Water Jet Cutting

About Water Jet Cutting and Abrasive Water jet Cutting Including: Abrasive Flow Machining, Abrasive Jet Machining, Abrasive Waterjet Cutting, CNC Water Jet Cutting, High Pressure Water Cutting, Hydro Cutting, Water Jet Cutters, Water Jet Glass Cutting, Water Jet Machining, Water Jet Metal Cutting, Waterjet Cutting Machinery & Waterjet Cutting.

Waterjet cutting, a fabrication process which was advanced during the 1970's, is a cold cutting process used by many industrial and commercial manufacturers to create precision, low-waste parts and designs from a wide spectrum of materials. Using an extremely high pressure water cutting stream (typically between 20,000 and 60,000 PSI), water jet cutters are able to cut through virtually any material, including glass, metal and plastics, to thicknesses over 18 inches without forming any of the burs, warping or discoloration which often result from sawing, plasma cutting and laser cutting. Abrasive grit materials such as carbide or sand are added to the water jet stream in abrasive jet machining, also called abrasive waterjet cutting, to add extra strength for hydro cutting hard metals and stone; most parts fabricating waterjet processes used use abrasive materials. Water jet machining and waterjet cutting offer far tighter tolerances, finer lines and more cost-effective machining than traditional methods of metal cutting, making water jet cutting a choice for precision parts fabricators and sculpture artists. A similar process, abrasive flow machining, smooths the interior of hollow objects, rather than the exterior, as water jet cutting machinery does.

Manufacturers from across automotive, aerospace, industrial equipment and communications industries as well as artists, food processors and lumberyards use waterjet cutting machinery's cold-cut precision to fabricate a wide range of parts. Precise automotive parts, company logos, granite countertops, foam cores and many other products across a broad range are cut using waterjets. The fact that water jet cutting leaves no burs or warping behind cuts back significantly on secondary machining processes, a feature taken advantage of by both manufacturers and sculpture artists. Industrial, automotive, aerospace and telecommunications manufacturers using water jet cutting enjoy an extremely cost-effective process which uses all natural materials and produces zero hazardous waste. Material waste is significantly reduced by waterjet cutters' close precision; outlines may be far closer to one another, and excess material may easily be cut off and re-shaped without damaging the cut out parts or the remaining material.

The only materials not capable of being cut by waterjets (due to their high susceptibility to shattering) are tempered glass, diamonds and some types of ceramics. All types of metal, including titanium, iron and hardened metals are cut, shaped or designed with water jet cutting, as well as non-metals such as wood, plastics, rubber, marble, granite and even most gemstones. Computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and CNC processes are often incorporated into water jet cutting, allowing a seamless transition between design and fabrication which results in high precision parts and designs. Typically fabricated from stainless steel, water jet cutters consist of a water reservoir, an abrasive reservoir, a high-pressure water pump and a nozzle. The nozzle, positioned with automated CAM devices above a worktable, mixes abrasives and water together after the water has passed through the inlet and jewel. The abrasive water is guided through the mixing tube and shot out of the nozzle at speeds up to 900 miles per hour. Waterjet cutting machinery uses very low amounts of water - typically one half to one gallon per project, and both water and abrasive materials are easily recycled within a closed-loop system. This adds not only to waterjet cutting's appeal to environmentally sustainable manufacturing, but to cost economy as well.

Water jet cutting is considered a green technology, as the wastewaster and abrasive materials used are not hazardous and are easily recycled. Although initial equipment costs can be high, waterjet cutting can quickly result in significant savings. The absence of burs and warping on materials cut by waterjet cuts back significantly on costly secondary machining processes, a feature taken advantage of by both manufacturers and sculpture artists. Material waste is significantly reduced by waterjet cutters' close precision; outlines may be far closer to one another, and excess material may easily be cut off and re-shaped without damaging the cut out parts or the remaining material. Unlike other types of material cutting and machining, waterjet cutting does create particle dust in the air, allowing manufacturers to cut down on costly facility air pollution control.

Water Jet Cutting and Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Image Provided by Hydro-Lazer

Water Jet Cutting and Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Image Provided by Precision Waterjet Concepts, Inc.

Water Jet Cutting and Abrasive Water Jet Cutting Image Provided by Hydrocut Waterjet

Water Jet Cutting Types

• Abrasive jet machining is water jet cutting with the addition of an abrasive material to increase the cutting ability, used for cutting hard materials. The abrasive particles are what accomplish the erosion cutting process in addition to the water and high speed.
• Pure waterjet cutting is the use of a pressurized jet of water through a tiny aperture at an extreme velocity. This is the original waterjet cutting method, and it generally cuts soft materials like rubber, cloth and paper.
• Water jet cutters use a stream of pressurized water to cut through materials.
• Water jet machining is a process by which materials are cut into shapes using pressurized water.
• Water knives are cutting tools that use pressured water to slice food.
• Waterjet is a pressurized stream of water used to erode and cut materials.
• Waterjet cutting is the process that uses pressured water to cut various products.

Top 10 reasons to choose Waterjet Cutting

Long regarded as a tool for trained experts, waterjet cutting has changed dramatically in the last few years. New technologies have made it possible for just about any machine or fabricating shop to purchase and profitably operate a precision waterjet cutting system, with little or no prior special experience.

1. Wide range of materials
   Waterjet cutting can work with a wide variety of materials, ranging from metals to ceramics, composites, glass-even marble and granite.
2. Quality finish
   The finish provided by the waterjet cutting is a smooth, sandblasted finish. No rough edges, burrs or jagged ends. We can control the edge cut finish to meet your needs.
3. No heat in machining process
   Because the waterjet uses water and abrasive, the material is not heated up significantly during the cutting process. This makes the waterjet cutting ideal for materials that are affected or deformed by heat, such as titanium, foam, wood, heat treated steel and glass.
4. Environmentally friendly
   Waterjet cutting uses water and garnet to cut. Garnet is an inert gemstone, which can be disposed of in the municipal waste stream. No toxic fumes are produced during machining.
5. No tool changing
   You don't need to change cutting tools with the waterjet cutting. One nozzle is used to machine all the different types of materials and shapes, saving time and the expense of multiple cutting tools.
6. Minimal Burr
   Using waterjet cutting, there is little or no burr in most materials.
7. Quick to program
   Waterjet cutting are supported by a wide variety of third party software products such as CAD/CAM, Nesting, and scanning.
8. Fast set-up and programming
   Waterjet cutting takes the tool path created by software and calculates the exact position and cutting speed of the nozzle at a resolution of over 2,000 points per inch (800 points/cm).
9. Complement existing tools, used for either primary or secondary operations
   Waterjet cutting can also work with your other machine tools to take advantage of the unique capabilities of each. An example of this is roughing out nested parts to maximize material usage, and then performing final machining on a mill or machining center.
10. Reduce setup times
    Little or no side force on the material being machined reduces the need for complex fixtures and greatly speeds setup times.

Water Jet Cutting Terms

Abrasive Flow Rate - Rate that an abrasive material streams into the cutting head of the water jet cutting device.
 
Abrasive Substances - What an abrasive water jet cutting machine uses to cut. These are typically garnet or substances similar to sand.
 
Attenuator - This pressurized vessel sustains output pressure for a continuous flow of water out of the water jet cutting device, accommodating for irregular pressure produced by some pumps.
 
Bridge/Bridging - When parts are connected together with a narrow piece of metal while cutting to avoid falling into the catch tank. Once the water jet cutting process is done, the connecting pieces are removed.
 
Catch Tank - A tank of water below the water jet cutting head that disperses the water from the cutting beams and prevents holes in the floor. The tank also collects used abrasive that are ejected from the water jet cutting device with the water stream.
 
Common Line Cutting - A method of water jet cutting used when multiple parts are being cut at once. This technique saves time, but it is hard to program, and the cuts are not as precise as they would be if the parts were cut separately.
 
Crankshaft Pump - A pump in which plungers driven by a crankshaft create the pressure needed to run water jet cutters.
 
Cutting Index/Machineability - A quantitative value representing how easy it is for abrasive water jet cutting or water jet cutting of a particular material.
 
Cutting Model - A model of the way a water jet cutting will cut, used to predict when to slow down and how to compensate for using a "floppy tool"
 
Draft Angle - The angle resulting from taper.
 
Dynamic Pierce - A way of piercing the material by permitting the water jet to initiate travel along the part path.
 
Etch - Creating marks on the material without completely water jet cutting through it, done with the reduction of pressure and abrasive flow rate.
 
Feed Rate - The speed of the water jet cutting head movement.
 
Focusing/Mixing Tube - A tube of hardened material that directs the water and abrasive substance into a coherent cutting beam out of the water jet cutting device.
 
Frosting/Hazing - Stray abrasive particles that cause a "frosting" effect on the material being cut. This usually occurs at the edge of a water jet cut, or in a rounded pattern around a pierce point.
 
Garnet - The most common abrasive material in abrasive water jet cutting, able to cut many different materials, and soft enough to maintain a long life for the mixing tube.
 
Hard Limit - A limit on the water jet cutting machine that prevents it from moving in a particular direction or beyond its physical limits.
 
Hard Water - Water that has a large number of dissolved minerals, typically calcium and magnesium. Hard water tends to leave behind deposits of the dissolved minerals, which necessitates regular clean-up or replacement of jewels, pipes and filters.
 
Intensifier - A high-pressure pump that uses hydraulics to create extremely high pressure. Used in the water jet cutting process
 
Jet Lag - A term for the lag in the spot where the water jet cutting exits the material to the spot where it entered the material.
 
Jewel - The aptly named aperture that the water exits to create the water jet cutting stream, usually made of ruby, diamond or sapphire.
 
Kerf - The cutting beam width of the water jet cutting stream.
 
Kick Back - A term for what the water jet cutting head does as the water jet cutting machine accelerates away from a corner that has just been cut.
 
Mesh - A measure of the degree of coarseness of the abrasive.
 
Muff - A brush or sponge around the tip of the nozzle on the water jet cutter, that is used to prevent splashing
 
Nozzle - Includes the focusing/mixing tube, jewel, nozzle body and sometimes the plumbing of water jet cutters.
 
Pierce - The process of drilling a hole through the material using water jet cutting.
 
Reverse Osmosis - A method for filtering water, used in water jet cutting.
 
Slat - A prop for the material as it is being water jet cut, typically disposable.
 
Soft Limit - A way of using software to program the boundaries in which a water jet can move. The soft limit is used to define the area the head can move in so it does not collide into anything nearby.
 
Splash Back - A common occurrence during piercing. This is the mess that results from the water jet cutting splashing water off the slat, or when the piercing does not go all the way through the material.
 
Stationary Pierce - A slow method of piercing used for thin materials and very small holes. The water jet cutting stays stationary in one position until the material is cut.
 
Striation Marks - Marks caused by the wiggling movements of the water jet cutting machine. The quicker the cut, the more striation occurs.
 
Super-Water® - A chemical additive that enables water jet cutting machines to increase cutting speed, focus the cutting stream and reduce wear of high-pressure components.  
 
Tab/Tabbing - A procedure for keeping parts in place by leaving a small piece of material attached to the original piece from which the material was cut. This prevents the material from falling into the tank or from tipping and colliding with the nozzle.  
 
Taper - The amount of difference between the top and bottom profiles of the cut made by the water jet machining.
 
Tool Offset - The necessity of slightly offsetting the tool from the cutting line, because of the width of the water jet cutting stream.
 
Traverse - Any movement of the machine's head without water jet cutting anything, such as moving it into a cutting position
 
Velocity - A measure of motion relative to time, generally expressed in feet per second. Velocity expresses the amount of space passed over by a moving body in a certain period of time.
 
Weep Hole - A small hole drilled into the side of the high pressure fittings that allows water to escape safely if there is a leak.
 
Wiggle Pierce - A method of cutting where the water jet wiggles back and forth as it cuts. This method is faster than a typical clean water jet cut.