Houston fabricator brings waterjet in house to better control production of elevator equipment and other components
November, 2023- Prior to launching a metal fabrication business, the three partners of Texas Metal Connection LLC installed elevator interiors for various elevator companies, says Greg Deja, comptroller of the Houston manufacturer. The other two partners at the six-employee company are Patrick Dumana, president, and Grant Jones, operations manager. The management team also includes Michael Powdrill, director of operations.
“As the business was literally going up and down with that, we decided to venture into manufacturing what we’re installing,” Deja says, noting that Texas Metal Connection also installs elevator components and provides machining and fabrication services for various shops.
To enhance quality control and reduce the turnaround time to outsource waterjetting, the fabricator purchased a Maxiem 2040 abrasive waterjet machine from Omax Corp. in Kent, Washington, about a year ago, he says.
“Now we can control the quality of the work with the precision of the waterjet anytime we want,” Deja says, Although the shop hours are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, the partners follow a different schedule. “We’re usually here a lot more than just seven to four.”
Texas Metal Connection uses its Maxiem 2040 for cutting a variety of materials and components, such as this elevator weight.
The decision to go with Omax was based on extensive research and discussions with peers in the industry about the waterjet equipment they use. Where it is built was also a factor. “It’s fully American made and the support is state side so a quick turnaround if you need a replacement part.”
With a cutting envelope of 13 ft., 10 in. by 6 ft., 7 in., the Maxiem 2040 is an ideal size for the fabricator, Deja notes. “This one can do everything that we need when manufacturing parts for elevators or other fabrication requirements.”
Texas Metal Connection performs abrasive waterjet engraving with its Maxiem 2040
MULTIPLE MATERIALS
The waterjet is especially critical for precisely cutting stainless elevator button, or car operating panels (COPs), returns or even 2-in. thick elevator weights. “Sometimes we need to cut two types of material at once, such as glass and stone that is laid up on aluminum honeycomb or stainless steelwrapped wood,” Deja says. “We can cut anything on the waterjet. The versatility of it was definitely one of the major factors in our decision to go with this machine.”
He says they mostly use it to cut metal less than ½-in. thick, such as 18-gauge stainless steel, and the company also cuts aluminum, hardened steel, stone, glass, plastic, wood, laminate and cardboard. The machine came with a diamond nozzle, but a separate nozzle is available for abrasive-free waterjetting.
The thickest material the company has cut so far was 2 in., but Deja says the machine can cut up to 7-in. thick steel. Tolerances are as tight as ±0.010 in.
Besides cutting material with the waterjet, the fabricator also performs surface etching on metal, Deja says. For example, Texas Metal Connection etches electrical panels for a customer to show how the cables should be routed. “I didn’t even know that the waterjet could do that. We learned that about a couple of months ago.”
The machine, with pump and controller, has a footprint of 21 ft., 9 in. by 12 ft., 11 in., and a height with scissor plumbing of 8 ft., 10 in., but Texas Metal Connection’s former location in Houston was not large enough to accommodate the new machine, so Deja says the fabricator moved to a larger facility with 8,000 sq. ft.
“We had a press and shear in our old location, and they fit fine, but we had no room for the waterjet. I could see us running out of space here, which I didn’t think would happen that quickly. That’s a good thing.”
The waterjet has a Dynamax 330 direct-drive pump with a maximum output pressure of 60,000 psi, but Deja says the shop runs it at 50,000 psi to reduce wear and tear. “It’s more efficient and quieter because of the direct drive.”
Omax reports that with the same configuration in pressure and motor horsepower, higher efficiency pumps lead to an increase in cutting speed, resulting in less production cost and increased output. Also, the water and power consumption of a direct-drive pump is lower than other types of waterjet pumps. Direct-drive pumps don’t use hydraulic oil, so there is no need for chemical disposal during maintenance.
MAINTENANCE MATTERS
Conducting maintenance is a given for any machine tool, especially an abrasive waterjet, according to Deja. “We did a lot of research, and we know that the waterjet is the highest maintenance machine you’ll have in a shop.”
Changing water filters for the pump is the biggest such requirement, Jones says. “They stress that in the training.”
Deja concurs that waterjet users should have extra main filters for the pump, as well as O-rings for the cutting head. “It’s just expected that things will wear, and things will go out. We didn’t do a good job of purchasing the items they recommended. They’re not expensive, but it’s expensive if you have them overnighted to you.” Omax tests water samples for its customers and provides a report, and Deja notes that the fabricator’s water has a slightly elevated level of total dissolved solids (TDS). The machine tool builder recommended adding a reserve osmosis system, but the fabricator decided to just filter the water instead, with plans to eventually purchase a reverse osmosis system.
According to Omax, in some areas, TDS can be sustained at or below 250 ppm, eliminating pretreatment measures. However, for water with TDS higher than 250 ppm, a reverse osmosis system can ensure that clean, pure water is delivered to the waterjet.
OUT WITH THE OLD
Another piece of equipment the fabricator is eyeing is an automatic garnet abrasive removal system, Jones says. That approach will save time and effort compared to shutting the machine down, draining it and shoveling out the used abrasive manually.
In addition, two items Texas Metal Connection is considering retrofitting the waterjet with are the drill head accessory and a 5-axis head, Deja notes. The 3-axis head is effective for the current jobs, “but it’s just like the next level to be able to offer things that we can’t do now.”
The fabricator produces holes with the waterjet, but Jones says the Omax drill head will speed up production. “It’s not like a laser where it’s super fast.”
The drill head accurately pierces small-diameter holes in thick material, Omax reports, and no separate programming is required with the IntelliMAX Standard software that comes with the machine.
Jones says he appreciates that Omax water-jets can be retrofitted with accessories and other tools after a machine is installed. “A lot of the waterjets we looked at they say when they come from the factory, that’s how they come and you can’t add to it.”
He also values the waterjet’s Omega drive system, which provides a smoother transition from rotary motion to linear motion compared to a traditional rack and pinion drive system. “It’s a lot smoother than the ball-screw drives. This one produces smooth corners and is very accurate.”
To enhance quality control and reduce turnaround time, Texas Metal Connection purchased a Maxiem 2040 waterjet from Omax.
Another plus Jones cites is the customer service at Omax, especially when troubleshooting an issue. “You call them, somebody answers and lets you know right away what it probably is, and it ends up being that.”
Deja adds that he had experienced the opposite with other vendors. “Some other machine builders, you call them and they’re like, ‘Oh, we haven’t seen that.’ These guys are like, “OK, do this, this and this and then you’re done.’ Their confidence when helping us gives us confidence that we chose the correct product.”
Omax Corp., 800/838-0343, http://omax.com/
Texas Metal Connection LLC, 832/363-5101, http://texasmetalconnection.com/
