Research and developments in high pressure technology and the promotion of safety are significant aspects of the waterjetting industry.
Since its founding in 1983, WJTA has played an integral role as an industry resource through its annual conference and safety, training and certification programs.
Over the years, many important findings have been published in WJTA’s Conference Proceedings, describing equipment advances and applications. Significant papers have discussed abrasive waterjet machining, high pressure cleaning, surface preparation, demolition, drilling, medical applications and many other topics.
Additionally, hands-free technology has continued to develop, eliminating lineof-fire hazards and increasing the repeatability of cleaning work. Many advances in automated tooling have been described in WJTA’s Conference Proceedings, Jet News and demonstrated at the WJTA Expo. Recently, trends such as data capture and eliminating confined space entry have been discussed.
Since WJTA was founded, waterjetting has matured, with different applications becoming commercialized at different rates and facing different challenges. The association has evolved with more members focused on industrial cleaning, precision coatings and civil applications of waterjet technology. Interest has also increased in services performed alongside waterjetting, particularly industrial vacuuming.
As the industry and association have evolved, WJTA has also focused on supporting the workforce. Industrial cleaning and vacuuming are truly skilled crafts requiring a specialized set of knowledge and skills. Retaining craftspeople within the industry and providing career pathways is critical for moving forward. This will benefit contractors in reducing the expense of hiring and training new employees, as well as asset owners so they can have cleaning done safely and thoroughly at their facilities.
A student scholarship program was introduced in 2022 and has presented $38,000 in awards to WJTA members and their dependents to put towards the cost of tuition. WJTA has developed standardized training and certification for waterjetting and industrial vacuum that can be easily implemented by contractors and verified by asset owners.
WJTA is led by a volunteer board of directors. Following an election for WJTA’s 2023 Board of Directors, six new and returning board members took office in October — Jim Ashmead, DuPont Specialty Products; Richard Bass, Kuraray America; Hans Borgt, Dow Chemical Company; Bradley Coble, Covestro; Kerry Siggins, StoneAge and Drew Waltenbaugh, NLB Corp.
Continuing to serve on the WJTA Board are David Beckum, Augusta Industrial Services; Jerry Carter, SPIR STAR; Dee Green, USA DeBusk; Bill Krupowicz, Jetstream of Houston; Jimmy Peck, MPW Industrial Services and Bill Shaw, Evergreen North America. Their terms will expire in 2025.
In 2024, WJTA leadership will work to update the association’s strategic mission and vision, while continuing to develop and expand the association’s training and certification program, and to produce a whitepaper on design for cleanability.
The next WJTA Conference & Expo is scheduled for 2025.
For more information, visit wjta.org.
