Americanmachinist 2125 83695michaelwal00000055706
Americanmachinist 2125 83695michaelwal00000055706
Americanmachinist 2125 83695michaelwal00000055706
Americanmachinist 2125 83695michaelwal00000055706
Americanmachinist 2125 83695michaelwal00000055706

NASCAR team intensifies waterjet cutting

Jan. 23, 2009
David Arthur of Jet Edge and Jeremy Vanderleest and Nick Hughes, both of Michael Waltrip Racing, stand near the team’s X-Stream intensifier pump. Waltrip Racing strives for increased speed not only with the NASCAR racecars it builds ...
David Arthur of Jet Edge and Jeremy Vanderleest and Nick Hughes, both of Michael Waltrip Racing, stand near the team’s X-Stream intensifier pump.

Waltrip Racing strives for increased speed not only with the NASCAR racecars it builds but also for its waterjet cutting operation.

The NASCAR team recently installed a 90,000-psi Jet Edge Inc. X-Stream xP90-100 waterjet intensifier pump to its existing Jet Edge waterjet cutting system. The pump generates 50 percent more pressure than a typical 60,000-psi intensifier pump for a 40 percent to 50 percent increase in productivity for many materials.

For Michael Waltrip Racing, faster waterjet cutting speeds will reduce the shop’s use of water by 30 percent, power by 30 percent and abrasive by 50 percent.

“After we installed our Jet Edge last year, we increased our productivity by 50 percent and were able to get technology improvements to the racetrack two weeks faster than in the past,” Nick Hughes, the team’s technical director, said.

“This resulted in some very respectable finishes that got everybody talking about Michael Waltrip Racing. It really comes down to machining time. We can cut parts a lot faster on the waterjet than on our milling center. We are also producing better quality parts and are seeing huge reductions in material waste thanks to the Jet Edge’s tight nesting capabilities.”

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