When you're coming up with the tool list for your dream shop, you'll probably include a waterjet. I know I would, and you likely remember when we wrote about the Wazer waterjet last year. Their Kickstarter project attracted enormous interest, the kind of interest that also gets the attention of the big guys who make the large industrial machines. OMAX, one of those companies, decided maybe they should build something a bit smaller, too, aiming at prototyping, light industry, technical education and all of those makerspaces. They call it ProtoMAX.
... the ProtoMAX delivers 30,000 psi cutting power with a 5 hp pump and can precision cut material under 2” thick of almost any type, from metal to composites, glass to granite, plastic to wood, and more. The ProtoMAX cuts with no heat-affected zone and no change to the material properties.
The ProtoMAX is a compact self-contained unit that sits on casters and can roll through a standard doorway. Power comes from a 240 volt dryer style plug. Everything you need to install and set up the machine to begin cutting comes in one package, including a laptop computer preloaded with the their Intelli-MAX software.
Our Intelli-MAX software was designed exclusively for waterjet and includes features you would expect from most CAD packages. It also features waterjet-specific tools, like cut quality and lead-in/lead-out, which help create the right part the first time.
Intelli-TRACE allows you to take an image from a camera, the web, or just about anywhere else and convert it to a vector drawing. Built-in tools help you get your drawing ready to cut. Go from picture to part without additional software.
The whole unit looks impressive. If you're a builder, it shouldn't take long for you to come up with a few uses for this. For low production, custom or prototype work it would be pretty sweet. This constant downsizing of industrial level tools so smaller shops can acquire them is creating all kinds of opportunities. I like it.
The price of the unit is $19,950 and includes everything you need to get started, maybe a bit steep for most personal shops, but for schools and makerspaces, this should definitely be on the short list.
Sebastian says
We’ve discussed a water cutter a few times at my maker space. The ongoing costs (pump wear, abrasive consumption) and operational environment (humidity / mist they kick up) as well as plumbing were big hurdles. Is this one significantly different in any of those areas?
Paul Crowe says
If you go to the link I provided, there’s a section that gives a pretty detailed rundown of the specifications and features that should answer a lot of your questions. The shop photo in the article above, shows what appears to be a hose running to a faucet on the wall, that seems to make plumbing a non-issue.
No machine tool of any sort is maintenance free. Every tool has some effect on the space where it operates. Large woodworking tools, for instance, have considerable dust collection requirements and can be extremely loud and those seem to integrate into most shops because everyone is familiar with what they are and how they operate.
Waterjets are less common because they have been too large and expensive to consider, but now that the price point and space requirements are coming down, each shop or makerspace will have to decide whether it fits.
You have to keep all of this in perspective. Not long ago, the idea of having CNC routers, laser cutters and many other tools in any shop outside of major industry was unthinkable, now it’s down to considerations of maintenance, consumables and operational environment. We’ve come a very long way.