Atlantis Waterjet Services uses waterjet and laser etching machines to precisely cut a wide variety of materials for applications in industries like aerospace, architecture, and interior design. Owner Edgar Hernandez was inspired by waterjet technology and sees opportunities in architectural design work. The company has completed projects for the Georgia Aquarium and military vehicles and aims to educate designers about the capabilities of its machines.

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Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
March 8, 2007
Section: Cobb
Edition: Main; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Page: JF8
Cobb Business: Precise cuts with a splash
Water technology can be used to etch any material
LESLIE EVERTON BRICE
For the Journal-Constitution
From aerospace technology to architecture and interior design, the applications for Atlantis Waterjet's cutting and laser
etching machines are almost endless.
"Imagine the possibilities" is the company slogan, and owner Edgar Hernandez of Cobb County is still coming up with new
ideas.
"Anything that you can draw on a computer you can cut with the waterjet," said Hernandez. "The jet stream is .030 of an
inch thick, so it can cut very fine, it's very precise."
The laser etching machine is similarly diverse -- it can cut images from photos to graphics to antique posters on just about
any surface.
"We can do memorials, logos, nameplates, virtually any pattern," he said.
Originally from Florida, Hernandez and his wife, Julie, and their two children moved to Cobb County about two years ago.
Hernandez sold metal fabrication equipment for 10 years before starting his business. And then the waterjet came along.
"When the waterjet was introduced, I fell in love with it," he said.
Initially, the waterjet was used for manufacturing components for high-tech aerospace parts.
The fact that it cut materials with water, not heat, meant there would be no chemical change in the materials it cut. That
was a huge step forward for manufacturing purposes. And Atlantis Waterjet remains very much involved in the
manufacturing of parts for various industries.
But Hernandez saw more possibilities. When he moved here, he decided to take action on the business plan he'd been
hatching.
"You have to do what you love, and I've got a real passion for this business," he said. "We want to expand more into the
architectural and interior design components. It's great for floor inlays, creating designs in countertops or cutting
countertops with involved sinks. That's the great thing about this business -- we don't have just one client base. It's so
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diverse."
The business started out with just the waterjet, but a friend of the family just happened to have a laser etching machine he
wasn't using.
"He did the laser etching on the donors wall at the [Georgia] Aquarium," said Hernandez. "He wasn't using the machine
anymore, so we decided we'd get it and add those services to the business."
The company has worked with some pretty high-profile clients.
"We cut about 5,000 two-inch bulletproof glass windows for military vehicles going to Iraq," Hernandez said.
The waterjet also has had its more artistic moments.
For Atlantis Resort & Casino in the Bahamas, Hernandez cut intricate leaves of copper for Marietta-based Zoran
Worldwide, which designed a bamboo tree sculpture installed in a resort lobby.
"That's the task -- to educate designers and architects about the intricacy that can be done on the machine," said
Hernandez.
ATLANTIS WATERJET SERVICES
89 Kelli Clark Court, Cartersville
• Phone: 770-974-3558
• Hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays
• On the Web: www.atlantiswaterjet.com
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RENEE BROCK / Special
Atlantis Waterjet Services
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RENEE BROCK / Special
Edgar Hernandez, owner of Atlantis Waterjet Services in Cartersville, says the machinery can do more than just cut
straight lines on fine marble. "Anything that you can draw on a computer you can cut with the waterjet . . . it can cut very
fine, it's very precise."
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Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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