PowerDredge to the rescue

By Hypertherm
Posted on 12/11/2015 in SPARK the blog, Waterjet cutting

Earlier this week, we talked about the drudge of removing sludge from waterjet tables. It isn't fun and it isn't easy. In fact, it's probably one of the worst jobs in the world. But what if you didn't have to shovel or suck out that sludge? What if you could automatically collect it in a bag? Hypertherm has that product!

Our new PowerDredge™ will:

  • Reduce waterjet system down time by increasing the speed of abrasive removal
  • Minimize the need for difficult, manual labor
  • Simplify abrasive transport from waterjet table to waste area

Better yet, this system doesn't require additional water, electricity, high-pressure supply lines, or man hours to operate. It's simple yet automated. Here's how it works:

  1. A series of up to nine pump-powered nozzles are placed at the bottom of the waterjet table
  2. The pump vacuums in used abrasive
  3. Used abrasive moves through galvanized plumbing and is pre-filtered by a strainer to remove large particles. It then travels to the PowerDredge waste hopper, where it collects in a large, easy to remove bulk bag
  4. Most of the water vacuumed into the PowerDredge waste hopper siphons through the bulk bag and flows back to the waterjet table via a gravity feed
  5. If the intake nozzles become clogged, a compressed air system back flushes the system to remove the debris and return the system to its normal intake capacity

As there are a wide variety of waterjet tables in use today, this system is offered in different configurations to match differing business needs. For example, customers can choose fixed or flexible tubing, standard or heavy duty strainers, etc. Interested? If so, visit https://www.hypertherm.com/waterjet to learn more.