Glass cutting with the Flow water-jet

No problem! First you need to get the windshield digitized so that you have a digital description of the shape then you get someone to take this info and turn it into a CNC program that will describe the shape of the windshield that you want. Probably only $5-10,000 for the digitizing and programing. Its only money!!

Rex

 

Rex- Luckily I know someone who is going to scan the glass for me, I've done some panel work for him so he owes me anyways. He does some amazing 3-d prototyping, he's a private medical engineer.

Oldcarmike- This will never be on the road and that's what we want. The glass was aquired by my father from someone who made it like 40 years ago or something to that effect from what he told me. It's a solid heavy ass peice .430" thick pretty much throughout.

 

Oakland, I don't know you, but I know you talk big. We will all be waiting for the pics of your success story.

And if you don't show any, I can name ten guys here who will say I told you so.

You've got some ballsy talk for a guy asking for opinions a few hours ago.

 

Cool. I'd hate to see a pretty HAMBer all cut up when a crow comes through the windshield.

 

why dont you get another piece of glass that is made from the same exact type of glass, that is maybe not so rare off of something else, and send it to them and have them do a little test cut to see if its even going to work and worth hassle of bringing your real "rare" windshield anywhere? thats what I would do..

 

I don't recall asking for help... but ok. What I asked is if anyone here thought it feasable with the new technology that Flow has available and Flow thinks it's feasable.

Bondoboy- We're going to try that, but what worries me is losing strength in size. The smaller peice would be stronger than the larger one...

 

Oldcarmike- This will never be on the road and that's what we want. The glass was aquired by my father from someone who made it like 40 years ago or something to that effect from what he told me. It's a solid heavy ass peice .430" thick pretty much throughout.
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If its not going to see the road then its not a car and it aint worth shit! LTR Dave

 

when you cut glass with water you must keep the nozzle the same distance from the glass at all times. So the problem with curved glass is keeping the glass the same distance as it curves. It would seem to me if they were to utilize something like the auto focus technology that they use to judge distance and the relay that to the table holding the glass. Anyway there's a guy that cuts glass near by with one of these and it is sharp (pardon the pun) when it cuts it bevels the edges and all, and never any breaks. I heard he was attempting to do curved glass. I'll look into it for you

 

I just watched the episode of OCC when they used the Flow 5 axis machine and Paulie said they had the machine for 2 weeks. sounds like they dont own the 5 axis version... wait maybe they only had owned it for 2 weeks... whatever...

 

OCC does own their 5 Axis machine. Including them, so far there are about 3-5 companies with the unit that would do work on a consumer level. At this point it would be very costly to have done. I had some windows made for a concept car that we built a few years back that was slightly curved and tempered. "so it was DOT approved" and it cost about 8,000.00 to have the initial set up done and first set of side glass produced. I'm sure to have something done on the 5 axis would end up costing between 3 to five thousand. If you found someone to do it.

 

What do you think about acrylic or whatever they make bubble tops out of? How clear does it come out in the end as far as distortion goes? Also how would it hold up to cleaning?

Zombilly- yea let me know what he thinks if he can do it cause we really want to use this glass.

 

i cut marble and granite with it .. i think it would work . i will have to try it out .

 

Ok...here is my real life experience, with a little bit of conjecture.

I built the chassis for a 7.50 sec index "True Street" car (PSCA sanctioning body) here in Bakersfield.

The customer (my boss, at the time) wanted an engine setback that required the windshield (97 Camaro) be notched to clear the Dominator carb.

We contacted Doug DeBerti, local SEMA car/truck building legend, who started and sold Trenz, and who has a multiple axis water jet in his shop, and he cut three of them for us.

If you want the contact information, drop me a PM. I get NOTHING from this, don't work there anymore, but that fact remains that water jet cutting a windshield is a common (at least here in Bako) practice.