What's involved in abrasive waterjet maintenance?

The abrasive moving through the nozzle is the culprit behind the component's wear and tear. The abrasive slowly wears away at the inner diameters of the abrasive nozzle; the orifice grows by approximately 0.001 inch per hour of cutting.This wear pattern is not always even, so one side of the nozzle may wear faster than the other.

Symptoms that alert a fabricator that it's time to change the nozzle are inside cuts that become larger and outside cuts that become smaller than intended. Also, operators may see poor cut quality in one or more directions.

Repair time takes 5 minutes to 10 minutes to switch out the nozzles.

Diagram of Waterjet cutting machine

The best way to avoid poor-quality cuts related to worn nozzles is to:

· Track hours on the nozzle and begin to monitor cut quality and tolerance as hours mount.

· Adjust kerf compensation as required to remain within tolerance limits.

Older nozzles don't necessarily have to be tossed in the garbage. Save them for less critical work.



Clogging of the abrasive nozzle also can cause problems. Clogs can occur from too much abrasive or an abrasive mesh size that is too large for a particular orifice diameter, large contaminants in the abrasive, or the nozzle tip contacting the workpiece during piercing or cutting.

A clog is easy to detect. The waterjet stops. Water may back up in the abrasive feed tube all the way back to the minihopper until the machine is stopped.This entire feed line and the minihopper must then be emptied and dried out entirely.

Because of the speed at which the abrasive is moving, generally the nozzle is clogged to the point where it cannot be used anymore.Sometimes people have success at clearing clogged nozzles by turning them upside down and turning on the water at lower power. The time necessary to repair or replace components related to clogging can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

What's involved in abrasive waterjet maintenance?

What's involved in abrasive waterjet maintenance?
End users of abrasive waterjet cutting machines sometimes underestimate the maintenance that will be involved with new machines. Unexpected downtime because of maintenance can result in a longer return on the investment.

To remain profitable, owners should be able to factor in costs associated with maintenance.These maintenance concerns cover items such as the cutting head, abrasive-feeding apparatus, pneumatic valves, high-pressure delivery lines, and the pump.

Maintenance Waterjet cutting machine

Abrasive waterjet machines are susceptible to destroying themselves. Combine 50,000 pounds per square inch (PSI) of water pressure with abrasive, and any part of the system that comes in contact with either of these elements—or both—will need to be replaced at some point.

The typical cost of operating a waterjet, including the cost for the machine, the operator, and overhead, can run around $85 per hour . If an operator is not careful about how maintenance is performed, that hourly cost can increase by 10 percent or more because of increased consumable usage and downtime to repair or replace items. Depending on market conditions, this increased cost can put a serious crimp in end users' profits.

This maintenance checklist can help fabricators understand their waterjet cutting machines better and learn where the best opportunities are to keep operating costs reasonable and downtime to a minimum.



Check the Water Quality
If fabricators are concerned about water quality at their homes, they should be especially concerned about water quality for their waterjets at their shops. This is perhaps the biggest factor controlling consumable costs. Hard water can cut expected life of consumable items at least in half.

Waterjet vs. Laser Cutting

General Overview
When it comes to comparing waterjet cutting versus laser cutting, you might find that there are a few differences from company to company. However Fedtech's custom manufacturing services include both laser and waterjet cutting services with engineering capability, complete CAD/CAM capability, same day quotations and competitive pricing.

The difference lies primarily in thickness cutting ability, and accuracy required for different applications. With the largest equipment in the Midwest, Fedtech has the capacity required for your waterjet or laser cutting needs. What are the main differences between waterjet cutting and laser cutting?

Waterjet cutting

Waterjet Cutting : Our ultra-high pressure waterjet cutting uses water compressed up to 60,000 psi as a precise and powerful cutting tool with no heat affected zones (HAZ) or part distortion. The jet streams generated are capable of cutting material ranging from .001" thick to 12" thick. Waterjet cutting is most commonly used for cutting aluminum, copper, brass, glass, titanium, plastic, and rubber.

Laser cutting

Laser Cutting : On the other hand, laser cutting is an efficient option for small to large quantities and irregularly shaped parts. Laser cutting eliminates costly tooling charges and provides a quick turnaround. This method of processing is mostly used for stainless steels or steels up to 5/8" thick


Waterjet Cutting:
The abrasive waterjet cutting can pierce or drill holes as small as .030" in diameter (0.004" for water jet without abrasive). All of our waterjet machines are equipped with multiple cutting heads which dramatically enhances the effectiveness of cutting, making our process competitive over other comparable methods. Fedtech also offers customers lean manufacturing.

Green cutting with waterjets

Green cutting - Waterjet Cutting
Abrasive waterjets are powerful cutting tools. As is the case with all industrial machinery, waterjet machines have certain inherent hazards that go beyond the obvious cuts. Knowledge of these hazards and proper protective measures are necessary for safe operation. This article presents an overview of the hazards and ways to ensure safety.

Are you being green when operating your abrasive jet? Can you feel righteous—like someone getting 40+ MPG in his car—or should you feel a bit guilty about enjoying your high productivity? What are the environmental impacts of abrasive jet cutting?

Green cutting - Waterjet machine

Abrasive waterjet cutting inherently is an environmentally friendly (green) process. Unlike traditional mechanical cutting systems, waterjet cutting requires no cooling or lubricating oils, so there are no chemically contaminated chips to dispose of. Unlike thermal processes such as plasma or laser, waterjet generates no noxious fumes during the cutting process.

The cutting "tools," water and garnet abrasive, are environmentally benign and available worldwide with minimal preprocessing.

The abrasive waste generally is inert garnet with a small fraction of particles from the material being cut. This means that unless the material being cut is a highly hazardous material, such as lead, the waste abrasive can be disposed of safely at a dry landfill, with no processing and no environmental risk.

The abrasive waterjet's narrow cut width allows for close nesting of parts to maximize material utilization. Moreover, the minimal scrap that remains is free of chemical contamination and can be recycled, which results in raw material, energy, and cost savings for recyclable materials such as aluminum, steel, and titanium.