OMAX Corp., which manufactures abrasive-jet machining system, reports it has a contract valued at more than $2 million from the U.S. Dept. of Defense to supply several of its JetMachining® centers. The order involves machines to be supplied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Two customized OMAX abrasive waterjet cutting systems are slated for NASA and a U.S. Army arsenal.
For NASA, OMAX engineers modified a machine’s Z-axis height to meet a specific project’s requirements. The abrasive waterjet machine for the Army arsenal was custom-designed to include a DualBRIDGE system, four waterjet heads, and quad pumps.
OMAX has supplied over 40 abrasive jet cutting systems to the U.S. government since 1997, to cut metal and aircraft aluminum for airframe maintenance, titanium for artillery, and plating for U.S. Army transport vehicles. Most of these machines are used for upkeep of legacy equipment.
“What we’ve learned from attending numerous Dept. of Defense maintenance conferences and seminars is that the U.S. Government is stressing a need for legacy equipment upkeep. This message is especially emphasized to military branch metals technicians, who rely on OMAX abrasive waterjet systems to carry out that initiative,” stated OMAX’s major account manager for government, college, and university customers, Steve Brown.
According to Brown, the OMAX abrasive waterjet machines are preferred mainly because of their Intelli-MAX® control software, which is quick and easy-to-learn and operate, and because waterjet cutting conserves raw material, as compared to conventional metal cutting systems.
