ACS Precision, LLC, of Mercersburg, PA, faced a major dilemma. They had a Calypso waterjet and were in desperate need for a new controller. However, Calypso was no longer in business so they began looking around at other manufacturers that could retrofit a controller.
At that same time, representatives from ACS Precision, including its General Manager, Charlie Daniels, attended the 2008 FABTECH International show in Las Vegas. It was there that they had a face to face encounter with Richard Ward, President of WARDJet, a leading manufacturer of waterjet systems and accessories. As he gave them an introduction to what his company had to offer they quickly realized that they shared a similar passion on how to leverage technology.
Richard Ward’s philosophy of open architecture regarding hardware components won them over. Charlie Daniels describes it like this, “He was pushing leveraging technology to unleash the operator so they’re not tethered to the machine”. They had already done research and while one company was promising a beta model for a controller, no other company at that time had a controller that could be retrofitted to their Calypso waterjet with the features demanded.
Regarding the actual installation of the equipment at their facility, Charlie said, “Of all the pieces of equipment we’ve had installed this was by far and away the smoothest.” He went on to explain that you expect glitches with any machinery installation but it is how people handle those problems that make all the difference. The two engineers that worked with ACS Precision were a “class act”; they were very open with everything regarding the installation. Charlie cited a specific example: there was a situation with the Renishaw® ball bar test. The WARDJet installers were up front about this and when they presented it to him, before he could even ask what needed to be done, they already had the solution and were ready to rectify it.
ACS Precision is extremely pleased with the WARDJet X-Series Controller. The features are great, especially the high tech graphics and touch screen. With the split screen the waterjet operator can see every line of code – allowing any issues to be spotted before a cut is made. With their previous controller they felt like they were only guessing.
Their waterjet operators are also finding the wireless PDA pendant to be tremendously useful. This is carried or worn on the belt of the operator and allows them to move away from the machine. Charlie said that they have been able to monitor the waterjet cutting even up in the office. The pendant "untethers the operator from the waterjet and allows them to babysit the laser machine they have running nearby”. They also have a mill on the floor and have used the pendant to turn off the waterjet while working on the mill. He thought that this would prove even more practical in a smaller job shop.
They are looking at a job for a large OEM that involves cutting a uniform piece of material. The waterjet will have to be programmed to run at different speeds because of angles and radii. With the new controller, they can have all that in one program and “that’s a freaking big deal”, says Charlie.
The way the controller jumps to pierce points is much more user friendly than they have seen in the past. They receive files in many different formats, then convert them with Autodesk as needed and send them through Striker Systems software to do nesting and create the CNC code. “Everything RUNS that we get…old programs, all files received from customers…everything."
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They have put the WARDJet X-Series controller on wheels and christened her Rosie, after the helpful and loyal robot in the old TV show, The Jetson’s. Charlie said that all of this “has been a part of every conversation we’ve had with our customers, even if they don’t know what a waterjet is”. At one point when ACS Precision waterjet operators needed guidance they were able to take advantage of the live interactive WebEx support with WARDJet technicians. Charlie Daniels concludes, “I can tell you that WARDJet is the buzz almost daily right now. The team loves the controller and mostly they see a lot of passion with the WARDJet team and love that even more.” We guess you could say everything is looking “rosy” at ACS Precision. Unlike Rosie of The Jetson’s fame, who was much loved but an out-dated model, WARDJet’s goal is to incorporate the latest, state-of-the-art technology for their WARDJet X-Series Controller so that you too can have everything running smoothly with your Calypso waterjet. |