Why Not Waterjet

Manufacturing is always looking for ways to lower its costs and increase its throughput while maintaining quality. The drivers for these continuous improvements come from customers who are themselves driven by market forces beyond their control. The impact is a general and universal acceleration of the manufacturing process--from design to delivery--across the manufacturing landscape.

In response, shops of all stripes are looking for ways to satisfy these customer-driven demands. For metalcutting shops, the search often takes them beyond the realm of what many consider traditional metalcutting technology.

Water cutting machine

Abrasive waterjet technology is one of the newer cutting systems available in today's market. They are quick, flexible and effective in meeting a wide variety of challenges among manufacturers. Years of development have resulted in improved wearability and control technology, making waterjet cutting systems competitive to other cutting methods.

Materials And Capabilities
The list of materials that a waterjet system will penetrate is significant. To date, applications have been used with foam, GIO phenolic, steel, armor plating, urethane, titanium, Kevlar, aluminum, linen phenolic, brass, neoprene, copper, stainless steel, spectra, fiberglass, corrugated cardboard, acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, rubber, glass, marble and granite.

Waterjet systems are also an attractive alternative to surface preparation. They strike a surface with such impact that coatings are instantly removed without the side effects of noxious dust that other methods may create.

The advantage of a waterjet cutting system is not limited to the wide variety of materials through which it cuts. Its effectiveness comes not only from what it does, but also from what it does not do.

Waterjet systems are an ideal process solution for cutting materials that are heat sensitive. Because it produces no HAZ (heat affected zone), waterjet is a candidate for applications where thermal induced micro-fractures or distortions are unacceptable. Waterjet's relatively cool cutting makes it temper neutral. Its cutting action will neither harden nor anneal an application material.

Environmental concerns related to the cutting of hazardous materials such as asbestos and fiberglass are reduced through the use of a waterjet cutting system. Airborne contaminants and fumes are significantly reduced or eliminated.

The erosion process of abrasive waterjet cutting creates no burring or rough edges. Often the necessity of additional finishing operations is eliminated.

There are no start holes created and parts can be optimally placed to fully utilize a piece of material. It also eliminates the distortion from compression that is created by traditional die cutting methods.