I would like to see into the cutting process better, but sometimes they are all fogged up or drips are hanging off on the top of the clear cover (are they made out of Lexan?), to make it hard to see.
I am wondering if Rain-X Plastic (not the regular version which is for glass), would help to get the fog/drips/debris out of the way more clearly?
Also for the future design, if the top is angled slightly rather than completely horizontal, it would help with getting rid of the drips easier.
Applying some clear coat to the inside of the window is a great idea! We have done some tests in-house when applying different types of protective coating. Unfortunately, all of our testing resulted in the clear coat washing away over a rapid period of time. We suspect that the abrasive in the water/tank slurry removes any stains on the surface of the window.
If you find any different results when applying clear coats to the window - please let me know! I would greatly appreciate knowing what you find.
Please note that any chemical you apply to the window may end up in the tank and drain line. I recommend keeping this to a minimum as the chemical may increase wear on the metal and gaskets found throughout the tank - as well as affect your drain system in an unknown way.
As for the angled top, I appreciate the thoughtful feedback and will share this with the development team! Keeping easy sight lines into the tank is where a lot of the fun lies in the water jet process.
Lately I’ve learned to rely less on my eyes and more on my ears - if a cut has failed the noise during the pierce timing will re-surface while the gantry is moving.
Hey Alex, I know some CNC operators put a tempered glass iPad screen protector on the inside of the windows on their machines. Apparently the glass protectors have a hydrophobic and oleophobic coating on it that repels oil and water. I’m not sure if you guys have tried this, but the tempered glass might be hard enough to resist the abrasion, but I’m just taking shots in the dark here. Have you guys tried that out before?
Great Idea! Thanks for the feedback - I will put together a test and share some of the results when it’s ready! Here’s to hoping for better visibility 