Flow International Corporation

Ascent Aerospace, LLC

Eckhardt R Ullrich

Mohamed Ahmed Hashish

Bruce M Schuman

Steven J Craigen

Michael Knaupp

Steve Craigen

Jeno Orova

Robert J Mann

Andreas Meyer

Charles M Brown

Thomas R Loofbourow

A catcher tank assembly is provided for a waterjet cutting machine. The catcher tank assembly includes a catcher tank having a plurality of tank sections detachably coupleable together in a side-by-side manner to collectively define a catcher tank having a desired configuration. The catcher tank assembly further includes a workpiece support system detachably coupleable to an interior cavity of the catcher tank. The workpiece support system may include a plurality of workpiece support modules arrangeable in an array to support a workpiece platform of the waterjet cutting machine. The workpiece platform may be formed, for example, by a series of slats supported transversely to parallel rows of the workpiece support modules. Methods and systems which relate to or include the aforementioned catcher tank assembly are also provided.

Catcher tank assembly of waterjet cutting system

A jet receiving receptacle is provided which is coupleable to a high-pressure fluid jet system opposite a nozzle thereof to receive a fluid jet discharged from the nozzle after it acts on a workpiece. The jet receiving receptacle may include an elongated inlet alignable with a direction of travel of the nozzle to receive the fluid jet in a deflected state. The jet receiving receptacle may further include a jet deflection device positioned downstream of the elongated inlet to redirect at least a portion of the fluid jet and a jet rebound device located upstream of the jet deflection device to be impinged on by the redirected portion of the fluid jet. The jet deflection device and jet rebound device may form, in combination with a housing, a device to trap the fluid jet. Fluid jet cutting systems incorporating a jet receiving receptacle and related methods are also provided.

Fluid jet receiving receptacles and related fluid jet cutting systems

A jet receiving receptacle is provided which is coupleable to a high pressure fluid jet system opposite a nozzle thereof to receive a fluid jet discharged from the nozzle after it acts on a workpiece. The jet receiving receptacle may include an inlet feed component having a tapered inlet that defines a jet receiving surface about a central axis to receive the fluid jet and direct the fluid jet downstream and toward the central axis. The jet receiving receptacle may further include a drive mechanism adapted to rotate the inlet feed component about the central axis such that impact of the fluid jet with the inlet feed component is distributed around the jet receiving surface. The drive mechanism may rotate the inlet feed component continuously or intermittently. Fluid jet cutting systems incorporating a jet receiving receptacle and related methods are also provided.

Fluid jet receptacle with rotatable inlet feed component and related fluid jet cutting system and method

A processing apparatus is provided to process a workpiece. The processing apparatus can have a low-profile nozzle system capable of navigating through spaces in order to process target regions with relatively small clearances. A fluid jet outputted from the nozzle system is used to cut, mill, or otherwise process the target region of the workpiece.

Apparatus and process for formation of laterally directed fluid jets

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Kent, WA, United States of America

Eckhardt R Ullrich