Endless Cutting Possibilities

TECHNI is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of profile waterjet cutting systems. TECHNI Waterjet offers complete water jet cutter solutions utilizing their own patented in-house technologies for everything from their revolutionary Electric Servo Waterjet Pump to their 5-axis cutting head.

TECHNI has been operating for almost 30 years and has an installation base of more than 1000 waterjet machines or water cut systems spread across six continents and in some 26 countries.

Improving Efficiency

When Aaron Chambers opened up a cutting business back in 2008, he knew he wanted his shop to be more diverse than other shops. That’s why he researched different waterjet manufacturers and came to rest on TECHNI Waterjet™.

“It was a pretty easy choice for me,” stated Chambers. “I looked at all my options and decided I wanted to go with an Australian-made machine as I knew the quality of the TECHNI machines was world class. It also helped that the Techni head office was local, so if we needed any support, the guys were very close.”

Soon after he opened his business and the business began to grow, Chambers knew he needed more support. That’s when his brother Warrick Chambers came on board to assist with sales and project management. Since then, their business has taken off and they are finding different ways to increase their business and still keep costs down. That is the main reason they looked into adding solar panels on their building.

“When we purchased the solar system, we had only just moved into our new facility a couple of months earlier,” Chambers said. “At the time, we were only running the two waterjets, but we also had ordered our new 6m TECHNI machine, which was due to arrive in a month’s time. My brother, Warrick and I are always looking at ways we can improve the business, both environmentally and financially. By adding the 231 solar panels on our roof, this gave us the ability to ease the load on our electricity demand, consequently improving in these areas.”

Not only are the savvy business owners lowering their electricity bill with solar panels, but they also installed TECHNI’s Quantum NXT™ (Electric Servo Pump) 66Dual, which is up to 60% more efficient than standard hydraulic intensifier pumps.

Aztech Cutting Solutions was used to operating with standard hydraulic intensifier on their first Waterjet machine, but when they swapped out the old technology with the new innovative technology of a Quantum NXT™ (ESP) their savings continued to increase.

“With the use of the solar panels coupled with the energy savings from the Quantum NXT™ (ESP), we estimate that we’ll be saving anywhere from $12K – $16k per year on electricity,” explains Chambers.

Aztech Cutting Solutions cuts most everything from 50mm Bissalloy steel on one waterjet to 2mm Aluminum on the second waterjet to 20mm Marble on their third twin head waterjet. They have also added the PAC 60™ Five Axis Cutting Head to their waterjet for bevel cutting and taper compensation. At this very moment, they are installing another Techni WATERJET 6m machine with twin heads, which makes it four machines and seven cutting heads in total.

Endless cutting possibilities and dedication to excellence are what set this business apart from others in the cutting industry, making the team at Aztech Cutting Solutions true industry leaders.

Valuable for Prototyping

Racing a versatile off-road truck over man-made ramps, flying through the air almost 25 feet off the ground, and dominating challenging dirt tracks is an adventurous day job. Robby Gordon, a forerunner in racing and off-road vehicle design and owner of Robby Gordon Motorsports, has created an entire series dedicated to just that type of racing. The Stadium Super Trucks (SST) Series has taken off thanks to Gordon and his team. The high-powered trucks produce 600 horsepower and generate speeds up to 130 miles per hour.

Robby Gordon has had success on the race track at NASCAR, IndyCar, TransAm, Dakar Rally, and now the Stadium Super Trucks series has grown wildly successful. Stadium Super Trucks is also an international success with series in Australia, England, Canada, and throughout the United States. Gordon has been designing and developing in the racing industry for 30 years and knows how to build a state-of-the-art vehicle. In order to build these types of machines, Gordon and his team need many different types of high-tech equipment.

“A waterjet is one of the most valuable pieces of equipment for prototyping. You can’t put a price on the turnaround and time saved by having a waterjet in-house,” stated Gordon.

Housed within the RGM facility in Charlotte, North Carolina is a TECHNI Waterjet ILS 55 (5’x5’) Waterjet Cutting System capable of cutting up to 6” thick material. Mainly .040-1” aluminum, .063-.5” chromoly, plastics and other materials that are non-metallic are cut on the waterjet.

“Tongue and groove parts, small holes in sheet metal and non-metallic materials were impossible to cut in-house without our waterjet. It saves time and allows you to work in areas that might otherwise be impossible to work on. The ability to make custom tools is essential. Lexan parts and custom tools are some of the most interesting parts I’ve fabricated on the waterjet,” said Gordon.

With a fast-paced schedule, Gordon needs quick turnaround to accommodate deadlines. Having a waterjet in house is instrumental for Gordon and his team of fabricators.

“Our TECHNI Waterjet is invaluable since it allows for fast prototyping at a lower cost than outsourcing,” stated Gordon.

Not only does housing a waterjet save money, but it also saves Robby Gordon Motorsports time. What once took 2-3 weeks to outsource now only takes a day or two to create from drawing the part to a finished cut piece.

“It reduces the development time by days, if not weeks,” added Gordon.

One of the biggest advantages of waterjet cutting is the waterjet’s inherent cold cutting quality. This allows materials to be cut that would otherwise be burned, melted, or cracked by other cutting methods. Some thermal processes, such as lasers or plasmas, cause surface hardening, warping and emission of hazardous gasses. In contrast, materials cut with waterjet undergo no thermal stress, eliminating such undesirable results.

“Accuracy is very important and having accurate edges without a heat affected zone is crucial,” added Gordon.

TECHNI Waterjet’s are capable of delivering positional accuracy of 0.0005” (0.01mm) and high cutting speeds of up to 1000ipm or 25m/min.

The extreme racing series is set to race all over the world with jumps up to 10m high, sure to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. With a growing fan base and an expanding schedule, SST needs the precise tools to keep things running smoothly.

“I don’t ever want to run my shop without a TECHNI Waterjet ever again. I don’t know how I functioned without one,” stated Gordon.

Key to Long-Term Success

With an industry leading commitment to quality, service, and problem solving, JK Prototype prides itself in the ability to get the job done and they have chosen yet again to provide this quality with another Techni™ system. Whether that job to be done is building custom tooling which must meet precision tolerances or stamping out tens of thousands of short-run production parts, JK is an industry leading job shop trusting Techni Waterjet™ to take them to the next level of superiority.

The team at JK added a Techjet 3000-X3®, complete with a Quantum Gen4 NXT® pump and additionally purchased a Quantum Gen2® 55® pump.

JK Prototype owner Doug Stedtefeld said, “The pump is the number one reason we went back to Techni. Tanks are tanks; the Techni™ pump offers quietness and ease of rebuilding and that was the reason we went back to Techni™. We checked out other suppliers, but nothing compared.” Doug went on to state, “I am talking with you now and I have both pumps running, yet my air compressor is all we can hear.”

Techni Waterjet™ prides itself in providing their customers with continued reliability and quality of product yet, above all, Techni realizes that relationship with their customers is key for long-term success.

From the master service team to executive support, Techni™ goes the distance for their valued customers.

“Jeff McAleer was at our very first install and returned to get us up and going with this system, too,’ Doug of JK Prototype explained. “His support was critical, and he did whatever we needed.”

Speaking towards the executive support offered, Mr. Stedtefeld stated, “Having the ability to reach Senior Staff anytime for anything was also appreciated”. JK Prototype handles a variety of materials such as cold rolled steel, stainless steel, spring steel and nickel-based alloys, copper and copper alloys, aluminum and phenolics. Their new Techni Techjet-X3® coupled with their GEN4 Quantum NXT™ pump will continue to support them in delivering pristine stamped and drawn parts from these materials that comply with customer specifications.