Water alone doesn’t cut into steel. The key ingredient is a granular abrasive – such as garnet – which increases a waterjet’s cutting power, slicing effortlessly into the hardest metals.
The quality of the abrasive has a direct impact on the quality of the cut, which is why AKS waterjet machines are equipped with industrial garnet from GMA Garnet Group, a global leader in the industry.
GMA industrial garnet produces a smooth and precise cut, making it the most superior abrasive on the market.
GMA is the world’s largest garnet producer and possibly the most unique. The family-owned company was founded in Western Australia more than 40 years ago, where its original mine site continues to operate. It now has locations all over the world. As a fully vertically-integrated company, GMA controls the product from the ground up. The garnet is processed, graded, screened, cleaned, and packaged upon mining the raw material. In the United States, that process occurs on-site at production facilities across the country. The company then distributes and sells it.
The top-to-bottom structure has not only been beneficial as of late – while many companies across each industry struggle with supply chain disruptions – but it allows for highly-detailed tracing. It also enables the GMA sales team to be fully knowledgeable about the entire process and different product grades, which is beneficial for helping customers decide which garnet line is right for them.
“We have extremely experienced sales representatives who speak the language of our customers and understand their application,” said Christian Waters, Vice President of Waterjet Products and Strategic Sales at GMA Garnet Group. “We tailor the abrasive to the specific applications to make sure the customer is getting the outcome they want and need. We take the time to understand people’s business so we can continuously improve our full range of products and offer the best possible solutions to our customers.”
A Greener Approach
Recently, GMA has taken its role as a global innovator one step further by pioneering a garnet recycling technique. By large-scale wet processing, spent garnet is run through the same processing facilities as its virgin material, producing a high-quality recycled product.
GMA has ramped up its commercialized recycling initiative in the past 12 to 18 months, with plans for it to become a more significant part of its offering moving forward. It currently has two recycling centers in the United States, one at its production facility outside of Philadelphia and one in northeastern Oregon, which prevent tens of thousands of tons of material from going into landfills.
Another initiative it is currently working on is ISO certification for its facilities. Its largest facility, in Pennsylvania, has been ISO-certified for more than a year, and the company plans to have more of its facilities join that list in the next year.
By staying ahead of the curve, offering optimal customer service, and continuing to strive for the highest quality product line, GMA proves to be the premier supplier of industrial garnet for waterjet manufacturers, such as AKS.
Learn More: GMA Garnet Group