Water Jet Cutter Working Concept
A water jet cutter is a device capable of cutting right into metal or other materials utilizing a jet of water at high speed rate and pressure. Water at this pressure can penetrate into firm materials and cut them like butter! In some cases where the material is alloy, steel or stone an abrasive substance incorporated in cutting. Various number of industries from mining to aerospace use the water jet solution for operations such as cutting, forming, carving, and reaming.
1. Generate Enormous Pressure
A water pump generates enormous pressure water stream rated up to 94,000 psi. The stream directed by high pressure pipes and tubes to the head of the machine. To give you the perspective how high this pressure is, a fire hose has maximum pressure of 1,200 psi! So, at 94,000 psi this stream of water can quickly remove difficult coatings and cut the firm material like those mentioned.
2- Pressure turns into Velocity
This pressure is converted into velocity via a tiny jewel orifice which we call it head, creating a stream as small as a human hair which can cut soft materials. To give you an idea how thick the stream is, typically, the thickness of hair strands ranges from 1/1500 to 1/500 of an inch in diameter. In metric system that would be between 0.06 and 0.08 mm as average. Hence, this thickness allows the operator and the machine to execute precise cuts.
Photo Credit: Flowwaterjet.com
3- Using Garnet as an Abrasive
When adding Garnet to the waterr jet cutter stream, the cutting power will be increased by 1,000 times.
Water and garnet exit the cutting head at nearly four times the speed of sound, capable of cutting steel over one foot thick. As you can see, the abrasive enhances water-jet’s cutting performance to the point where you can cut materials such as metal and stone.
As abrasive substance offers following:
- Significant hardness. Garnet can generally last a long time before needing to be replaced, making it a cost-effective abrasive.
- Options for recycling. In some cases, garnet can be recycled, depending on your chosen grit size.
- Environmentally friendly cutting and cleaning. Garnet is frequently used in blast cleaning next to bodies of water, thanks to its lack of chemical input.
Best Water Jet Cutting Company in Santa Clara and Bay Area
At Medalsco, we use most advanced water jet cutting technology to turn your raw materials into genuine parts from your designs. Our water jet cutting solutions are customized for you, whether you require one part or a thousand complicated parts. With the capacity to cut from various types of materials consisting of steel, aluminum, plastic, wood as well as steel, we can transform your designs right into genuine useful parts and items. Medalco is the best water jet cutting company in Bay Area and Santa Clara. Feel free to reach out to our team if you have any question by calling us or submit your inquiry via our contact page.
Waterjet Cutting Advantages
No Heat Affected Zone with Waterjet
Since Waterjet cutting does not generate extreme heat it does not change the properties of metal nor causing any thermal distortion. On the other hand this can occur with laser cutting.
Better Edge Finish
Waterjets cut with fine sanded-blasted surface finish, which makes it easier to make a high-quality weld for that part. Laser cut material appears to have a rougher, scaly edge which may require additional work and machining to clean up.
- Cut Almost Any Type Of Material
Compared with other fabrication techniques, waterjets can handle just about any material or product that a traditional cutters can. In addition, materials like plastics, rubber, laminated materials, stone, glass, or materials with uneven surfaces can all be handled through waterjet cutting.
Waterjets are Environmentally Friendly
Abrasive Waterjets will typically use garnet as the abrasive material.Garnet is non-reactive that is biologically inert. Waterjets also use much less water than may imagine thanks to its closed-looped system.
- Better Tolerances on Thicker Parts
Waterjetting offers better tolerances on parts thicker than 0.5″. Both waterjets and lasers offer comparable tolerances for thinner materials.
Waterjet Operation
The waterjet head is connected to a high-pressure water pump via high pressure hose. The head is where the water comes out at high pressure of the nozzle, cutting through the material by penetrating it with the stream of high-speed water. Additives in the kind of suspended grit or various other abrasives, such as garnet and light weight aluminum oxide, assist in this procedure. Waterjets can be utilized to cut products as diverse as polyethylene plastic and also titanium since the nature of the cutting stream can be quickly customized. There are couple of materials that can not be effectively cut with a waterjet cutter; one of these is tempered glass which shatters when cut, no matter what cutting technology utilized.
Water Jet Questions and Answers
1- Can water jet used to “Engrave”, to put a design into the surface without cutting all the way through?
Answer: Absence of depth control is a limitation in water jets. Though, there are ways to engrave using water jet, Laser is better choice when it comes to engraving.
2- How thick can an abrasive water jet cut?
Answer: The typical answer is that abrasive water jets can cut through 12 inches of most materials. Additionally, it also depends to the material you have. We can run a free time and cost analysis of your part and specific material type and thickness on our waterjet machine.
3- What accuracy does Medalco Waterjet machine have?
Answer: Our machine is Mach200 by FLOW. One of the most advanced and top of their line water jets. We can cut your material with accuracy of tolerance of ±0.0037 in/3 ft[±0.095 mm/m]. You can get more information directly from their site at www.flowwaterjet.com
4- Can water-jet cut the granite or marble?
Answer: definitely. As a mater of fact, waterjet cutting is the best solution to cut these type of materials. Especially for countertops and vanities. Not only that, it is also very suitable for the cutting of combined materials, for example inlays in stone and metal or combinations of tiles and glass.
5- Can waterjet cutting be used for complex 3d parts?
Answer: Now yes. In the past it was not an option. However, our water-jet’s cutting head can swerve in multiple directions — controlled with advanced software — therefore, our waterjet can cut complicated 3D parts in a single, fluid motion; removing the need for secondary cutting.
6- Some say striations will always happen using waterjet cutting method, is that true?
Answer: Partially true but not at Medalsco. Oftentimes, the faster you cut, the more striation marks will form. Although, it can happen if operator is not well trained and experienced. At Medalsco we guarantee the quality of our cuts and fabricated products.