Kalamazoo WaterJet is Proud to be Part of ABC TV’s Battlebots!

         

Thursday, June 30^rd at 8PM EST will be the second episode of “Battlebots – Season 2”. And, Consort’s very own Bryan Lepley may be glimpsed on-camera at the Los Angeles ABC studio’s taping of the show. Consort’s Kalamazoo Waterjet division is, for the second year in a row, a major sponsor for the “WitchDoctor” crew and Bryan was invited to attend the competition in late May. But, “Mum is the word about who won and how Witch Doctor came out,” says Bryan. “Everyone signed a non-disclosure so I can’t say a thing! Just watch the show and find out. I can tell you that our Witch Doctor is supposed to appear on episode two, on the 30^th.”

            So, what is Battlebots? Here’s a brief overview: “The homemade robots are back for season two, where they will battle against each other in a single elimination tournament until there is one champion. The ten episode series will feature next generation robots – bigger, faster and stronger than ever before. The show will continue to emphasize the design and build elements of each robot, the bot builder backstories, their intense pursuit of the championship and the spectacle of the event. While there's only one weight class, there are a huge variety of deadly weapons. Forty-eight robots will enter, but in the end, only one will win the final trophy.”

            Until you see these robots in action you can’t imagine what this is all about, but check out this Youtube video of last year’s battle between Witch Doctor and Tombstone and you’ll get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4AAIfQD8ew . According to Bryan, all robots were redesigned and are generally tougher and proved to be more aggressive, especially Witch Doctor. Each entry has a weight limit and if there is an accompanying smaller robot or drone with the main entry, the total weight of the two cannot exceed 250 pounds. Witch Doctor has a little buddy, named Shaman, and there are flying drones with other entries. The drones are new for this year.

            The show is ten episodes and you’ll find that it’s somewhat addicting to see how the different designs and structures hold up against each other. “These folks are all nuts, but in a good way!,” says Bryan.

            Through Bryan’s efforts Kalamazoo’s own Schupan and Sons and Good Metals Company of Grand Rapid are also a Witch Doctor sponsors, making Southwest Michigan well-represented at this amazing battleground. 
Roger Lepley

Consort Adds to Waterjet Machining Capability

     Consort is pleased to announce the newest addition to our family. No, it’s not a baby! It’s an OMAX 80X WaterJet Machining Center. This amazing machine has a cutting bed of 13 feet long by 6.5 feet wide and will cut virtually any material including aluminum, steel, iron, titanium and high-tech composites as well as marble, granite, glass, tile, stone, wood and plastics.

     This new machine joins our smaller version, the OMAX 55100, that we’ve had for the past five years. Both machining centers are under the care of our in-house waterjet expert, Bryan Lepley, who attended the OMAX training center in Kent, Washington and who supervises the operation and maintenance. Also, our in-house design staff has been integral in joining Bryan with designing and programming for the machine.
     We purchased the first machine to assist us with manufacturing our own products but word spread that we possessed this capability and now we are pleased to be doing subcontract work for many Michigan-based manufacturing companies. Due to increased demand, we felt it necessary to increase our capability and this new machine is just the ticket! It’s an amazing device and we invite you to contact us for a tour.
     Some of the more unusual custom projects have been aircraft parts, huge steel tank parts and gaskets, many prototype components for local manufacturers, parts for Stanley Steamer automobile reproductions, granite and stone landscaping pieces and many others.

     For our own product lines, we’ve shown our restaurant-oriented line of hostess stands, chalk boards and logo wall signs at the past three National Restaurant Shows in Chicago in May and have enjoyed designing many projects for restaurants and  hotels around the US and Canada.
     In further explanation, a waterjet machine is simple in concept but, of course, the machine is an extremely complex, high-tech machine. It’s basically a very fine stream of water under pressure of up to 55,000 psi (your kitchen faucet is probably 50 to 100 psi, for example). And, garnet abrasive, a powdery sand-type material is streamed along with the water. The high pressure water combined with the abrasive will cut up to 6” thick solid steel. And, it cuts the material slightly underwater to minimize splashing. You need to see it to believe it!
     Please check out our custom waterjet site and let us know if we can interest you in using this amazing technology.
Roger Lepley