When measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of waterjet cutting the speed of the machine is often the first thing manufacturers look at. But is the speed the best indicator of the capabilities of a waterjet cutting machine? A crucial indicator of a machine’s performance that is barely looked at is its acceleration. Let's take a look at speed and acceleration and learn about the role they each play in the waterjet cutting process.
What is speed?
When we talk about speed within waterjet cutting, we are evaluating the distance the machine travels over a specific period. The speed of a waterjet machine may be a good indicator of its capabilities, but it's only one. The speed of a waterjet machine is mostly important in straight, lengthy cuts. However, most waterjet cutting projects require frequent starting and stopping. Acceleration becomes a more important and more influential factor in a machine's total run time in these situations.
What is acceleration?
Acceleration is the change in speed over a given period. This measurement tells us how long it takes the machine to go from a complete stop to its full speed. Acceleration is especially important in cutting irregular and complex shapes, as the machine often has to stop and start again in varying locations. Our Mach 500 machines offer some of the fastest acceleration speeds in the industry, helping us complete jobs as efficiently as possible.
What is the benefit of having fast acceleration speeds?
As a company offering contract waterjet cutting services, the most important characteristic of our machines is how quickly we can complete a job. The more efficiently our machines run, and the faster we can complete a job, the more affordable we can make our services to our customers. In addition, if our machines run fast and efficiently we can increase the number of projects we take on and greatly decrease our consumables. Many of the parts we cut at Intelligent Cutting Solutions are complex, irregular shapes, so our acceleration speeds are integral to maintaining high levels of productivity. Operating efficiently also allows us to pass on the cost savings to those who use our services.
Acceleration is proving to be one of the most important features of waterjet cutting machines and plays a critical role in determining a shop's capacity. This important metric is one of the main reasons Intelligent Cutting Solutions has invested in some of the most cutting-edge technology. Our state-of-the-art machines have proved to have some of the highest acceleration speeds in the industry.
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