Manufacturer / Exporter / Supplier Of Metallurgical Test Specimens, Outstanding Achievement Award, Mainstream Indexing Fixture, Combustor Dome Plate, Clevis Tie Bar, Nesting
Year of Establishment
2004
Primary Business
Supplier
Number of Employees
10-49
unmatched expertise for designing and building specialty holding fixtures gives Mainstream Waterjet the unique capability to extract metallurgical testing specimens from complex pieces, particularly in situations where other others might find it impossible. Contracted to extract 1.25" x 1.25" x 3.00" testing blanks from this Rene 88A nickel-based superalloy forged disk which is the raw material used to make integrally bladed rotors or blisks. Our machining team designed and crafted custom fixturing that would, first, accurately and consistently allow this 38" O.D, 5" thick ring to be indexed to the desired angles, and secondly, hold it in a position so the blanks could be easily removed after they were cut. After properly fixturing this large, heavy disc, sacrificial shielding was placed on the blade section opposite from where the cut would be made to protect it from being damaged by the waterjet stream. Our machinists, highly experienced with using our waterjet cutting equipment, generated the CAD and CAM files required to execute each cut, oriented precisely 62° to the axis. Break tabs held each specimen in place so we could ensure that the location and orientation of each sample was traceable back to the parent skeleton material. After extraction, random samples of the blanks were subject to a rigorous inspection. Then verified that they were within the tight ±.030" tolerance requirement and suitable for the metallurgical fatigue testing process.
All eyes are on the prize - especially this award with its striking design, recently manufactured here at Mainstream Waterjet. We welcomed this opportunity to showcase our talents for decorative waterjet cutting as well as our expertise in conventional machining and finishing techniques. Supplied to us in a bitmap (.bmp) file, the customer supplied logo design required conversion from a raster image to a vector file to create the CAD drawing our programmers needed to formulate the optimal tool path required for waterjet cutting the intricate curves and delicate shapes of the logo. Working with A-36 hot rolled pickled and oiled plate, cutting operations were carried out on our OMAX 551100 water jet machine, chosen for its ability to cleanly produce complex shapes with sharp precision. The cut pieces were then treated with a blue power coat finish to complete this first component of the larger piece. We employed conventional milling and drilling techniques, effectively handled by our Hurco VMX42 milling center, to fabricate the 5" x 5" base from aluminum bar stock and the stem from SAE 1018 CRS round bar stock. The three components were then MIG welded together to form the 8" high finished piece, which was anodized with a clear finish to last many years on the desk of each recipient of this "Outstanding Achievement Award."
Mainstream Waterjet's expertise at designing custom fixturing, combined with our ability to fabricate it in-house, allows us to waterjet cut large, heavy, or complex parts with great precision and short lead times. Our team designed this custom fixture that allowed us to rigidly mount the part and fixture inside the waterjet tank to accurately cut the desired features through the outside diameter of the mounted titanium ring. In-house fabrication of this fixture allowed us to rigidly mount the part and fixture inside the waterjet tank and accurately waterjet cut the desired features through the outside diameter of the mounted titanium ring.
The project goal was to remove as much material as possible from 78 holes and 30 perimeter scallops before the final machining process. Inconel 718 is a Superalloy that is difficult to conventionally machine. Using the waterjet process to rough out the features leaving a small machine stock envelope greatly reducing the tooling cost for the customer.Waterjet cutting this forged turbine engine baffle demonstrates Mainstream Waterjet's ability for machining complex pieces with extreme skill, enabling us to deliver added value and cost savings to our customers. The goal for this job was to use a waterjet process to remove as much material as possible from each of the piece's 78 holes and 30 perimeter scallops in order to minimize the final machining process. The piece was forged from Inconel 718, which is notoriously difficult to machine, so leaving a small machine stock envelope would significantly reduce tooling costs for the customer. One key to the process was designing the optimal fixturing. Working from customer-supplied specifications, we devised a system that would both accurately hold this 42.070" diameter, 1.176" thick raw forging throughout the entire waterjet process and also ensure dimensional repeatability over a four year production schedule. The fixturing we designed also facilitated the value-added process of reclaiming the fall-off so we could return it to the customer - in solid form, Inconel 718 has a very high scrap value. Once properly fixtured, our machining team was able to utilize the high-tech features of our OMAX abrasive waterjet machining center to optimize the cutting profile for each of the holes and scallops contained within the work piece. In-process inspections verified that all dimensions held to the required ±.020" tolerances, a contributing factor toward minimizing the final finishing operations. Combining that with reclaiming the Inconel provided our customer with two very effective cost saving measures.
Providing a single-source solution for delivering superior quality parts at competitive prices, Mainstream Waterjet combined abrasive waterjet cutting with conventional machining techniques to manufacture this 20" x 5" x 4" clevis tie bar, a ground support tooling component used in the aerospace industry.Because we were working with ANSI 4140, a medium-carbon alloy steel, heat treated to 38-40 Rockwell C, our Flow IFB 6 x 12 waterjet machine, with its ability to cut through hardened steel leaving no burrs or heat affected zones, was the ideal choice for economically cutting the profile of the part to finish dimensions. Then, based on the part's unique geometry, we turned to our Hurco VMX42 milling center to execute the more conventional drilling, reaming, boring and tapping operations required to create the indents and holes and bring the piece to within the exacting ±.0005" tolerances demanded by the customer specification.
In this struggling economy, it is more important than ever to do more with less, and Mainstream Waterjet part nesting capabilities give us a competitive edge. To optimize part production and keep costs low, we employ sophisticated part nesting techniques to efficiently arrange part profiles on raw material to maximize part count and minimize waste. Depending on material thickness, parts can be positioned as close as .300" apart and still be machined to precise specifications. In addition to saving money, there are environmental benefits to conserving resources, and efficient use of raw materials helps contribute to the sustainability efforts of many of our customers in the power generation and transportation industries.
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