Exploring the possibilities of custom water jet cutting can potentially save you time and money on prototypes and multiple part orders. Are there limitless opportunities to cut with water under pressure?
There are often four main targets when a company needs a part or component precision engineered: for the outcome to be 100% accurate when compared to the spec, flawlessly finished, supplied with fast turnaround, and cost efficient.
Beyond that, there are a multitude of special requests and a diverse range of materials that could be required to produce a prototype or to manufacture bulk orders of parts.
This may well lead to the question “With custom water jet cutting, what is possible?”. Can outsourcing your cutting and shaping to a water jet specialist fill all your primary goals, as well as matching your detailed spec requirements?
The latest water jet technology
You probably already know the way water jet cutting works. It’s an increasingly common way to create the perfect cut, and the technology behind it is now incredibly agile.
This is why Custom Moulded Polyurethane invested heavily in the equipment and skills needed to optimise the most advanced water jet techniques.
Of course, it started out as a way of meeting growing customer demand for polyurethane parts in complex designs. We needed water jet cutting expertise to shape polyurethane in a reliably accurate, functionally superior and unaltered way.
Then came growing realisation that our water jet cutting expertise offered us a quicker and more sustainable way to fulfil product briefs, for a much wider range of specs. So, we began offering our specialist cutting capacity to clients who didn’t want polyurethane parts too.
You could even say that water jet cutting possibilities are something we’ve learnt from producing superb results for countless happy customers!
Related article: Water Jet cutting services – Top industrial applications
Can intricate and complex designs be cut with water jets?
Even our own technicians have been ‘blown away’ by the innovative and creative ways clients have chosen to use custom water jet cutting for made to order parts.
The briefs we’ve been given have been challenging at times. Especially when we’ve worked with clients on prototypes that are either very exacting or initially ‘sketchy’!
Other tasks have been simple and quick, making the most of the incredible speed of water jet engineering.
One thing is for sure, we just need an initial drawing, and then water jet cutting technology can produce a flawless outcome for new or replacement parts, whatever the design.
What materials can be used in Custom water jet cutting?
One of the most common questions is the range of materials water jets can cut through, and to what thickness.
The list is long. A good starting point is our water jet cutting materials list. As you will see, it covers everything from marble and metal to foams and thin laminates and composites.
The densities, tensile properties and thicknesses of materials used in custom-made parts and components can cover a vast spectrum. Fortunately, water jet cutting can slice through just about anything, as the construction and automobile industries can testify.
Related article: Can you cut Metal with a Water Jet?
More advantages to water jet cutting
Having outlined water jet cutting possibilities, it’s important to emphasise some of the things this technique doesn’t do.
It doesn’t negatively affect the material used.
So, no distortion, flaking, burning, shredding or melting.
One of the advantages of using water jet cutting services is that it’s a cold process. This can be vital when your material could be adversely impacted by the application of heat, or when an alternative cutting method creates friction or excessive abrasion.
When you use high-pressure water jets, you get a consistently clean edge and a flawless finish.
Best way to commission custom water jet cutting
Clearly, the quickest answer to the question “Custom water jet cutting; what is possible?” would be anything!
It all starts when you get in touch to discuss your requirements, and we produce a quick water jet cutting quote. What materials are you hoping to use for your project and what form and function are you working towards?
We offer a service to source your ideal materials too, at a ‘cutting edge’ price.
Then, you supply us with a visual spec. Preferred file formats are DXF, DWG, IGS, CADKEY, CDL and HPL.
Our response will be swift.
More importantly, the outcome will make you even more convinced that water jet cutting is the way to go, when you need parts produced fast, without compromising on quality or cost.
Want to find out how much it will cost to make your products?
