WARDJet profilers available from Wightman Stewart

WARDJet is based in Ohio, USA, and its waterjet systems have already earned the respect of 1,000s of customers from different market sectors all over the world. The company's philosophy is based on allowing its customers to use the WARDJet waterjet system as a CNC platform to grow and expand upon, embracing machining disciplines beyond just waterjet cutting. The company can provide everything from a powerful, easy-to-use CNC controller packed with intelligent programming and intuitive software, to a machine built with the strength and rigidity needed to add any option imaginable, it is claimed. Wightman Stewart will adopt this approach in the UK. The main WARDJet waterjet table ranges are the Z-Series, R-Series and J-Series. The Z-Series is expected to be in high demand in the UK. Its robust design, high accuracy and reliability will appeal to all market sectors, from sub-contractors cutting a variety of steels to companies looking to cut anything from granite to composites. The Z-Series features the operator-friendly touch-screen controllers, including the X-Series Controller used for 5-axis cutting. "WARDJet's goal has been to design and build a CNC waterjet gantry that would be recognised as the leading waterjet cutting platform in the industry - and be sturdy, stable and rigid enough to be considered the most versatile automation platform ever available to consumers," said Wightman Stewart sales director Paul Eastburn. An example of how the company is striving to achieve this aim is seen in the WARDJet X-Series Controller. Users can cut a pipe, drill, tap, mark, dispense liquids, etch, counter sink, put light surface finishes, edge finishes, add plasma, tool changers, bar code readers, laser sensors, height sensors, crash sensors, multiple 5-axis cutting heads, all on one cross beam. They can also pre-program automatic spacing of multiple heads on one cross beam, use dual-touch screens, use a mobile phone as a wireless pendant - all are possible with a WARDJet. Innovation is a hallmark of the WARDJet philosophy, as seen in the new 'Psy-Winder' 5-axis waterjet cutting head. It can be added to any existing WARDJet system at any time. Using an X-Series Controller, multiple 'Psy-Winder' heads can be run simultaneously on one machine. In the UK, WARDJet has already supplied its Z-Series waterjet cutting machine to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing , a partnership between the University of Sheffield and Boeing, supported by many other industrial companies.