WARDJet Gives Away Two Waterjets at IMTS 2016


WARDJet just wrapped up an educational week at the IMTS tradeshow in Chicago, IL.  Visitors came to WARDJet's booth for hands-on building activities, giveaways, live remote cutting demonstrations and a virtual model of Z-2543 using a Microsoft HoloLens.



A large part of the buzz was related to the WARDJet Build It! Challenge, which was organized in association with the Smartforce Student Summit. During this event, over 200 professionals and students registered for one hour time slots to build components of a waterjet cutting system. Over the course of the show, participating pros built an E-1515 waterjet a total of five times while the students built its twin, the WARDKit 5x5, a total of six times! Each time the waterjet was finished, it was tested against several criteria and points were awarded to the appropriate team. By the final day of the competition, students hedged out the pros with a final score of 24 to 18. Great job, students!



The big winners of the Build It! Challenge were the two lucky teams who won the grand prize waterjets valued at over $200,000. On the pro side, John Mullet of Laureate Machine and Automation from Leipsic, Ohio won the E-1515 waterjet. Laureate Machine and Automation offers fabrication for a variety of industries and is looking forward to adding abrasive waterjet to their list of capabilities. The student team who won the WARDKit 5x5 for their school fabrication shop was Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. Missouri ST is a member of the University of Missouri system, with many students studying engineering, sciences, and mathematics. WARDJet plans to provide an update on these waterjets as they are installed and commissioned at their new homes in Missouri and Ohio.



WARDJet was excited about seeing the impact this event had on educating students and professionals  alike. Given the versatility of waterjet technology our team is confident we will continue to have an active role in supporting the revitalization of manufacturing in the coming years.



For more information, please visit WARDJet’s IMTS webpage wardjet.com/build-it-challenge.


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