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Industrial Engineering

The Best Specs To Look Out For When Buying A Water Jet Cutter

Waterjet cutting is the technique of cutting through things by eroding the matter away at the point of contact with a jet of water moving at incredible speeds, which is created by placing water under high pressure and pushing it through a narrow orifice. Below are the specs to look out for when approaching a water jet manufacturer.

Best Features of A Water Jet Cutter

Pure Water vs. Abrasive Cutting

A typical waterjet cutter has a pressure range of 300 to 400 MPa. At 300 MPa, the water jet can travel at 680 m/s, and at 400 MPa, it can travel at nearly 1,021 m/s.

abrasive cutting

Cutting soft materials like rubber, foam, gaskets, leather, textiles, and food-related objects using pure water is typical. When working with hard materials that can’t be machined with just water, the nozzle is frequently replaced by an abrasive cutting nozzle with a mixing tube.

Pure Water

MaterialThickness(in/mm)Cutting Speed(ft/min or mm/min)
Rubber.78/23.94/107.87/2089/27.00033/11.5007/2.200
Synthetic material.78/21.97/53.94/1074/22.50029/8.90011/3.400
Foamed3.94/1039.4/10090/27.50018/5.500

@4.137 bar; orifice sizes: .004″-.01″; surface quality: medium – fine

Abrasive Flow

MaterialThickness(in/mm)Cutting Speed(ft/min or mm/min)
Titanium.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.113/3306/1523/76
Marble.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.131/78714/3566/152
Stainless Steel.25/6.4.50/12.7.75/19.112/3055/1273/76

@4.137 bar; 7.0 lb/min; abrasive flow; 0.01” orifice diameter

Abrasive Compound and Water

Due to its direct impact on the service life of equipment components such as check valves, seals, and orifices, the water delivered to the intensifier is necessary for waterjet cutting.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration causes increased wear of any components that come into touch with it. TDS levels of 60-70 ppm are ideal, with a pH of 6-8.

In waterjet cutting, red garnet is the most frequent abrasive. Garnet is rather complex, and when it fractures, it produces sharp edges, both of which are beneficial in waterjet cutting.

A gentler abrasive, like olivine, can be used on metal. The use of a gentler abrasive has the benefit of reducing mixing tube wear.

A coarser abrasive is applied for maximum cutting rates. The most common abrasive is No. 80 mesh, and most nozzle manufacturers specify this particle size for their machinery.

Nozzle

For the nozzle’s mixing chamber and orifice, water jet makers have developed very wear-resistant materials. However, this does not eliminate nozzle wear, and as a result, the jet’s precision will deteriorate with time.

The rate of wear varies depending on various conditions, but the orifice is generally changed after 20-40 hours of active usage and the nozzle after 40-80 hours.

cnc manufacturing

Edge Quality

The edge quality of a waterjet cut is generally described as Q1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. The quickest cut is Q1, which is typically utilized for material separation and forms for subsequent machining. Then, depending on the edge polish required, slower cutting rates of Q2 to Q5 are employed, increasing the cost.

Motion Control

The motion control system is an integral part of the operation because the cutting stream bends as it cuts. A waterjet, as a result, tends to undercut corners and swing wear rate wide on bends.

Final Thoughts

When thinking about approaching water jet manufacturers, it’s very crucial to consider these aspects. Water jetting appears to be a simple operation, but it requires a lot of thinking.

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Industrial Engineering

What are the Possible Beneficial Effects of Waterjet Cutting?

The underlying reason why waterjet cutting is enjoying immense popularity and highly in-demand these days is due to its employed unique process. It is substantial to deliver an elusive quality cut edge but at the same time also it is taking away from the equation the need for any kind of secondary finishing process. 

When placed alongside other equally modern material cutting technologies, waterjet cutter systems are way faster, more flexible, and precise. This is the reason why there is a wide spectrum of industries and businesses that uses it to take advantage of its gamut of unique benefits. It is one of the material cutting/slicing systems. 

Here is an overview of these advantages to help you see why waterjet systems are worth your investment for all your material cutting and slicing needs.  

Defining What Waterjet Cutting is All About

Water Jet cutters are a qualified metal fabrication technique. They incorporate the use of a carbide nozzle, which is a fine garnet abrasive. This is partnered with a jet stream of extremely high-pressure water. So instead of a metal blade to cut metal, water cuts it. 

The water jet cutting system is essentially a sped-up version of soil erosion. But to further intensify its cutting/slicing power, water itself can be mixed with garnet abrasive particles. This measure will also help enhance or speed up the cutting process.  

Advantages of Waterjet Systems

Virtually Cuts Any Material

Much like any other material cutting and fabrication techniques, waterjet machines can virtually take on any material or product. Various materials utilized by different industries such as rubber, plastics, stone, laminated materials, glass, and many others even when they happen to have uneven surfaces can be seamlessly cut or sliced through by a waterjet machine. 

Allows Seamless Cutting of Intricate Shapes

The use of a waterjet system is most advantageous when working on projects that involve cutting of complex shapes. This can come in the form of bevels, sharp corners, pierced holes, or even shapes that have minimal inner radii. Every conceivable fabrication idea and concept is actionable and executable with a waterjet cutter in hand. 

Eco-Friendly 

Since the use of waterjet systems in metal cutting and other fabrication works will not produce gas or fumes, or any kind of hazardous waste or byproducts, it is not going to put the environment in harm’s way. This works to your advantage in such a way that it will help in mitigating your waste disposal costs. 

technology

Also, a highly adroit operator of waterjet systems will have a way of using large pieces of reusable scrap metal. In traditional material cutting techniques, they are just usually laid to waste and will be good for nothing.

Besides, waterjet cutting makes it possible to have parts closely nested. This allows you to have optimal use of your material,  which is only possible when you minimize kerf. 

Cuts Without Use or Generation of Heat

One of the most significant advantages of using a waterjet system is its cold cutting quality. This means to say that it allows you to handle the cutting of materials without using or generating heat, which runs the risk of the material meltdown or getting cracked somewhere if traditional cutting methods are employed instead. 

Thus, it is safe for us to declare that the waterjet technique is, without a doubt, an irrefutably viable cutting option when handling heat-sensitive materials.  

Wrapping Up!

Waterjet system is a viable cutting edge technology that can be used for your various material cutting and slicing concerns. 

It makes use of high-pressure water harmonized with top-of-the-line technology, making it possible to cut and shape a gamut of materials and metals. 

It is one of the most highly favored material cutting options in the business sphere, particularly in the manufacturing space.