OMAX:Training

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OMAX Training Syllabus

DO NOT use the machine unless someone has trained you!

Overview of the machine

• Water supply
  • Source, filters on wall
  • Toilet tank
    • Three clear hoses – should be clear, no bubbles
      • If not, pump overhaul soon
    • Screen feeding to filters should be clean
  • Filters above toilet tank
    • Both pressures should be near 120 PSI
    • If pressure differential > 20 PSI, change filters
  • Pump Manifold
    • Clear hoses = cooling water
    • Gray hoses = water feed
    • Continued under pumps/engine
  • Weir Tank
    • Will need drain professionals to clean (same with table)
  • Solids removal system
    • Clean SRS nozzle and tub when leaving
• Air supply
  • 75-80 PSI
  • Used for raising/lowering water tank, valves, etc
  • NEVER cut air lines to a shorter length
• Electrical
  • Feeds engine VFD, computer box
  • Machine grounding is very important
    • Needs own earth-ground!
• Pumps/engine
  • VFD controls motor frequency
    • Do not leave the display unit plugged in on the VFD
  • Pre-charge pump
    • Turn off to make sure jet won’t fire
    • Will have to hit pump reset button if jet tries to fire when off
    • If on, should get water draining in tank through upper hose
  • Electric motor
    • Drives crankhouse via belt
    • Controlled by VFD
    • Set pressure with pump control panel
      • Must be running to see actual pressure
      • Tell the computer!
  • Crankhouse
    • First oil change after 50 hours, afterwards every 300-400 hours
  • Pressure manifold
    • Raises water to 50 KPSI (high) or ~20 KPSI (low/pierce)
    • After manifold, water has two possible routes: cut or dump
  • Needle/seat valves on dump and cutting nozzle
    • Always toggled in opposite states with air
      • This is why air hose length is vital!
    • Will need replacing
      • If upper tank drain hose leaks during long cut, time to replace dump needle/seat
      • If nozzle (with pre-charge pump running) leaks when not cutting, time to replace nozzle needle/seat
• Nozzle assembly
  • Shut off pre-charge before attempting nozzle removal!
  • Show mixing disc, jewel, nozzle
  • Jewel goes brass side up!
  • Rotate nozzle slightly at the beginning of each use
  • Rotate mixing disc and jewel once per week
  • Change last-chance filter during any nozzle/jewel change
  • Show needle/seat assembly
  • ALWAYS use blue goop on threads
  • Three thread rule
• Abrasive
  • Show path of abrasive from holder to nozzle
  • Show how to disassemble Bimba valve in case of a clog
    • Make sure Bimba valve is upright
    • Make sure sliding part is all the way in
  • What to do if abrasive line pops out
    • Pause machine
    • Figure out why it happened and correct problem
    • Put on eye protection before air-blasting
    • Remove abrasive feed line and air-blast thoroughly
    • Air-blast Bimba valve, removable sliding part, feed line holes
    • Re-assemble Bimba valve, do abrasive only test fire to check flow
    • Re-attach abrasive feed line
    • Backup on tool path and continue
  • If the abrasive hopper is almost empty, put a bag of abrasive in

Overview of operation

• X,Y,Z motion with mouse, arrow keys
• Setting and clearing home positions
• Test firing
  • Never put hands near jet stream when operating, or when pre-charge pump is on even if not operating
  • Move jet to back of table
  • Do water-only test fire and make note of stream quality
  • Do water with abrasive test fire
  • Mention abrasive flow rate calibration
• Buttons on main control unit
  • Pause – same as clicking the pause button on the screen
    • When resuming, don’t forget to back up a bit first
  • Babysit switch – acknowledge/override
  • Emergency stop – kills machine, also located on pump

Overview of Layout/Make

• It is best to learn this material mostly using the training DVD, so this should mainly be a quick review and recap of important features
• Layout
  • Give quick overviews of the following
    • Importing DXF files
    • Cut quality/etching/scribing
    • Piercing, when not to pierce
    • Manual addition of lead in/outs
    • Manual generation of toolpaths
    • Automatic generation of lead in/outs
    • Automatic generation of toolpaths
    • Cleaning up a drawing
    • Configuring toolpath for Make
    • Double-checking toolpath
    • Exporting to Make
• Make
  • Give quick overviews of the following
    • Picking material and thickness
    • Show list of materials sorted by machinability
      • Don’t pierce into laminates!
    • Nesting
    • Stacking
    • Setting a path start home, user homes
    • Move to point on path
    • Dry runs
    • Pump/nozzle settings
      • Abrasive index
        • HPA = 0.96
        • HPX = 1.0
      • Abrasive flow rate
    • User should now be ready to go through the start-up list

Waterjet Safety Reminders

• Immediately turn off pre-charge pump when the jet is not in use to prevent accidental firing of the jet.
• Never put hands near jet stream when operating, or when pre-charge pump is on even if not operating.
• In case of injury, call 911, and take one of the injury treatment instructions cards located to the left of the OMAX computer with you to the hospital.

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