Capabilities
Abrasive Waterjet Cutting
An OMAX abrasive waterjet for the parts a laser or plasma shouldn't touch — thick plate, stainless, aluminum, copper bus bar and anything that can't take heat — cut to print with a clean, square edge.
An OMAX abrasive waterjet for the parts a laser or plasma shouldn't touch — thick plate, stainless, aluminum, copper bus bar and anything that can't take heat — cut to print with a clean, square edge.
Laser and plasma cut with heat, and for most steel parts that is fine. It isn't fine for thick stainless that hardens at the edge, aluminum that warps, copper bus bar that needs a clean conductive face, gasket and insulating materials, or a machined part where a heat-affected zone would move under the cutter. An abrasive waterjet cuts with high-pressure water and garnet, leaving no heat-affected zone, no slag and an edge square enough to use as-cut or finish with a light pass.
FabTek's OMAX waterjet sits in the cutting department beside the laser and plasma, so a job is routed to the process that suits each part rather than forced through one machine. It cuts the stainless for sanitary conveyor frames and 4X enclosures, aluminum for bus duct housings, copper for bus bar and coil work, thick carbon plate beyond the laser's range, and the non-metallic gaskets and barriers that go into transformer and switchgear assemblies.
Frames, brackets and plates for sanitary conveyors, NEMA 4X enclosures and washdown equipment, without edge hardening.
Bus duct and busway housing parts and heavy aluminum brackets, cut without distortion.
Bar, connectors and coil components cut with a clean conductive edge, no heat or slag.
Plate beyond laser range, cut square for base plates, flanges and machined blanks.
Rubber, phenolic, fiberglass and other non-metallics for tank, cabinet and switchgear assemblies.
Near-net blanks for the CNC machining cell where a heat-affected zone would affect the finished part.
Stainless, aluminum, copper, gaskets and thick plate that can't take a heat-affected zone.
Abrasive waterjet cuts to the drawing with no hardening, warping or dross.
Parts go straight to forming, welding or machining without edge cleanup.
Stainless conveyor frames, enclosure parts and bus components fit up as cut.
Stainless conveyor and enclosure fabrication, aluminum and copper work for bus ducts and busways and coil assemblies, gaskets and barriers for transformer tanks and switchgear, and blanks for machined components. Customers also send waterjet-only work — one-off plate, exotic alloys, composites — that their own shops can't cut cold.
| Machine | OMAX abrasive waterjet |
|---|---|
| Materials | Carbon and stainless steel, aluminum, copper and brass, titanium and exotic alloys, rubber, phenolic, fiberglass, plastics, stone and glass |
| Edge | No heat-affected zone, no slag, square edge; taper compensation available |
| Programming | From FabTek engineering's details or customer DXF, DWG and STEP files |
| Downstream | Forming, welding, machining and finishing on site |
| Traceability | Heat numbers carried on metal parts; ISO 9001:2015 |
| Also specified as | Waterjet cutting services, abrasive waterjet, water jet cutting, cold cutting, stainless waterjet cutting, aluminum waterjet cutting, gasket cutting |
Representative capabilities — exact ranges, ratings, and finishes are confirmed per project. Send drawings for a firm quote.
The value of a waterjet in a fabrication shop isn't the machine on its own; it is having it next to a laser and a plasma so each part is cut the right way. A stainless conveyor frame gets its thin sheet from the laser and its thick mounting plates from the waterjet; a bus duct gets its housing from the laser and its copper from the waterjet; a tank gets its walls from the plasma and its gaskets from the waterjet. FabTek's engineering group routes each part at the detailing stage, so the choice is made once from the drawing rather than at the machine.
Built at four production sites in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
ISO 9001:2015 quality management, AWS-certified welding, OSHA-compliant facilities.
In-house powder coat backed by an IEEE 2000-hour salt-spray certification.
Reserved-line capacity and the automation to grow with your volume.
Thick sections beyond laser range, heat-sensitive materials such as stainless and aluminum where edge hardening or warpage matters, reflective metals like copper, and non-metallics such as rubber, phenolic and fiberglass.
FabTek Industries runs an OMAX abrasive waterjet alongside fiber laser and CNC plasma at its Hazlehurst plants, with forming, welding, machining and powder coat on the same site.
For most fabrication, yes — the edge is square and slag-free. For machined fits we cut near-net on the waterjet and finish in the machining cell.
Yes. Gaskets, insulating barriers and similar non-metallics are cut on the waterjet for tank, cabinet and switchgear assemblies, or for customers who need parts only.
Explore related lines: Sanitary conveyors · NEMA 4 & 4X enclosures · Bus ducts & busways · Coil assemblies
Further reading: Steel, stainless and aluminum in fabrication · Metal fabrication machines and equipment guide
Have parts that can't take heat? Send the drawings — we'll confirm the waterjet is the right process and come back with a price and date, typically within one business day.