At the pace it is going, hydro-cutting will soon become a billion dollar industry. The progress in this industry is due to the fact that water jet cutting is becoming a staple in precision part manufacturing and intricate artwork. Below you will learn how waterjet works and some of the advantages of using high-pressure water cutter compared to other similar processes.
In a water jet, the basic parts are a pump and a nozzle. These machines can do two kinds of cutting. One of the kinds of cutting performed by water jet is pure water cutting. These cut through softer materials through extremely high pressures. High water pressure allows it to cut through non-ferrous metals, textiles, and wood. A thin stream of water combined with extreme pressure enables it to cut precisely on materials.
Another type of water jet cutting is abrasive cutting. The nozzle is modified and an abrasive material is used to cut through harder materials. The abrasive plus the stream of flowing water are combined in a nozzle. Small particles are removed by the abrasive compound while they are washed away by the water.
The most common abrasive material use is almandine garnet but there are harder abrasive required for some materials. You can cut hardened steel, ceramics, and even some with abrasive water jets. With specialized controls, titanium can also be precision machined.
A lot of changes has been done to the intense process over the years. You can learn more about the types of heads currently available through manufacturers.
Using water jets is beneficial and we will look at some of the benefits below.
The reduction of material waste due to the use of an extremely thin stream of water is one of its benefits. This can help reduce the cost of building individual parts n the aerospace industry over time.
There is not much need for post-cutting finishing for materials cut with water jet It requires minimal finishing since the material does not warp and its edge is smooth.
If you use the correct abrasive compound, abrasive water jets can be used to cut through any material. They can cut thicker materials than you would be able to with other forms of cutting.
Another benefit of water jets is that it is environmentally friendly. They don’t use much water and there are no hazardous waste created during the cutting process.
When it is completely necessary water jets are used. And this include both artistic applications and parts which require extreme precision.
It is the only process available which can allow you to CnC some materials. Stone simply can’t be cut with the majority of industrial cutting techniques.
It also finds much use in the aerospace and automotive industries where precision is very important.
Even titanium in bulk can be cut with water jet.
Water jet brings to speed known long-term processes.