30-31 January 2013, AMRC Factory of the Future.

The AMRC with Boeing presents a unique opportunity for manufacturers to find out more about waterjet machining and the centre's latest machine: a large gantry-type composite milling (GCM) waterjet from member company WardJet.

The GCM machine combines WardJet's proven waterjet technology with high-speed five-axis machining, providing highly efficient and flexible cutting of composites and metals. With over 1.5m of z-travel for the cutting head, it is one of the world's largest combined waterjet-machining centres.

The new machine will be used in a number of collaborative research projects, focusing on new techniques for cutting and machining composite components on one machine to eliminate costly time spent changing heads or moving materials to a separate machine. Other potential applications include pocket milling with waterjets.

The AMRC with Boeing is currently engaged in several collaborative European projects to extend the capabilities of waterjet machining, including:

• Admap-Gas - investigating the use of waterjet cutting for fir-tree profiles in jet turbine disks.
• Reform - cleaner technologies for manufacturing with composites.
• Eneplan - exploring the environmental benefits of waterjets for machining aerospace parts.

The open days on 30 and 31 January 2013 will include tours of the AMRC campus, presentations by researchers and partners, and the chance to see the GCM in action.

For more information, please see the WardJet open house page or download the WardJet event flyer (pdf), or contact project manager Dr Gustavo Escobar.

• More about the WardJet GCM and the advantages of waterjetting (pdf).
• G-series waterjets at WardJet.com