LOCATE
SUPPLIES
A Division of Locate Supplies Ltd
Drawing, CAD & Nesting.
What is waterjet cutting & what can we cut?
OUR SERVICES
Waterjet cutting takes an electronic drawing or CAD file and cuts out the desired shapes by means of high pressured water and sand. It can cut almost any material, there is no heat involved, it is highly accurate and has a multitude of cut finishes depending on the quality required.
Our machines can cut up to 125mm thick material and have the ability to cut reflective materials such as brass and copper. As there is no heat involved in the process it is also ideal for profiling plastics. Waterjet cutting is generally faster and cheaper than laser cutting on material 5mm thick and over, providing a much better quality of finish whilst not work hardening the product.
We can cut almost anything! Seriously, we really can. So far we have successfully cut aluminium, bronze, brass, stainless steel, mild steel, copper, titanium, carbon fibre, nylon, Lexan, polyethylene, acrylic, rubber, tufnol, ceramic & wood just to name a few. We can even cut certain parts out of glass!
Our qualified CAD draughtsman coupled with the latest waterjet drawing and nesting software means your safe in the knowledge that your components arrive exactly as you expect them. It also means we can save you money by nesting each component inside each other to save on material costs.
We accept the industry standard .dxf and .dwg files but can also draw up your drawing or component if you don't have a CAD file for it.
Experience is key in the waterjet industry and between us we have over 10 years of hands on experience. We know the quirks and how to get around them which helps when figuring out the best way to cut parts out of different materials.
Top of the range Dell Precision dual screen pc's help us draw more efficiently as well as being able to quote multiple jobs at the same time.
We live and breathe waterjetting. If it's a slightly unusual request we will take on the challenge when others won't. Experience has taught us that waterjet machines can sometimes be temperamental. This is why we have linked our high pressure pumps together so that any of our pumps can work any of our machines. This means you can relax in the knowledge that your job will be finished on time, no matter what.
We also have cnc drilling capability specifically for materials which are laminated. Without a drill they can crack and de-laminate but by drilling a small hole first, the machine can then pierce inside the hole and start cutting without any issues. This service is available at no extra cost!
We are prepared to put the extra in, if you need some parts urgently and it means us staying late to cut them, then that's what we will do.
In June 2014 we moved into our new purpose built waterjet cutting buidling which shows our commitment to providing the very best facilities in the industry.
Waterjetting has different cut qualities depending on the application. It is also of much better quality than laser or plasma cut components.
For most of our customer's going down the waterjet route means no more expensive machining of the entire component. Our customers find the quality and edge finish of waterjet cutting is so good that it minimizes finish machining and often isn't necessary at all. We quote an industry standard of +/- 0.25mm for everyday jobs but this can be much tighter with a better cut quality.
We cut all our parts on chipboard for protection and use a higher standard cut finish than our competitors.
Edge rounding is a new service we can offer on our parts which eliminates sharp edges and creates a better finish ready for painting - See below...
We have our own delivery vehicles meaning if you are local we can get your parts to your door even quicker. We pride ourselves on quality and speed of delivery.
Odd requests, drilling & our passion.
Cut quality, tolerances, edge rounding & delivery.
Here's a quick summary of what we do and how we can improve your business. Remember:
We have the material in stock ready for next day delivery. How's that for service!
Micro Cutting
We now have micro waterjet cutting facilities. (July 2014) This new process uses a tiny 0.3mm nozzle and extremely fine sand to create very high tolerance parts in sizes previously unheard of in the waterjet industry. It also opens the door to materials previously not machinable by waterjet such as fragile laminates for gaskets or similar. Most jobs need to be set up using a jig to keep the very small nozzle height of 1mm between it and the material safe. Please take a look at some of our parts below....
We now have the ability to edge round most of our waterjet parts. Components are quickly skimmed by thousands of small brushes at high speed to create a finished look and remove any sharp edges meaning no cut hands. Not only that but it creates a fantastic surface to paint to. In the short time we have had our machine we have already got Customers who are reporting hundreds of man hours saved. Instead of inaccurate disc sanding or similar each parts can be edge rounded / de-burred in under 30 seconds saving time and money. Our machine cut accpet multiple parts depending on size at the same time speeding up the process even more. As a better process than a rumbler machine we are able to edge round the outside profile, all inner holes and slots without damaging the material surface. Our machine is so gentle to the surface that a sticky label will remain intact once it has passed through. The light touching of the surface can however be used to clean up dull components and giving a finished look to parts. Please ask our sales team if you require your parts edge rounding / de-burring.
Edge Rounding / De-burring
No sharp edges.
We can edge round just one side or both.
Any material can be processed.
De-burring of thin material such as copper.
Cost effective solution.
Improved health & safety - no cut fingers.
Better surface finish stick for painting.
Improved part look - closer to machined.
Easier assembly when slots or bolts are used.
Different radius amounts available. 0.2 - 3mm.
Used in industries such as food, chemical, motorsport, machine building and aerospace.
Non damaging compared to a rumbler.
Not just outer edge, all inner holes & slots too.
