What is Waterjet Cutting?
Figure 1 – The Machine using
Waterjet cutting uses high pressure streams of water that cut through materials, including metal and plastic.
Well, the process works by mixing pressurized water with an abrasive substance to create a powerful jet stream capable of penetrating the material being cut.
Accuracy of the cut depends on several factors, such as jet speed, water pressure, and nozzle type. Waterjet cutting has minimal heat input.
Also, it has fast cutting speeds. Due to these features, it has become a popular choice, and is suitable for intricate designs. But, these designs require precise cuts in various materials.
Industries like aerospace and automotive manufacturing use this technology to cut complex shapes as well as creating high-precision parts.
Computer-controlled process does so quickly and accurately reducing material waste, and allows for intricate details in designs. Such details can be achieved with values as low as 0.001 inches (0.025mm).
Waterjet Cutting Methods!
Figure 2 –WC Tool
Waterjet cutting process gives users variations to select from their needs, and provides customized components using advanced technology.
Materials are cut accurately with reduced costs and time, which is useful for any manufacturing industry.
Let’s get into the details of each type and get details of what is waterjet cutting.
§ Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
A pressurized water stream with granulated abrasives is used to cut material instead of saw blades.
Moreover, this process offers pressurized and non-pressurized solutions for industrial applications that can work on thick or hard thermoplastic materials.
At the same time, cutting process requiring minimal heat generation can work on metal alloys with high speed and accuracy, making it ideal for temperature-sensitive materials.
Upon completion, it creates a clean notch. No need for secondary operations.
§ Pure Waterjet Cutting
A high-pressure liquid stream is used in the process of using pressurized water, which is similar to AWJ but without using abrasives.
Above all it shapes and cuts without external abrasives or machinery, providing many advantages such as reduction in contamination for delicate materials.
Although it is useful for foam plastics and produces no HaA transfer compared to AWJ, AWJ is perfect for cutting shallow depths due its ability to produce high levels of heat.
Pure pressurized water alone does not quite match abrasive streams. Higher pressure is required for effective cuts.
§ Robotic Waterjet Cutting
Rather than cutting with a fixed head, it is a robotic version which offers faster processing and accurate results at a lower cost.
Robotic waterjet cutting brings automation to industrial manufacturing processes and is helpful when dealing with complex 3D shapes, due to its useful unique cutting parameters achieved by interchangeable heads.
Multiple tools for secondary operations are provided which can provide higher quality results, better suited to intricate cuts or small precision machining processes such as beveled corners or rebates.
