Die-casting and Precision Machining

Many machine components formerly made with conventional machining techniques
now can be made easily and cost-effectively with abrasive waterjet cutting. This
article discusses some of these components. machining Components,It also gives examples of abrasive
waterjet-produced signs and labels that can be used to enhance your products.

An article published previously on
thefabricator.com, How one shop benefited from
abrasive waterjet technology, presented novel
construction techniques that can be implemented
effectively with an abrasive waterjet machining Components to
lower the costs of building fabricated structures.
But abrasive waterjet machines can be used to
make machining Components, too, such as gears and parts
with gear segments; sprockets and chains; cams;
ratchets; springs and flexures; keys and keyways;
wrenches; hand wheels; clamps; brake disks; and
even signs and labels that might be added to a
structure to form a completed machine. These
machining Components, which formerly may have been made
using conventional machining techniques, now can
be made cost-effectively in a fabrication shop with
an abrasive waterjet.
The key to producing many of these machine elements successfully is using precision waterjet
equipment. Many components also require the taper-free cutting discussed in the article Improving
waterjet cutting precision by eliminating taper.
Since most modern abrasive waterjet machining Components make parts directly from a CAD file (usually a 2-D
dxf file), the ease of making the part depends on how easy it is to make the CAD file. Many good
CAD programs are available. This article presents design ideas only and is not intended to promote
a particular CAD program.
Gearing
An abrasive waterjet usually is not thought of as a gear-making machining Components, but a gear tooth is just
one particular shape that can be made easily with an abrasive waterjet. A precision abrasive
waterjet often can stay within 0.001 in. of the desired contour, and an ordinary machine can stay
within 0.005 in. For many applications this tolerance is sufficient.