Water Jet cutting, also know as water jet or waterjet, is a computer controlled industrial tool capable of cutting a wide variety of materials using a high pressure jet of water which is mixed with garnet as an abrasive to form a fluid cutting tool. This cutting method has been used since the early 1850s.
The resultant stream can cut detailed parts in materials from foam and plastics through to metals, carbon fibre, ceramics and even armour plate. Not to mention – polyurethane.
Water jet machining is one of the fastest growing machining processes today because of its ease of use and its ability to cut almost any material while maintaining high precision and accuracy.
This level of accuracy makes it suitable for a large array of operators, from small short-run jobs to large corporations engaging in full-scale production.
Related article: Custom water jet cutting: What is possible?
Water Jet Cutting Process
Manufacturers are finding that the abrasive cutting process is an ideal complement to their other more traditional manufacturing processes.
Water jet cutting can offer you two types of product, it can quickly produce a complete final part, ready to go, or alternatively, it is capable of producing a semi-finished or near-net-shape blank part suitable for secondary processing by conventional means.
The beauty of water jet is the abrasive water jet process does not affect the material properties so the efficiency of conventional processes is not degraded.
