What is Water Jet Cutting?

Water Jet Cutting

            There are many advantages of choosing water jet cutting services.  The technology allows the customer to cut through a variety of materials- thick, thin, large, or small- with pre-created designs or templates that are programmed into the CNC machining.  Water jets can cut materials ranging in thickness from .05” to 6.0”.  Unlike laser and plasma cutting techniques, water jet cutting does not use heat, thus preventing morphing of hardened and heat-sensitive materials.  While other styles of cutting can melt and change the structural components of materials such as plastics, water jet cutting is safe and allows the material being cut to keep its integrity.  Without manipulating the temperatures, water jet is also less wasteful and therefore more ‘green.’  There is no Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) to worry about, nor is there any smoke or dust produced.  Water and abrasive mixtures are collected in a water-filled tank that catches the remaining residue, which can be recycled.  With only small amounts of material lost due to cutting and recyclable run-off, water jet cutting is one of the more environmentally friendly material cutting options. 

Water Jets at Acutech have cut large flooring patterns...

 Samples of Acutech's Past Projects:

...Basic Machinery Prototypes....

...And Intricate Inlaid Stone Designs

          

      There are two methods of water jet cutting.  One method, called pure jet cutting, simply uses tap water and the second method, abrasive jet cutting, mixes in an abrasive for more force.  In either process, tap water is pumped through a filtration system towards several levels of pumps that gradually intensify the pressure.  The water jet system is pressurized by hydraulically driven intensifier pumps, then moves to the shock attenuator that allows the outgoing water to maintain a steady output pressure.  High pressure stainless steel tubing delivers the highly pressurized water to the cutting head nozzle.  The head nozzle is made up of a jewel so that it is able to withstand the high pressure of the water without excessive erosion.  The pressure of the water reaches rates as high as 60,000 pounds per square inch (psi), and as water travels through the jewel nozzle, the velocity of the water moves from Mach 2 to Mach 3 speeds.
           
            This is the process regardless of whether or not abrasive is used.  Garnet is one of the most commonly used abrasives in water jet cutting.  Water and abrasive are mixed and focused in a beam to cut materials by supersonic erosion cleanly to close tolerances.  If abrasive is utilized, it is mixed in a specially designed mixing chamber, then run through a precision disk that funnels like an hourglass to ensure a consistent, even flow.  This chamber is located before the tap water meets the jewel head nozzle, which enables water jet cutting specialists to use virtually the same machinery for both pure jet and abrasive jet cutting processes.

            Abrasive is mixed in for cutting jobs that require more cutting force, while pure jet cutting is used for softer, more delicate materials such as paper goods.  The abrasive mixture can easily be purged out of the initial water jet tubing after use, meaning the metering valve has the capability to turn the flow of abrasive on and off for multiple jobs.

Acutech works with almost every material, including:

stainless steel
aluminum
titanium
nickel alloys
brass
copper
plastics
granite
tool steel
gaskets
foam
marble
hi-temp alloys
cobalt
stone
glass
rubber
Inconel
composites
ceramics
cork
wood
porcelain
sheet goods

Stay Tuned for more informational posts about water jets, laser cutting, and blacksmithing, or visit our website at www.WaterJetCut.co !!