Dynamic Contour Follower? & Collision Sensor0 pages

Dynamic Contour Follower™ & Collision Sensor
Improve Part Accuracy & Quality
Benefits
Automatically set and maintain
perfect nozzle standoff
Easily cut warped materials
Safely cut materials which may
stress relieve
Produce more accurate parts
Protect cutting head from crashes
Reduce accidental mixing
tube breakage
Improve operator productivity
Compatible with both
Dynamic Waterjet® and conventional
waterjet cutting systems
PATENT PENDING
Optimize the Performance of Your Waterjet System
Maintaining a constant distance between a waterjet nozzle tip and the material surface (standoff) is an
essential factor in cutting accurate parts. While the correct, constant standoff distance is important
when cutting with conventional waterjet technology, it is even more critical when using Flow’s Dynamic
Waterjet technology.
Dynamic Waterjet produces more accurate parts at significantly higher cutting speeds than parts cut
with a conventional waterjet. This patented advanced motion system incorporates unique cutting models, which control a small, articulated wrist attached to the cutting head. The wrist allows the cutting
head to tilt in any direction, compensating for the stream lag and taper experienced with conventional
waterjet cutting machines.
Flow’s patent-pending Dynamic Contour Follower (DCF) optimizes Dynamic Waterjet’s precision as well
as conventional waterjet cutting as it automatically sets and tracks the standoff distance between the
mixing tube tip and the material being cut, regardless of material thickness (within allowable operating
limits of Z travel). The DCF compensates for standoff distance variations when cutting materials that
are prone to stress relieve, warped, or otherwise non-flat.
The Dynamic Contour Follower works by sensing the distance between the surface of the material and
the tip of the mixing tube. This information is sent to the control system, which adjusts the mixing tube
standoff automatically while the cutting head moves across the material. Due to its pivoting design, the
DCF can work when the cutting head is in a vertical orientation or in a non-vertical orientation as with
the Dynamic Waterjet.
The DCF can also prevent mixing tube breakage and eliminate the need for manual intervention of Z
axis adjustment when cutting materials such as those mentioned above.
Maximum Flexibility
Flow designed the Dynamic Contour Follower to offer the user maximum flexibility in any application. It
works with either a conventional waterjet system, such as the PASER® ECL Plus Abrasive Waterjet Cutting System, or a Dynamic Waterjet System.
The DCF has four operational modes which range from, “Always on during cutting and traverse,” to “On
only during cutting.” The user can choose the most appropriate mode for any given application. When
desired, the Dynamic Contour Follower can be used with an optional Collision Sensor to reduce the
incidence of accidental mixing tube breakage due to crashes with tipped parts, fixtures, or clamps.
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