Guide on how to use the ProtoMAX water jet in the Richards shop.
https://www.omax.com/en/us/protomax-waterjet
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Open your part in SolidWorks and save as a .dxf with the outline of what you want cut out
Open ProtoMAX LAYOUT
Go to File > Open Import from other CAD and open the .dxf you just saved
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Make sure the part looks correct
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Now you have to make the toolpath. Click L on your keyboard to activate the line command because you’re going to be using this a lot.
Click somewhere off of your part and then click the point on your part where you want the cut to start. Notice how the toolpath line is green.
Continue drawing lines to connect every cut in your part like the one below. (If you have a super complex part with a ton of cutouts you can use the AutoPath option but then you might have to tweak a few lines to make it good. With simple parts like this its best to just do it manually so you know the start and end are where you want them)
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Right click on Quality > All > 5. To set your part to the highest quality cut. Your part will turn blue (not picutred)
Click the AutoPath command to generate a toolpath. Lead in/outs will be orange and traverses (nozzle moves but isn’t cutting) will be green.
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You can move or swap the direction of lead ins/outs by right clicking on the Lead i/o tool.
Ctrl s to save and leave the name and location as default (this saves the toolpath setup in case you need to go back and change something later. it does not change your dxf)
Click on the Post button on the right and then select which of the two end points of the toolpath that you want as to be the start.
Make sure that all of your cuts are highlighted in red and that the green path still looks correct.
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red highlighting (cut) is
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on the correct side of the
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Click save
Cut on the Machine
part lines
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The starting point that you selected will also be the zero/origin point that you set in the waterjet. I normally will delete the two long green lines (start and end points) in the above screenshot to make them a bit shorter and set the starting point to a convenient location to reference on the stock in the waterjet.
Click save. This will create a .omx file save in the same folder where your .dxf is saved. Put this .omx file on a USB drive and bring to the waterjet.
Cut on the Machine
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if you ever see water coming out of the garnet tube on the left side near the hopper of garnet stop the machine right away |
Message Abby Speckhals in slack to get trained on the waterjet in-person. The steps below can serve as a refresher for people who are already trained.
Turn on the machine with the switch on the right side.
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Jog the nozzle using the arrow keys to put it where you want the path zero to be then click zero for the Path Start position.
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do dry run
set z height
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Right click on Begin Machining > Begin. Right click on Start > Dry run at full speed. Make sure the nozzle won’t hit any work holding.
Loosen the black knob and use the 0.075” feeler gauge to set the nozzle height to 0.075” above the material.
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Make sure the garnet tube is connected to nozzle head and flip lemon yellow guard down.
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close lid
runClose lid
Begin Machining > Start. Make sure you can see the red garnet going through the tube from the hopper into the machine.
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rinse Rinse part and take it out
How to Unclog the Nozzle
disconnect abrasive Tell Abby Speckhals if this happens so someone can help if its you’re first time encountering this problem
Disconnect garnet tube from nozzle head and from hopper
make sure garnet is dry still
blow out the bottom of the hopper with an air hose to make sure its dry and unclogged
reinstall hopper to machine
blow air through the abrasive Blow air through the garnet tube from the hopper side to the nozzle side to get any water out
pull lemon Pull yellow guard down and off use allen key of the nozzle
Use green-handled in-line torque wrench to loosen thumb screw and wiggle the nozzle out
run a test cut to clear out head of waterjet. make Make sure machine head is positioned between two slats of the bedreinstall . Run a cutting head test to clear out head of waterjet. You should still have the garnet line disconnected so just water is pushed through.
Reinstall nozzle upside down in the head of the machine. tighten Tighten thumb screw run a test cut with the torque wrench.
Run another cutting head test to clear out the nozzle. make Make sure the flow appears uniform.
reinstall Reinstall nozzle correctly in the machinerun . Reconnect the garnet tubes.
Run a final cutting head test making sure you see garnet being sucked through the tube from the hopper.
If you still do not see garnet in the tube, there is probably a water clog at the bottom of the hopper. Take the hopper off of its mount and dump the garnet on the top that is definitely dry back into the bucket of extra garnet. Discard the small amount of garnet at the bottom that might be wet. Use the air gun to blow out the metal attachment at the bottom of the hopper.
Fusible Link Settings
Place a piece of 1/16” thick aluminum under the fusible link nickel stock to be the sacrificial layer. Set the material to 0.004” thick Aluminum 6061.
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Carbon Fiber Settings
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The more plies in a layup, the greater the risk of delamination during waterjetting. If this is a concern, drill starting holes prior to waterjetting to reduce the risk. |
All tests cut a
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2 Ply 3K 2x2 Twill Weave Panel
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Settings | Value |
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Line Quality | 5 |
Material | Carbon Fiber Laminate |
Thickness | 0.035 (check Carbon Fiber Reference Values) |
Measured Diameter:
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Measured Length:
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Clean edges, no warping or delamination.
2 Ply 3K 2x2 Twill Weave Honeycomb Core Panel
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Settings | Value |
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Line Quality | 5 |
Material | Carbon Fiber Laminate |
Thickness | 0.26 (check Carbon Fiber Reference Values) |
Measured Diameter:
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Measured Length:
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Topmost skin cut cleanly. The honeycomb core deflected the water a bit causing ridges on the bottom skin. Recommend sanding down after cutting.