What Is Water jet CUTTING AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Water jets can cut almost any material. Learn how very high pressure water, plus fine abrasive sand will help you cut what you could not have cut before.
How Do Waterjets Cut?
Coupling CNC precision with intense water pressure can meet your toughest cutting requirements
The Colorado River cut the Grand Canyon in 6 million years.
Today, using very high-pressure water, mixed with fine abrasive sand and pumped through a focused orifice, water jets can cut metal or stone in minutes.
With the addition of CNC accuracy, the waterjet becomes the industrial-grade precision cutting technology of choice.
What Can You Cut With a Waterjet?
Water jet cutting is ideal for just about any material
With its unique cutting properties, a waterjet can cut a massive range of materials such as:
- Metal (steel, aluminum, titanium and more)
- Composites such as carbon fiber
- Tile including ceramic, marble, and granite
- Glass for art or industrial applications
- Soft materials including plastic, rubber, and foam
The possibilities for waterjet cutting are virtually endless!
How do Waterjets Compare to Other Cutting Technologies?
There are many ways to cut a sheet of material. For applications that require digital precision (CNC), the four most common are machining, laser, plasma, and waterjet.
Each cutting method has its strengths and weaknesses, and no single method will work for everything.
Waterjet cutting overcomes the limitations of other technologies
Depending on which other cutting technology it is compared to, water jet cutting can offer various advantages including:
- Material integrity – no heat affected zone or edge hardening
- Increased safety
- Improved kerf (narrow cut width)
- Lower operating expense
The chart below outlines pros and cons of each cutting technology. Since WAZERs are a unique type of waterjet (operating at a much lower water pressure) we distinguish between the WAZER Pro and large-format water jet machines.
Swipe left to see more| WAZER PRO Waterjet | Large-Format Waterjet | Industrial Laser | CNC Plasma | CNC Machining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | Any Material | Any Material | Non-reflective Metal | Conductive Metal | Metal, Plastic |
| Accuracy | Up to ±0.005” | ±0.003” | ±0.001” | Up to ±0.010” | ±0.0005” |
| Thickness | Up to 1” | Up to 12” | Up to 0.25” | Up to 1” | Above 0.25” |
| Cutting Speed | Slow | Slow | Medium | Fast | Slow |
| Edge Quality | Good(jagged bottom edge on thick material) | Excellent | Good | Poor | Excellent |
| Material Distortion | None | None | Heat affected zone | Heat affected zone. Warping on thin material. | None |
| Kerf (width of cut) | 0.044” | 0.030” | 0.007” | 0.1” | Varies with tool |
| Taper | 0.6° | Minimal | Minimal | 2° | None (parallel edges) |
| Engraving? | N/A | N/A | High-Res | N/A | Low-Res |
| Cutting Area | 12” x 18” | 48” x 96” | 48” x 96” | 48” x 96” | 24” x 36” |
| Electrical Power | Single Phase | 3-Phase | 3-Phase | 3-Phase | 3-Phase |
| Water Pressure | 7,150 psi | 60,000 psi | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Capital Cost | $19,000 | >$100,000 | >$200,000 | $10,000 | >$50,000 |
Note: this table makes significant generalizations, because its purpose is to show a general comparison among cutting technologies. It should not be viewed prescriptively to define the performance of any one machine or technology. Actual performance of any machine will vary depending on the exact cutting conditions.
The Benefits of Cutting with Waterjets
While every technology has its place, water jet cutting offers the advantage of handling any material cleanly and safely.
Cuts any Material
So you can make things you could not have made before
Cold Cutting Process
No heat distortion, fumes, or ventilation requirements
Clean Cuts
Delivering tight tolerances, smooth surface finishes, and clean edges
Safety
Less dangerous and toxic than other processes
WAZER waterjets are suitable for virtually any factory, engineering lab, studio or classroom
Who uses Waterjets?
The industries and applications for water jet cutting are literally limitless.
Water jets are used in any industry or project that needs to cut parts from sheet material, especially automotive, aerospace and metal fabrication shops.
Applications include rapid prototyping, one-off tooling, customized end-use parts, and low volume production. Virtually every industry in the manufacturing sector requires one or more of these applications.
Today, high schools, vocational schools, and colleges are preparing the next generation of engineers with hands-on CNC and technology skills to succeed. Many artists use waterjets to produce their designs, reducing manual labor.
WAZER is the First ACCESSIBLE Waterjet
Historically, water jets were limited to the largest industrial companies, because of their large size and expense. Now, WAZER brings industrial-grade water jet cutting to any factory, shop, school, or studio.
How are WAZER waterjets different from all other waterjets?
Easy and fast to setup and use
Small enough to fit in any shop
Affordable for any business
Standard power and water. No special utilities needed
How OUR customers PUT WAZER TO WORK
How a Waterjet cutter paid for itself in 3 Months
A manufacturer reengineered its operations by moving tooling in-house, dramatically speeding up its turnaround time.
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