Announcing Compass: Revolutionary Contour Following for Waterjet, Unmatched Part Accuracy
KENT, Wash., 5 October 2016 – Flow International Corporation, the world's leading developer and manufacturer of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet machines for cutting applications, announced today the release of Compass™, the industry’s most precise contour following and collision sensing solution. The patent-pending design behind Compass ensures that Flow customers cut the most accurate part, regardless of environmental elements involved. Compass automatically makes real time cutting head height adjustments to allow precision cutting of non-flat or stress relieving material. The collision sensor Compass includes protects the machine from damage and downtime.
“Compass is a revolutionary new tool that allows our customers to cut the most accurate waterjet part possible, even if the raw material is not flat,” says David Crewe, senior vice president of engineering. “We know that often times, flat material is not truly flat, and material, especially stainless steel, can start out fairly flat and warp during cutting as pre-existing stress is relieved. With Compass, the cutting head maintains the correct stand-off height from the material. Our customers can expect a precise cut, every time.”
The radical new design of Compass overcomes the challenges of traditional contour following solutions currently available today. When standoff height is not maintained during waterjet cutting, dimensional errors occur on the cut part. The patent-pending gimballed wrist ensures Compass will automatically match the actual material plane and maintain the ideal standoff height through 2D cutting and 3D bevel cutting applications. Compass includes a collision sensor that will stop the machine upon impact with a clamp or workpiece before damage to the machine or the obstacle. The precision contour following and collision sensing capabilities of Compass provide worry-free operation with more precise cutting.
Key capabilities of Compass include:
- Accurate multi-axes contour following with unique patent pending tool center point design
- Collision sensing to avoid damage to machine, clamps, or cut parts
- Retrofit to your existing Mach 4, Dynamic XD system
- Tool-less, quick release removal
About Flow International
Flow International Corporation, a Shape Technologies Group company, is a leading ultrahigh-pressure manufacturing process solution provider. As the world leader in waterjet technology, the company is committed to delivering highly innovative solutions and world class customer experience to a wide customer base. For more information, visit www.FlowWaterjet.com.