Waterjet

What is a waterjet

A waterjet is a cutting machine that uses very high-pressure water and abrasive to cut through a wide variety of materials. Though the advancements in precision are comparatively recent, the concept of using high-pressure water for erosion dates back as early as the 1800s for hydraulic mining. The use of water for cutting and abrading has evolved significantly since this. The waterjet is a modern machine built from techniques dating back many years. Its cutting abilities are unrivaled by plasma and even laser!

How does it work

This beast uses a very precise stream of high-pressure water (in our case 90,000 PSI) and a granular abrasive to cut through a massive variety of sizes and types of base material. The water is jetted in a very thin and precise stream from the head of the machine. Using water to cut rather than heat allows for a wider variety of materials the machine can cut. Using state-of-the-art machinery and software, this brute can cut almost anything you put in its path!

What can it do

With a waterjet you can cut a variety of materials, including:

• Standard Metals: Steel, Aluminum, Stainless steel, etc.
• Exotic Metals: Titanium, Cobalt, Chromium, etc.
• Wood and Composites
• Glass ( just not tempered, it will break )
• Stone: Granite, Marble, Sandstone, etc.
• And much, much more!

This machine is not limited by thickness, either. If the material can fit under the cutting head, it can be cut. Tight margins can be kept easily on materials 4” or less. The waterjet is so precise and the kerf so minimal, it can cut stone so that it fits together without an adhesive! Typical tolerance is 0.003”. This is approximately the size of a human hair.

But what if I have material to cut that isn’t just flat? Well, the waterjet can do that too! Waterjets are often used for applications such as splitting pipe, trimming various pre-fab parts, cutting holes in various items, and other 3D cutting applications. Though it does have some limitations since it operates on an XY Axis system.