Jet Edge Exhibiting Cutting Edge Waterjet Technology at the 2006 EAA Oshkosh AirVenture, July 24-30


Jet Edge Waterjets Ideal for Cutting Aircraft Components

(ST. MICHAEL, Minn. - May 5, 2006) - Jet Edge, the world's leading manufacturer of ultra-high pressure waterjet systems, will demonstrate its latest waterjet cutting technology at the Experimental Aviation Association's Oshkosh AirVenture, July 24-30 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. Look for Jet Edge in Fly Market Booth #770.

During AirVenture, Jet Edge sales engineers will showcase the remarkable versatility of waterjet and abrasive waterjet cutting and discuss their many applications in the aviation industry. Jet Edge also will introduce special guest, Pilot Dave Willcock of St. Catharine's, Ontario. Willcock has built a successful business manufacturing aircraft parts with a Jet Edge system. His business, Profile Waterjet Cutting, has been featured in Canadian MetalWorking and Canadian Industrial Machinery.

Waterjet cutting is ideal for making aviation parts, Willcock said, noting that aircraft are a compilation of flat, thin parts. He read a lengthy list of parts he had made for just one customer. It included 22 items ranging from gussets and flanges to power distribution panels and custom wine racks.

"There are hundreds or even thousands of parts," he said. "The number of parts you can make will just stagger you."

Willcock, who owns 10 aircraft, contends that home-built aviation enthusiasts could greatly increase their productivity by using waterjet instead of conventional cutting tools.

"Most of the stuff is made with bandsaws, hacksaws and files," he said. "If you were building an aircraft from scratch, you would save months of work in constructing a project."

Aircraft enthusiasts also could save money by making their own specialty tools at a fraction of their retail cost, Willcock added.

What is a Jet Edge Waterjet?

Jet Edge waterjets can cut any material known to man with supersonic stream of water that is so powerful it can cut through material in one pass without shredding or crushing it. The Jet Edge waterjet is created by pressurizing water up to 60,000 pounds per square inch (psi) with Jet Edge's legendary intensifier pumps. In many applications, an abrasive material such as garnet is added to the water to create an abrasive waterjet that can cleanly cut through hard surfaces.

Advantages of Jet Edge Waterjets

Jet Edge waterjets offer many productivity and flexibility advantages over traditional cutting methods including: no sharpening, no burrs requiring secondary finishing, and a hygienic method for cutting food. Waterjets completely eliminate heat-affected zones, toxic fumes, recast layers, work hardening, and thermal stress. Jet Edge waterjets can hold an accuracy of 0.005 inch with a repeatability of 0.001 inch over the entire work envelope. They have been known to cut materials up to 15 inches thick.
Waterjets are environmentally friendly and produce no hazardous waste, reducing waste disposal costs. They can cut off large pieces of reusable scrap material that might have been lost using traditional cutting methods. Parts can be closely nested to maximize material use, and the waterjet saves material by creating very little kerf. Waterjets use very little water (a half gallon to approximately one gallon per minute depending on cutting head orifice size), and the water that is used can be recycled using a closed-looped system. Waste water usually is clean enough to filter and dispose of down a drain. The garnet abrasive is a non-toxic natural substance that can be recycled for repeated use. Garnet usually can be disposed of in a landfill.

About Jet Edge
Jet Edge is a global designer and manufacturer of ultra-high pressure waterjet systems for precision cutting, surface preparation, coating removal, and hydro demolition. Jet Edge systems are used around the world in a broad range of industries, from the world's leading airlines to automotive, aerospace, industrial manufacturers, machine and job shops.

For more information about Jet Edge®, visit www.jetedge.com, call 800-JET-EDGE or e-mail sales@jetedge.com.

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