Why Shift to Waterjet Cutting?
Waterjet cutting is a technique that relies on a jet of water to cut through materials. It can involve either just water, or water with an abrasive for harder and denser materials, such as steel. Pressurized water - about 40,000 to 60,000 PSI (pounds per square inch)- is pushed out of a precision opening, also known as jewel, and the result is a highly defined stream of water. To give you a clue, water pressure in an average household is around 60 PSI.
Whether cnc water jet cutter is a new concept to you or you are already using it for your manufacturing processes, it pays to know its advantages over other cutting technologies:Waterjet cutting may or may not be new to you, but its benefits as opposed to other cutting technologies are always worth knowing, if not necessary for the improvement of your processes.
No Material Restrictions
Waterjet cutting is versatile in that it can cut all kinds of materials, from composites to metals to plastics to rubber to glass and more. The addition of a granular abrasive to water allows the technology to produce quality cuts on materials up to 200 mm thick.
No Heat Worries
A key advantage of waterjet cutting is that it is a cold-cutting method, which means you deal with no heat affected zone (HAZ) issues. Not only does cold cutting produce perfectly clean cuts, but it is much safer for the operator as well, as the risk of burns no longer exists. Know more facts about water jet, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump-jet.
Zero Distortion
Because it is a cold-cutting method, waterjet technology does not expose materials to heat, hence ensuring not just clean cuts but also zero distortion. In other words, you are getting perfect, bur-free results.
No Added Finishing Process
The superior cutting quality of waterjet technology guarantees pinpoint results, making any additional finishing unnecessaryWaterjet technology’s high cutting quality ensures an on-point result and avoids the need for any extra finishing. Flow waterjets are capable of making parts with extremely tight tolerances (typical tolerances range from 0.003 inch to 0.005 inch). If a material is over an inch thick, parts that will be produced will be between +/- 0.005 and 0.100 inch thick. Tolerances are diverse among various manufacturers primarily because of varying technologies and machine constructions.
Zero Hazardous Waste
The increasing importance of environmentally friendly methods across the industries is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. A huge advantage offered by waterjet cutting is that it leaves no hazardous waste, whether fumes or gases or whatever, unlike other cutting methods.
Reduced Labour Costs
Waterjet cutting machines are often used to cut thick, hard materials, a process that usually takes a really long time to finish (up to several hours). This couldn’t make them more ideal for so-called “lights-out” operations. But even this isn’t excused from issues, which can range from a worn wear insert to a blocked garnet supply and many more. Fortunately, this is not a problem anymore as many modern waterjet manufacturers create machines that are programmed to notify the operator when there are issues. This means “lights-out” operation has become very possible today, and cutting costs can be minimized by a huge difference. Be sure to read more here!