The idea of using water to cut materials first emerged in the late 19th century. At that time, miners used high-pressure water to loosen rocky material and remove sediment. Soon after, in the 1930s, the use of a narrow jet of water as a cutting technique made its industrial debut, cutting a variety of soft materials.
Today, industrial waterjet cutting has become the standard for cutting different materials with different hardness. The waterjet cutting process is not only extremely effective and efficient, but also environmentally friendly and versatile.
In this article, we discuss the waterjet cutting process, its benefits, and the different industries in which the process is used. Keep reading!
What is waterjet cutting?
Waterjet cutting is a cold cutting process that uses high-pressure water to cut a variety of materials, from foam to metals. The industrial tool used in this process is a water jet cutter.
Furthermore, cutting water can be pure or mixed with abrasives to obtain even greater cutting performance. Therefore, the terms “pure” and “abrasive” are used.
Although waterjet cutting was initially very simple in industry, today it is one of the most advanced machining processes. In addition to cutting, manufacturers use this process to shape and mill materials.
Types of waterjet cutting technology
There are two main types of industrial waterjet cutting. Both have their strengths and it is important to be well informed about both types before choosing one.
Pure water cutting technology
This type of waterjet cutting only uses the pressure and therefore the speed of pure water to cut things. Pure waterjet cutting is typically limited to thin materials such as foam, rubber, wood, aluminum foil, cardboard, clothing and food.
The nozzle width for pure waterjet cutting is generally 0.1 mm, but can be as small as 0.08 mm for more complex materials. Unlike CNC cutting and laser cutting, it is a cold cutting process and does not generate heat.
Abrasive water cutting technology
Abrasive waterjets use very high pressure water and abrasive particles, such as garnet, to cut materials. Adding abrasive to plain water creates an even more powerful jet, giving you many more options when cutting harder materials. Abrasive waterjet cutting is suitable for ceramics, stones, metals and plastics.
Additionally, abrasive waterjet cutting uses nozzles with a larger diameter (up to 0.375 mm) than pure waterjets. Certain abrasive waterjet machining tools can produce up to 6,000 atmospheres. Furthermore, the cutting technology used here is non-thermal and does not generate heat.
Choosing the Right Waterjet Processing Technology
The type of industrial waterjet cutting technology you choose should depend on the type of material you are cutting.
Both technologies are non-thermal and can therefore be used for heat-sensitive materials. For harder and thicker materials, abrasive water jets are more suitable. However, if you need more precision in cutting, especially with geometrically complex materials, pure waterjet cutting is more suitable.
Furthermore, pure water jet cutting is preferred in the food and medical industries as they generally have strict requirements regarding the amount of foreign substances that can be contained in the products.
In industry, manufacturers do not need two machines to achieve both goals. Many waterjet cutters today have a blasting agent mixing chamber that you can attach to the nozzle of the waterjet cutter.
The industrial waterjet cutting process
The principle of waterjet cutting is to use the speed of water at high pressure to generate high cutting force. In fact, this is how it works.
First, the water is pressurized to about 4,000 atmospheres. The water is then passed through a high-pressure tube to a ruby or diamond nozzle. This nozzle sprays water from the water jet cutter. The nozzle used here must have a small diameter, generally between 0.1 and 0.4 mm. Due to the small hole, the cutter concentrates pressure and squirts a narrow jet of water.
When the water comes out of the nozzle, the pressure is converted into an extremely high speed of about 1,000 m/s, which is about three times the speed of sound. We call this narrow, high-pressure jet a water jet.
The power of the water jet is enormous and guarantees the precise and clean cut that we know in industrial water jet cutting. However, the success of the process depends on the water first being placed under high pressure before being ejected.
Ultra-high pressure generation in a waterjet cutter
Before water can be pressurized, it must be finely filtered and desalted. This is usually done by reverse osmosis, in which water passes through a semi-permeable membrane, losing its impurities. As water jet processing involves high pressure, the filtration process should only be carried out by professionals.
After filtering, the operator sends the water to a high-pressure pump, one of the most important components of waterjet cutting. The pump then pressurizes the water to 3,000 to 4,000 atmospheres. The pressure generated by the pump must be controlled to avoid pressure peaks during industrial water jet cutting.
Once the water is pressurized, high-pressure tubes direct it to the nozzle.
Components for waterjet cutting
The milling cutter consists of several components, often depending on the manufacturer and type of waterjet machining tool. However, there should be five main components in every cutter for waterjet cutting. These are:
Ultra high pressure pump
A high voltage generator supplies electricity to the pressure pump. It is responsible for generating the pressurized water necessary for cutting. The pump must be able to regulate the pressure it produces to make smooth cuts in the material.
CNC Control
A CNC control controls the waterjet cutter's software. Control ensures that all tailor subprocesses function correctly.
transport system
This system is generally XY-based and allows the nozzle to be repositioned depending on the cutting path desired by the operator.
jet
The nozzle is usually made of ruby or diamond and emits narrow jets of water at high pressure, called water jets. This component can be equipped with an abrasive mixing chamber that allows the abrasive to be mixed properly before ejection.
Collection container
After cutting with water mixed with abrasive, this tank dissipates the energy of the water jet. This is crucial in abrasive cutting.
What materials can be cut with a waterjet?
The water jet cutter can cut different materials with different hardness. Some of them are:
- foam
- Frustrate
- plastic
- rubber
- Stone
- granite
- Ceramics
- Glass
- leather
- iron
- Cloth
- titanium
Before the waterjet cutting process begins, operators must ensure that the technology they are using is appropriate for the material being cut. For example, higher pressures on the abrasive cutter can deform soft materials such as foam.
6 advantages of waterjet cutting
Waterjet cutting is one of the most versatile CNC machining processes in the industry today. It owes its widespread use to its numerous advantages. Below we will consider five of them.
1. Better edge quality
The industrial waterjet cutting process produces smooth, uniform cutting edges without burrs. This means that, unlike many other finishing methods, no secondary processes are required to improve the quality of the waterjet cutting process. This simplifies the entire cutting process for manufacturers.
Furthermore, you can accurately cut various shapes and even 3D materials. This often presents an obstacle to many other cutting processes, as the resulting edge quality does not meet the requirements of complex materials.
2. Better operational efficiency
When it comes to efficiency, few in the industry come close to waterjet cutting. Since no additional post-processing is required, you save valuable time and can complete the cutting process quickly.
Waterjet technology allows you to cut materials relatively quickly, without having to worry about the condition of the materials afterwards.
3. Suitable for many materials
Versatility is one of the biggest selling points of waterjet technology. There are only a few processes suitable for a wide range of materials with different hardness. The water jets allow you to cut materials up to 200 mm thick and materials up to paper thickness.
Furthermore, as long as you use proper waterjet cutting technology and perform the process skillfully, you don't need to worry about deformation during cutting.
4. No need to change tools
If you are working with a pure waterjet cutter and need to cut something very thick, all you need to do is attach a mixing chamber to the nozzle and start abrasive cutting. You don't need to spend money on an additional tailor.
Furthermore, for smaller thickness changes where no other technology is required, it is possible to change the feed speed of the cutter. This allows you to meet the speed requirement needed to cut the material.
5. No heat affected zones
Before waterjet cutting, thermal deformation was one of the biggest problems in the cutting industry. This is because many industrial cutting processes generate heat during their operation. After prolonged use, this may cause deformation, molecular deformation or inaccurate cutting of the material.
In addition to possible damage to the material, the heat can also pose risks to the operator's health through burns.
However, industrial waterjet cutting is a non-thermal process. No heat is generated, which is why the process is also suitable for heat-sensitive materials.
6. Eco-friendly
Waterjet technology uses high-pressure water to cut. The cutting process does not require the addition of chemicals, eliminating the risk of hazardous waste during and after cutting. Furthermore, no dust is generated, which makes the process safe for users.
Industrial waterjet cutting applications
This cold cutting process is useful in many industries for several reasons. Below we will examine the most important applications of the process and the industries in which it is used.
Product manufacturing
Industries dealing with the manufacturing of various products often use waterjet cutting due to its high functionality and quality. These industries often require heavy, precise cutting for large material components. This includes aerospace, transportation, defense, construction and automotive.
Subcontractors
Waterjet cutters are essential in many subcontract shops because they can meet specific cutting needs with high efficiency. Examples of industries where this approach is used include energy, electronics, medicine and mechanical engineering.
Material processing
This usually happens sooner than the other apps on this list. This is where the processing of raw materials takes place. In this regard, manufacturers value efficiency and effectiveness and make waterjet technology the industry standard. Industries that process metals, stones, glass, plastics and rubber often rely on this cutting method.
Waterjet machining – Meet your needs at WayKen
Waterjet machining is one of the fastest developing machining processes. Many industries have adopted the process due to its high cutting quality in various materials. It is environmentally friendly and does not deform materials due to heat during cutting.
