“Intricate Detailing With Waterjet”
Stone World, March 2000
Special attention was required for the waterjet design of the Cygnet Explorer logo that was installed in the crossway of the yacht.
Because of its unusually small size, the medallion that was designed for the crossway of the Cygnet Explorer required a great amount of time and attention to detail when fabricating. The piece, which was comprised of two varying types of granite, included a swan and logo encircled by gold-leaf lettering and was inlaid into the wooden hallway of the yacht. While the logo and swan were waterjet-cut, the etching was sandblasted.
“We did all the CAD/CAM work for it,” said Kelly Carter of RICHEL, Inc. in Tallmadge, OH. “It was difficult. We started with a combination of etching and cutting, but it turned out that we didn’t do the etching with waterjet because it was more economical with sandblasting.”
Carter explained that because of the dimensions of the medallion, which measured 31 inches wide by 30 inches tall, a ballbearing tank was used for the waterjet cutting. “It made it easier to cut the more intricate parts,” she said explaining that some pieces were 0.8 inch. “The small ones had to be cut several times. They would fall through many times, even with the ballbearing tank. We used toothpicks to catch them.”
The actual grout joint size was 1/16 of an inch, according to Carter. “What was unique about this job was the intricacy,” she said. “We used 10/40 orifice/nozzle combination [for the cutting head].” And the work was done with an ESAB waterjet system on a 12- x 12-foot gantry.
The field consisted of Sequoia granite with a thickness of ¾ inches, with the swan and logo made of Cariola Gold granite that had the same thickness. In addition to the size being an obstacle, the softness of the Cariola Gold granite also posed a challenge. “It would crumble when held in your hand,” said Carter. “That was something else we had to work against.” To create the lettering that circles the logo, the words were sandblasted and filled with 24-karat gold leafing. Carter explained that they had difficulty finding someone that could do the 5/8-inch letter height. “It was hard to find someone that could do them so small and who could hold the tolerance around the circle,” she said.
According to Carter, it took about four weeks to complete the project. She explained that all of the cutting was done first and inlaid, and then the surface was polished. Once that was completed, the medallion was cut down to its final shape and sent out to be etched. “The job was full of obstacles, but we enjoyed the challenge,” said Carter. The end product was a beautiful piece of stone. Everyone was pleased with the turnout.”
Stone World, March 2000
Special attention was required for the waterjet design of the Cygnet Explorer logo that was installed in the crossway of the yacht.
Because of its unusually small size, the medallion that was designed for the crossway of the Cygnet Explorer required a great amount of time and attention to detail when fabricating. The piece, which was comprised of two varying types of granite, included a swan and logo encircled by gold-leaf lettering and was inlaid into the wooden hallway of the yacht. While the logo and swan were waterjet-cut, the etching was sandblasted.
“We did all the CAD/CAM work for it,” said Kelly Carter of RICHEL, Inc. in Tallmadge, OH. “It was difficult. We started with a combination of etching and cutting, but it turned out that we didn’t do the etching with waterjet because it was more economical with sandblasting.”
Carter explained that because of the dimensions of the medallion, which measured 31 inches wide by 30 inches tall, a ballbearing tank was used for the waterjet cutting. “It made it easier to cut the more intricate parts,” she said explaining that some pieces were 0.8 inch. “The small ones had to be cut several times. They would fall through many times, even with the ballbearing tank. We used toothpicks to catch them.”
The actual grout joint size was 1/16 of an inch, according to Carter. “What was unique about this job was the intricacy,” she said. “We used 10/40 orifice/nozzle combination [for the cutting head].” And the work was done with an ESAB waterjet system on a 12- x 12-foot gantry.
The field consisted of Sequoia granite with a thickness of ¾ inches, with the swan and logo made of Cariola Gold granite that had the same thickness. In addition to the size being an obstacle, the softness of the Cariola Gold granite also posed a challenge. “It would crumble when held in your hand,” said Carter. “That was something else we had to work against.” To create the lettering that circles the logo, the words were sandblasted and filled with 24-karat gold leafing. Carter explained that they had difficulty finding someone that could do the 5/8-inch letter height. “It was hard to find someone that could do them so small and who could hold the tolerance around the circle,” she said.
According to Carter, it took about four weeks to complete the project. She explained that all of the cutting was done first and inlaid, and then the surface was polished. Once that was completed, the medallion was cut down to its final shape and sent out to be etched. “The job was full of obstacles, but we enjoyed the challenge,” said Carter. The end product was a beautiful piece of stone. Everyone was pleased with the turnout.”
