Flow International Corporation

C David Bader

Mohamed Ahmed Hashish

Jonathan M Stewart

Charles D Burnham

Michael Knaupp

Robert J Mann

Andreas Meyer

Thomas A Pesek

Mira K Sahney

Sean A Vaughan

An apparatus for generating and manipulating a high-pressure fluid jet includes an assembly coupled to a motion assembly that imparts motion to the assembly along one or more axes. The motion assembly includes two motors coupled together to form a gimbal wrist, each motor having an axis of rotation. The two axes of rotation of the two motors can be perpendicular to each other, but are not necessarily aligned with the manipulator's axes of motion. The high-pressure fluid assembly incorporates a swivel that can rotate about two axes which may be parallel to the two motors' axes of rotation, allowing the high-pressure tubing contained therein to follow the motion imparted by the gimbal wrist of the motion assembly.

Apparatus for generating and manipulating a high-pressure fluid jet

An apparatus for generating and manipulating a high-pressure fluid jet includes an end effector assembly coupled to a manipulator that imparts motion to the end effector. The end effector assembly includes a cutting head coupled to a source of high-pressure fluid and to a source of abrasive. A motion assembly is coupled to the cutting head via a clamp positioned around the cutting head. A nozzle body assembly is removably coupled to the cutting head assembly, which may be separated from the cutting head assembly to allow access to the orifice, without removing the cutting head assembly from the clamp. The clamp has a quick release mechanism and an alignment member. The motion assembly includes two motors coupled together to form a gimbal wrist, each motor having a horizontal axis of rotation. The two axes of rotation are perpendicular to each other, but are not necessarily aligned with the manipulator's axes of motion.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

C David Bader