Jet Edge cuts carbon composite, steel parts for Gopher Motorsports

Waterjet manufacturer Jet Edge Inc., St. Michael, Minn., has been hired by the University of Minnesota’s Gopher Motorsports team to cut parts for its #52 G04-16 Formula SAE race car.

The team is using the carbon composite, steel, and aluminum parts to build an open-wheeled, open-cockpit race car for the Michigan Formula SAE global collegiate competition in May. Among the parts being waterjet-cut are mounting tabs for the frame, structural inserts for the wings, a chain guard, and brake rotors.

“From working with Jet Edge, we have figured out ways to more efficiently utilize the raw materials that we have,” said Nathan Tigges, Gopher Motorsports FSAE vice president. “Jet Edge’s machinist Brian Wallace helped us save half of a sheet of carbon composite material by nesting our pieces more efficiently, which really helps us out.”

Wallace, who runs the waterjet applications test lab, has been cutting the team’s parts on Jet Edge’s EDGE X-5 5-axis CNC waterjet system, which delivers a 75,000-PSI abrasive waterjet. The system uses a hydraulic intensifier pump to pressurize the water, which is then forced through a 0.010-in. jewel orifice, mixed with 0.5 lb. of 80-grit garnet abrasive per minute, and focused through a 0.030-in. nozzle to cut the parts.