Flow International will give live demonstrations of several new models from its Mach Series products, including: the Mach 4, which incorporates “industry leading technology”; the Mach 3, which reportedly is the world’s most popular waterjet system; and the Mach 2, which combines precision cutting and affordability. The range of machine tools and pumps offered by Flow provides manufacturers with technological leadership and operating performance at every price point.
The Mach 4 is the newest addition to the Series, and offers several features that are unique among waterjet cutting systems. It is equipped with an expandable modular design up to 14 m (48 ft) in length, and allows operators to increase the size of the cutting area as their business grows. The system’s roller pinion motion system provides speed and quickness beyond that which can be obtained with ball screw or rack and pinion drives.
The Mach 4’s design details also offer efficiency, including its ergonomic design that provides full, four-sided access to material and parts and a cutting-head lighting system, as well as advanced diagnostics and easy-to-use FlowMaster® software. The system will also include Flow’s patented Dynamic XD®, a high-precision technology that provides taper and stream lag compensation for 3D bevel cutting.
The Mach 3 has been installed for thousands of manufacturing sites around the world, prompting Flow Intl. to call it “the world’s most popular waterjet system.” The design combines motion control and high-pressure pump in a compact, fully integrated machine. The demonstration at IMTS will feature Dynamic Waterjet with Active Tolerance Control, which provides manufacturers with two to three times faster cutting than conventional waterjet machines, according to the developer.
A new Mach 2 model, “a value-priced machine tool optimized for either pure or abrasive waterjet cutting.” Whether cutting 3-in. thick steel plate or multi-stacked gasket material, the Mach 2 provides fast and accurate cutting at an exceptional price. The system on display also will demonstrate Dynamic Waterjet with Active Tolerance Control.
Along with waterjet cutting tables, Flow supplies direct-drive and intensifier pumps. At IMTS 2012, the full range of pump technology will be operating live. Flow invented the ultrahigh-pressure direct drive pump in 1985, and will be demonstrating its newest pump development, HyPlex Prime, rated at 60,000 psi, powering the Mach 2. The ESL Intensifier Pump will be powering the Mach 3, rated at 60,000 psi, and the HyperJet pump, rated at 94,000 psi, will be powering the Mach 4 machine tool.
