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ABOUT WATERJET CUTTING
What is the process?
Waterjet cutting is simply an accelerated erosion process within a selected material. Highly pressurised water is fired through a ruby or diamond nozzle into a mixing chamber. This pressure creates a vacuum and draws garnet sand into the stream where it is then fired at the object in place for cutting. The sand particles eat away at the material causing the effect of erosion to take place at such a high speed it is deemed as cutting. This has allowed waterjet cutting to become an extremely powerful and versatile tool that is used in many industries around the world.
WHAT IS A
WATERJET CUTTER?
A waterjet cutter is a machine that is made up of three main components to utilise a high-pressure stream of water to erode a narrow line within a piece of material. Depending on the material’s density and compound such as titanium a granular abrasive is added to the waterjet to increase the cutting power. The abrasive is added at the nozzle so that a simple switch between only water and abrasive cutting can be made.Waterjet Nozzle
The abrasive Waterjet cutting nozzle uses the configuration of a mixing chamber and a tube to allow for the abrasive to carefully mix in with the high-pressure water so that efficient cutting can take place. Waterjet nozzles are also designed without the abrasive mixing chamber and tube so that the nozzle itself fires high-pressure water which would be used to cut much softer materials, versus the abrasive solution. All Techniwater jet nozzles are individually tested within our factory to ensure that the configuration and design of the nozzle meet our standards and guidelines. This ensures long-lasting use and efficient cutting.
WHAT ARE THE
BENEFITS OF USING WATER CUTTING?
Waterjet cutting offers manufacturers with versatility and flexibility like no other. The range of benefits associated with using waterjet cutting is what gives this technology its edge over its competition such as laser and saw cutting.
Superior Edge Quality
No other cutting method comes close to the superior edge quality you will experience using waterjet cutting. Smooth, uniform burr-free edges are the reasons as to why designers and manufacturers specifically choose this method of cutting. The superior edge quality is achieved by using a combination of water speed, pressure, nozzle size and abrasive flow rate. In many cases waterjet cutting eliminates the need for secondary finishing, which saves a substantial amount of time, cost and improves the efficiency within your production line.
Gain Efficiency & Save On Cost in Your Workshop
Waterjet cutting is becoming one of the most cost-effective solutions on the market because it is a cold cutting process. Alternative hot cutting techniques face the likelihood of their parts/fittings experiencing heat zones which often cause the parts to warp making them inaccurate and unusable. Waterjet overcomes this quite easily with its cold cutting process so that chances of you throwing away material will virtually become non-existent. Time and efficiency in your workshop will improve due to the fact that waterjet cutting requires little edge treatment or secondary finishing after the cut is made. This means you are able to make a start onto your next cut or project whilst others who use alternative cutting methods are still wasting time and resources refining their edges.
Super Accurate Internal Cut-outs
With the cutting accuracy of ±0.1 to ±0.2mm, Waterjets become the tool of choice when making internal cut outs. Artwork, custom patterns, unique designs and logos can all be manufactured easily using the waterjet cutting process. This gives your business the ability to provide a greater service to your customers.
Material & Thickness Don’t Matter When Using A Waterjet Cutting Machine
The needle-sharp cutting stream made up of a mixture of water and abrasive solution cuts through most materials available in manufacturing. Restraints on material thickness will become a thing of the past as you are able to cut products such as aluminium, multi-layer materials, composites and hardened steels over 25mm thick.
No Heat Affected Zones
Heat distortion and hardened edges were a common problem faced by manufacturers before waterjet cutting was introduced. Cutting processes that generated high heat were used which created significant problems for workshops. One of the major problems faced was heat zones being created within materials which causes the molecular structure of that material to change. This has secondary effects on the material which often led to warping, inaccurate cuts or weak points being created within the material. Workshops can now eliminate all of these problems by simply choosing waterjet cutting which uses a cold cutting process.
No Tool Changes Required
Operating efficiency is improved because waterjet cutting allows you to cut all material without changing any tools. No need to change nozzle heads when a new material is placed on the table, just simply adjust your feed rate to the appropriate speed to match the material type and thickness and you are on your way to making your next cut. In many cases workshops improve their profitability as less time is wasted changing tools whenever a new cut is being made.
WHAT MATERIALS CAN BE CUT?
Waterjet cutting is becoming more popular around the world because of the versatility and the benefits it can provide to a wide range of industries. Learn about the range of applications that this waterjet cutting process can provide to your industry, business or production line.
Stone & Tiles
Glass
Metal
Food
Aerospace
Automotive
Composites
Conclusion
As you can see from the questions answered above, Waterjet cutting proves to be the most versatile and safe cutting process on the market. Its ability to cut thicker and a wider range of materials whilst still being able to create a safe environment to do so is why it has become the number one cutting method in a variety of industries. If you want to learn more about our machines you can watch our live demo of our Intec G2 Waterjet cutting machine
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