Wightman stewart

What Tools Are Used In Waterjet Cutting Process?

Waterjet cutting technology has evolved a lot, in spite of the fact that the waterjet technology has been made available for the first time right after the World War II. The technology was firstly used to cut different plastic shapes, and toward the end of the 1950s there was developed a state of the art, high-pressure system that used a liquid designed to cut hard materials.

The entire technology relies on a 100,000 PSI pump that delivers a hypersonic liquid jet to cut even through the toughest metals known to man, such as stainless steel. At the time being, waterjet cutting is mainly used for making machine parts as well as for handling materials that are typically sensitive to high-temperatures. Waterjet cutting is also commonly used in other industries in addition to the automotive one, such as aerospace or mining.

A Closer Look At The Tools Used For The Waterjet Cutting Process The most important tool for this process is the water jet cutter, commonly known as a waterjet.

Simply put, this is an industrial-scale tool that uses very high pressure water to cut a variety of materials. In some cases, the water is mixed with abrasive substances such as granite or metal, in order to increase its cutting power even more. This is a tool that can slice into metals and other hard materials thanks to the high velocity jet. The benefits of using the waterjet cutter are many – firstly, this tool allows the professional to slice into the material without affecting its inherent structure in any way, thus creating no heat-affected area whatsoever, as this would dramatically alter the properties of the metal.

At the same time, waterjet cutting is extremely precise and it is more environmentally-friendly than other similar processes. Given the fact that the cutting process involves a very thin jet of water, this technology is able to carve a plethora of intricate designs, even in the toughest materials. This is precisely why this technology is often coupled with eD machining systems and other specialized computer software to deliver complex models.

Another notable benefit of the waterjet cutting process is the fact that the tool comes with different types of nozzles that you can attach, in order to adjust the width of the cut. The cut can be either abrasive or non-abrasive, and it can have the thickness of the human hair, thus reducing the overall amount of scrap material that results from the cutting process. In addition to this, this process also produces less smoke, fumes, contaminants as well as airborne dust particles that are dangerous both the surrounding environment and for the specialist who operates the machine.

The abrasive waterjet, on the other hand, is yet another tool that is commonly used for the process.

This technology has been around since the 1930s, and in addition to granite and metal particles which are the most popular for this type of metal cutting, abrasive waterjet cutting also involves the use of other softer materials, such as rubber or wood. The material that is used depends a lot on the desired result.