system. Students who participated in the build-off competition were then entered in a drawing to win the very waterjet they had worked on to assemble for their school’s machining lab, valued at approximately $89,000.

The Missouri S&T team consisted of Jay Schafler, a graduate student in explosives, mining and nuclear engineering; Marty Langenderfer, a senior in mining and nuclear engineering; John Rueschmann, a senior in mechanical engineering; all led by a research engineering technician, Jeff Heniff.

The new waterjet was equipped with a 30 hp 60,000 psi pump that will replace a decades-old waterjet table with the latest technology. This new technology was demonstrated during the machine inauguration ceremony by cutting official S&T gear medallions. WARDJet owner Richard Ward was in attendance to award the grand prize waterjet, as well as Jay Kobzik of Hypertherm, which generously donated the pump for the system. School chancellor Dr. Cheryl Schrader and other administrators were also in attendance to help cut the ceremonial ribbon. Schrader, Ward and the RMERC staff each offered a few words of congratulations to the student team for securing the prize for the waterjet lab.

WARDJet was excited to see the impact this event had on educating students and pleased to provide this piece of high quality, American-made technology for the next generation of engineers, and looks forward to seeing how Missouri S&T is able to use their new waterjet in valuable research over the coming years.

www.mst.edu, www.wardjet.com, www.hypertherm.com