Waterjet cutting technology is one of the fastest growing major machine tool processes in the world due to its versatility and ease of operation. Cutting and portioning of foods is one of theearliest waterjet applications.
The technology offers processors sanitary advantages over other mechanical cutting methods, since there is no bacterial transfer from food to food or from tool to food. There is also no downtimefor sharpening as there is with knives. Operator safety is improved because waterjets can be remotely controlled by robotics.
Flow International said its FlowMaster 6.0 software can improve the speed of waterjet cutting by up to 35 per cent. The software also allows users to cut parts with varying thicknesses along awider variety of angles.
"With Flow's innovative software, waterjet operators are no longer restricted to cutting only on the XY plane, and can easily design and cut parts never imagined on a waterjet with varyingheight and thickness," stated Robert Peterson, waterjet market manager for the company. In addition, FlowMaster 6.0 will help customers lower cost per inch on projects through thesoftware's ability to improve cut speed and thickness."
The software also allows cutters to view and path parts in three dimensions, allowing them to set up their waterjet cutters more easily. Using the software allows processors to optimize cut speedfor part corners to reduce cycle time.
The sofware also saves time by making automatic calculations. There is no need for operators to stop and manually calculate and adjust the settings. This allows processors to reduce the number ofoperational steps and increase output.