1. For Johnson Enterprises of New Brunswick, Canada, the waterjet cutting system with shuttle
table has opened the door to business opportunities more diverse than the materials it can
process.
A long way from its modest machine shop
beginnings 20 years ago, Johnson Enterprises
Inc. in Val D'Amour, New Brunswick, Canada,
has become a leading supplier of debarking tools
for the wood, pulp, and paper mills scattered
across Canada and New England.
Because the forestry sector typically downshifts
in the summer months, Johnson recently looked
to expand into the transportation and
hydroelectric industries by offering product
refurbishment and repair services. To realize this
goal, the company needed to expand its
capabilities, and it chose to do so with waterjet
technology.
Operations Manager Joey Johnson explained the decision to purchase a Bystronic Byjet waterjet
cutting system with a shuttle table: "We considered laser cutting systems but learned that certain
materials, such as aluminum and carbide-coated steel, were best cut on a waterjet. Aside from
being able to process a greater range of materials, we realized that we could save money on the
initial investment if we were to purchase a waterjet. Additionally, as waterjet systems are scarce
in this region of Canada, we thought this technology would help us develop a niche in the
marketplace."
An Expanded Frontier
After installing the waterjet in September 2004, Johnson Enterprises became one of less than a
handful of companies in the Atlantic provinces to own one, and it was the first manufacturer in
North America to own a Byjet waterjet with a
shuttle table.
With waterjet cutting, Johnson Enterprises has
been able to attract new customers outside of
its core sawmill industry customer base.
Johnson Enterprises was founded more than
20 years ago after Yvon Johnson realized the
need for a debarking tool that minimized the
removal of fiber from logs. Today the

2. Director of Marketing Andre Rivard explained,
"The Byjet waterjet put us on the map. It enabled
us to penetrate new markets, as well as introduce
ourselves to companies that had never heard of us before. People would travel to our facility just
to see our system in action."
While Rivard admitted that the surge in new business was partly because of the novelty of the
technology, it mostly stemmed from the company's newfound processing flexibility.
"We are serving entirely new customers," he said. "Now we handle orders from ambulance and
ATV manufacturers and specialized machine shops that work with materials that are difficult to
process."
In addition to attracting new customers, curiosity seekers, and technophiles, the waterjet has
helped the company reduce costs and increase its per-part profitability. With reduced tank and
pump maintenance, dynamic nesting, the shuttle table for parts and materials, and an automated
conveyer for garnet removal, the system is designed to minimize human intervention. It can
process parts safely and accurately without an operator.
Reduced Material Waste
With the universal rise in steel prices, New
Brunswick has suffered because of a scarcity of
local suppliers and its relatively small economy.
Local manufacturers often must turn to Ontario or
the U.S. for raw materials—an unsavory solution as
taxes, shipping, and customs delays make orders
costly and delivery times unpredictable at best.
Material utilization is critical in maintaining healthy
profit margins.
"Our sheet utilization is 60 percent higher than what
we achieved before installation of the [waterjet],"
Johnson said. "Not only are we equipped to
dynamically nest parts, we are able to process more
parts out of one sheet of material."
As the system maintains tight tolerances, users can
employ common-line cutting to process parts
quickly and with less wasted material. This was
especially important in processing debarker tips.
Previously workers would machine four sides for
each tip; now they nest parts to achieve one-pass cutting of two parts simultaneously.
company serves customers across Canada and
New England.
Johnson Enterprises is the first North
American owner of a Byjet waterjet with a
shuttle table. Because the machine can be
loaded while it is also cutting, it should be
able to take on more work as business
expands, according to company
management.

3. Johnson said, "Where we used to get 800 pieces out of a single piece of steel on a CNC cutting
machine, we now are up to 1,300 parts per sheet on the waterjet. This has reduced our per-part
cost by 30 percent."
Shortened Part Cycle
In addition to reduced waste, overall part throughput has nearly doubled at the facility. Johnson
explained that this was largely because of the reduction or elimination of secondary processes.
"The waterjet has helped us take away from the manufacturing process. It has effectively deleted
four to five manufacturing steps on our patent-pending
spiked debarker," he said.
Also, because waterjet processing produces no heat-
affected zone (HAZ), twisting and crystallization of the
debarker's spikes have been eliminated. Before cutting
the parts with the waterjet, the company had to machine
or press straight, refinish, and then anneal every cut
spike. The waterjet now eliminates an average of 15
minutes of refinishing per unit.
Labor costs have been reduced as well. Rather than five
or six people touching each debarker, now it is produced
solely by the waterjet operator.
Reduced Overhead
The waterjet has reduced the work load of the shop's other cutting systems and reduced their
routine wear and tear when processing thick materials, simply because there is less that needs to
be cut. The company's CNC machines typically were booked three weeks in advance, which was
a big hurdle in processing challenging orders or dealing with pressing lead-times. The waterjet
can cut a part in three hours rather than the six or seven hours that a cutting torch needs.
"We bought the shuttle table because we anticipate in the near future running the system around
the clock. This option is the most effective way to increase processing time," Johnson said.
"While you switch materials or remove finished parts, the machine continues to cut."
The company also has enjoyed a reduction in replacement tooling costs. Because more precision
cutting is shifted to the waterjet and less is being cut with the carbide cutting tools, the tooling is
experiencing less wear. In a typical week, the shop could burn through $5,000 to $6,000 in
tooling.
"Now that we are cutting parts more accurately on the waterjet," Johnson explained, "we have
reduced our carbide tooling costs by $1,500 per week." This does not include time savings in
processing.
Precisely cut parts, such as this rotary
disk, can be cut more quickly on the
waterjet than when they were cut on
more traditional CNC machines.

4. A New Horizon
The company now hopes to establish a strategic partnership with a Canadian shop that has a
Bystronic laser or press brake. "We want to align ourselves with contract manufacturers that use
[these] systems and software. [If] we use the same software, ... for example, we could program
their part into our waterjet, cut it to the appropriate length for their bending process, and then
transfer the file back to their press brake."
For Johnson Enterprises, the waterjet cutting system with a shuttle table has opened the door to
business opportunities more diverse than the materials it can process.
Johnson Enterprises Inc., 69, Chemin Lac des Lys, Val D'Amour, NB E3N 5E7, Canada, 506-
753-5574, fax 506-753-7536, info@johnsoninnovations.com, www. johnsoninnovations.com
Bystronic Inc., 185 Commerce Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788, 631-231-1212, fax 631-231-1040,
www.bystronic.com