Another useA challenge of an entirely different nature was posed by the need to cut small shapes for jewelry out of material containing water-soluble holographic images sandwiched between thin layers of glass. Actually, two challenges were involved here: making the required cuts without destroying the holographic image and doing so on a cost-effective basis. Again, the abrasive waterjet provided the solution. Some very hard and brittle glass-ceramic materials have also been successfully cut with the waterjet. The need to trim a thin strip off the edge of Neoceram trays used on the bottom of microwave ovens - a strip too thin to score and break - has provided an ideal waterjet application. Other very hard materials such as Alumina, a ceramic with a hardness of 9, have been cut with a waterjet, using special abrasives and special wear-resistant nozzles. Glass 2 inches thick for nuclear radiation shielding has also been successfully cut. In one case, trimming down the size of six pieces of this material saved one company from having to repurchase them at a replacement cost of more than $3,000 apiece. Another interesting application has been the cutting of notches and holes in wire glass used for cupboard doors in medical facilities for reasons of security. The notches and holes are for the door hinges and handles. We are now cutting these routinely. Still other successful applications of the waterjet technology with especially hard-to-cut materials have included inlaid marble and granite, titanium-graphite composites, frit-coated glass for fusing, and parts for fused-glass jewelry. Not all glass cutting problems the abrasive waterjet has solved have involved difficult to cut glass. Some have just been elusive production solutions. Appliance glass presents one example and automotive glass another. With the abrasive waterjet, all the cuts that need to be made in an oven control panel can be made at one work station. Without it, as many as 10 work stations would be required. In the automotive field, the process provides a whole new approach to cutting laminated windows, one that significantly increases productivity. Instead of cutting, drilling, and grinding each layer of glass and then laminating the layers together, the windows can now be cut from pre-laminated sheets. This more efficient process has allowed one company to quadruple its production output, saving thousands of dollars in line time. |
Other applicationsSeveral manufacturers are using the abrasive waterjet to produce glass doors, finding it well suited for cutting out intricate notches for hardware. The system's CAD/ CAM capability provides needed manufacturing flexibility, with programs for cutting different notch patterns stored in the computer. Any of these programs can be recalled to fit doors with varying hardware configurations. With such flexibility, a production run of 10 doors can become as cost effective as one for 10,000. With the abrasive waterjet as a cutting tool, artistic possibilities in glass are now limited only by the designer's imagination. Examples include delicate stained glass snowflakes, intricate company logos, and large glass sculptures, all of which have been produced with this process and would have been virtually impossible to produce without it. Architects are also taking advantage of the glass cutting capabilities of the abrasive waterjet, creating striking new designs that, in its absence, would never have gotten off the drawing board. One award-winning example is to be found at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport where M.T.H. Industries, the glazing and metals contractor on the project, used this process to cut intricate ceiling panels of laminated glass for the new United Airlines Terminal One tunnel. Harnessing the power of the abrasive waterjet under precise computer control for production cutting represents a major triumph in the 6,000-year history of glass. Much has already been accomplished. But with such recent developments as the introduction of lower-priced systems for small-batch needs, a longer-lasting nozzle, and more economic cutting compounds, who can say what lies ahead in the application of the waterjet to glass cutting?
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Copyright © 2010 Harri Aalto/CEC. All rights reserved. Click on a flag below to translate the page. Please be patient. It takes a few moments. |
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Stephen J. Henry is vice president, operations and services for CGI, a Fairfield, IA, developer and manufacturer of abrasive waterjet glass cutting systems and operator of a commercial cutting service.