Nozzle anti-collision protection system

Citation

(2009), "Nozzle anti-collision protection system", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 81 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2009.12781aad.007

Nozzle anti-collision protection system

Article Type: Equipment and software From: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, Volume 81, Issue 1

The most crucial and expensive technology in any waterjet cutting system are the cutting head nozzles from which the stream of highly-pressurized water, with or without abrasive material, is projected onto the workpiece at supersonic speed. The high length/diameter ratio of these parts, combined with the relatively brittle nature of the hard material used, puts them at risk to severe damage should a collision occur during operation. Now, Water Jet Sweden (WJS) has introduced a unique, patented system to counter these risks.

Customers opting to have the new WJS collision protection system fitted to their water jet profilers will find that each cutting-head nozzle is now surrounded by a 60 mm diameter anti-collision protection zone.

This latest development from WJS ensures that the operational cycle is immediately brought to a safe halt should there be the slightest danger of a collision between the valuable – but vulnerable – nozzle of the head and any obstruction in its path. The most likely source of such collisions are when stray pieces of material being cut from the base stock fail to fall away cleanly and fold up to form a wedge.

The narrow nozzle tubes themselves are made from a special hi-spec metal in order to withstand the arduous conditions involved and this makes them prone to cracking if placed under undue side-loads. It follows from this that they are quite expensive to replace. A second important benefit provided by the anti-collision system, quite apart from the cost of replacement nozzle tubes, is the avoidance of even more costly downtime and the ability to leave a profiler running unmanned with complete confidence.

The use of this system will be particularly beneficial to users of large machines where long profiling cycles are more likely to be involved, allowing periods of unattended operation. Another reason is because, even when an operator is overseeing the process, the actual profiling zone is well out of his/her line of sight for most of the time.

Under such conditions, any incipient collision that might arise would not be known until it is too late to prevent damage. But following the automatic intervention of the anti-collision prevention system, say WJS, it is a simple matter to clear the obstruction and to pick up the program from where it was halted without any damage to either the machine or the work in process, and full running can continue without serious interruption.

Details available from: WJS UK Ltd, Tel.: +44 (0) 1937 845 499, Fax: +44 (0) 7092 860 980, E-mail: info@waterjetsweden.com