Laureate Machine Wins WARDJet Waterjet Cutting Machine at IMTS

  TALLMADGE, OH - 02/16/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

How surprised would you be if you won a $100,000 waterjet cutting machine? Well, that’s what happened to John Mullet, owner of Laureate Machine & Automation of Ohio, the winner from the “industry pro” side of the WARDJet / IMTS waterjet build-off competition. After joining WARDJet to compete in the waterjet build-off event at IMTS 2016, John returned to his modest-sized contract machine shop with little expectation of actually winning a waterjet. John was surprised when he got a call from WARDJet president and CEO, Richard Ward, telling him he was now the owner of new WARDJet waterjet.

Sizing Things Up
The waterjet cutting machine that Laureate Machine won had a cutting envelope of 5ft x 5ft. John decided to upgrade the size of the waterjet. As he saw it, the prize, a WARDJet E-1515 waterjet machine (1.5 meter by 1.5 meter), might not serve his needs as well as a larger waterjet might. Knowing their standard sheet sizes, John asked if they would be able trade in their 5x5 prize for a larger 5x10 machine. Crediting Laureate the value of the E-1515, WARDJet allowed the company to purchase the E-1530 waterjet for the difference in price.

Laureate Discovers the WARDJet Difference 
Laureate, established in 2000, focuses on designing and building automated finishing systems in addition to handling other types of contract work. Their shop was already equipped to do CNC machining, wire EDM, welding/fabrication, and John had even previously considered a waterjet purchase knowing that the versatility of waterjet technology would complement his capabilities.

When the WARDJet machine was delivered in late November (‘16), it quickly became clear that John understood the value of both his new machine and working with WARDJet. “After the guys came out [WARDJet Installers] and did the ballbar calibration; it was cutting within a few thousandths of circularity on a 24" diameter circle. Pretty amazing for this large of a machine,” John reported.

Cut Right To It
As soon as the machine was installed Laureate was ready to put it to work. In fact, the Laureate crew started cutting parts on the first day and was able to immediately realize a profit. “We've already experienced a cost savings by cutting [in-house] some of the parts we were previously contracting outside,” John said. He went on to explain that the company had been outsourcing waterjet cutting of some large tool and jig blanks that he could now bring in-house and cut on his new WARDJet waterjet­­. Furthermore, John clearly saw some notable differences when using the WARDJet machine. “I am really impressed with the rigidity of this machine and the quality of cut compared to what we were seeing on parts cut on the cantilevered design machine our sub-contractor was using.”

To read more or see photos visit the original story at wardjet.com/news/prize-turns-profit-on-day-1-for-imts-waterjet-winner

For more information on Laureate Machine & Automation visit laureatemachine.com

For more information about WARDJet visit wardjet.com, e-mail sales@wardjet.com or call 1-844-WARDJET or 330-677-9100. Follow us on Twitter @WARDJet.

About WARDJet: WARDJet is a waterjet cutting machine and original equipment manufacturer based in Tallmadge, OH. Founded in 1995, WARDJet is vertically integrated and manufacturers nearly all parts (including circuit boards) in-house. With a focus on tailored waterjet cutting solutions, WARDJet continues to lead the industry by manufacturing systems that are used around the world to cut materials ranging from tinfoil to titanium.

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