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Waterjet Group -> General Chat & Discussion -> Tried everything to fix poor cut quality on Flow mach 3, please help!
Post Info TOPIC: Tried everything to fix poor cut quality on Flow mach 3, please help!
generalcrafts


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Tried everything to fix poor cut quality on Flow mach 3, please help!
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Hey guys, We've tried everything to try to resolve a poor cut quality issue.  Out of nowhere it started cutting like crap.  It's consistently crappy. 
Things that have been tested.

1) all of the common things... mixing chamber clean & dry, new orifices and mixing tubes, mini hopper garnet feed, etc.
2) new intensifier assembly installed
3) new garnet tube/gauge from mini hopper to mixing chamber
4) water pressure reads normal
5) replaced the system folder in our software with a backup in case it was software related
6) swapped solenoids that control garnet plunger (thought maybe it was sticking/partially opening)
7) tested the actual cutting speed with a stopwatch to make sure the machine wasn't running extra fast for some reason.

A couple thoughts...
Maybe a small piece of a hose broke off and is partially blocking the water path. No way of testing the pressure out of the nozzle though.
It may be my ears playing tricks on me, but it seems to me that when I hit the garnet on, the hissing sound the jet usually makes is not as loud as it should be, almost like not enough garnet is feeding, making the jet sound quieter than normal,  however if we pull the hose and let it run out there seems to be plenty of garnet flow.  Also, I've tried moving up in garnet disc sizes and it doesn't help the cut quality. 

I'm sure there are more things we tried that I'm forgetting, but any thoughts on what to check would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!



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Laro


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I am not familiar with Flow, but I think you should check the abrasive.

Does flow use vacuüm to pull garnet through the tube?

The vacuum should read somewhere about 70KPa. Also make sure your abrasive tube from the hopper to the mixing chamber is airtight. There is a lot of abrasive hitting on the tube while piercing, so sometimes they leak.

On our machine (a brand that is not known in the US), you can check the abrasive dosage. The theoretical amount should be the same as the real amount. To check this, hold a cup under the hopper for exactly 60 seconds. Then measure how much it weighs. This amount should be about 10% less of what your HMI says, because the vacuüm will pull a bit more when cutting.

Your abrasive is dry, and not clumping? Nothing is clogged?

The difference in sound sounds like a low on vacuum, but as said, I've never seen a Flow machine.



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dkt_1975


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Have you tried changing the small filter in the nozzle?



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vichor


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Why not call and ask Flow for service? They are responsible to make their customers satisfied.



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Grahamjet


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What mesh of garnet are you using.

 



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Jet_Setter


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What type of cutting head and pump do you have? If you have a dynamic cutting head its a possibility there is some vibration being caused by either your a or b motors. Wear on the bearings of the nuts on the ballscrews for each axis can also have an affect on cut quality as change in direction on an axis can cause movement at the head.  



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Jet_Setter


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What type of cutting head and pump do you have? If you have a dynamic cutting head its a possibility there is some vibration being caused by either your a or b motors. Wear on the bearings of the nuts on the ballscrews for each axis can also have an affect on cut quality as change in direction on an axis can cause movement at the head.  



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