Based in rural New South Wales, Spring Ridge Engineering recently invested in a Jekran X-MW Series waterjet cutter from Hare & Forbes.
The Liverpool Plains area of north-west NSW is highly productive agricultural land. There are crops such as wheat, corn, sorghum and cotton crops, sheep graze the hills surrounding Spring Ridge, and the Caroona and Killara cattle feedlots are significant contributors to the local economy. Machinery plays a vital role. Critical tasks must be performed in narrow timeframes and no farmer can afford to have an unproductive machine creating costly downtime.
Andrew Holland runs Spring Ridge Engineering with his father Chris, who started the business around 40 years ago, originally manufacturing planting machines.
“In recent years growers have adopted new machines with advanced technology,” says Andrew. “The transition to automation has meant Spring Ridge Engineering has moved from manufacturing machines to supplying parts and accessories, fabrication of specialised components, and engineering services to produce replacement parts and make repairs. Harvest time is extremely busy and no one can wait longer than necessary to get a machine back in operation.”
The need for specialised fabricated parts has kept Spring Ridge Engineering busy. It needed a solution to quickly manufacture components, specialised implements and high-precision parts.
“When it comes to cutting materials, a plasma cutter or oxy acetylene may be fast,” Andrew explains. “However, it’s difficult to get the fine-quality finish needed for many precision components. We found the right solution in a Jekran X-MW series waterjet, which we installed in our factory towards the end of last year. It gives us the flexibility to produce high-precision components.”
The Jekran X-MW is a versatile machine capable of cutting virtually any material, including steel up to 100mm thick. The fine finish on machined parts eliminates the need for any secondary finishing. While waterjet cutting may not be the fastest method, is gives the best precision.
“The Jekran waterjet is capable of delivering excellent results even for the most challenging jobs,” adds Andrew. “The cold process means there is no molten-edge distortion. When we need to fabricate or replicate a critical part, it’s just a matter copying an existing component or creating a new piece by drawing up the task in SolidWorks and feeding this into the machine’s controller.
“The Jekran waterjet provides the critical link between our long experience and resourcefulness and engineering know-how to give us the edge we need. It has enabled us to be creative in delivering the fast turnaround and high-quality solutions our customers demand. The machine is easy to program and can be operated by an apprentice, so our technical support team can spend more time in the field to help producers with their machinery issues. The benefit to our business is a good-quality job that can be charged out at a rate that will deliver us an acceptable profit margin, in a timeframe that makes the customer happy.”