Technical

Water jet Cutting - Technical Overview

Waterjet Creations was established in 2004 to provide a dedicated WATERJET CUTTING and ABRASIVE WATER JET CUTTING service to it's customers.

CNC Water Jet cutting uses a very high pressure jet of water upto 55,000 psi (3930 bar), usually with an added abrasive media. Water Jet cutting provides a huge thickness range capable of accomodated from 200mm down to 0.1mm and with accuracy of up to 0.05mm over 1m (positional and repeatability).

The cold process does not heat the parent material, so there is no heat affected zone, burning or surface hardening.

Unbeatable detail to material thickness ratio means very small and precise holes can be cut into very thick material. Suprisingly, Water Jet Cutting competitive pricing beats lasers and milling machines in many circumstances and keeps on going at thicknesses which lasers could only dream of.

Technical Details

Maximun Sheet Size 4000mm x 3000mm
Material Thickness From lightest gauge up to 200mm (8 inches)
Proven Repeatability Tolerance < 0.01mm
Typical Hole / Contour Accuracy + / - 0.25mm
Water Only Width of Cut 0.1mm to 0.3mm
Abrasive Cutting Width of Cut 0.8mm
Multiple Cutting Heads Yes (cuts several parts at once)
Range of Material That Can Be Cut Will cut virtually all materials
Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) None
Miscellaneous No lead holes required

When do I choose Water Jet Cutting over Laser Cutting?

  • When materials are non-ferrous.
  • When materials are unsuitable for lasers.
  • When accuracy is key.
  • When materials are thick.
  • When a small hole diameter to thickness ratio is required.
  • When a heat affected zone is best avoided.
  • When do I choose Water Jet Cutting over Laser Cutting?

  • When a lot of through cutting is required.
  • When 0.1 – 0.05mm accuracy is acceptable.
  • When cutting the basic profile as a start point for 3D milling would be useful.
  • Productivity

    Waterjet allows stacking of materials, and cuts a variety of thicknesses, adding productivity to the cutting process.







    Efficiency

    The waterjet cutting process yields a high quality finish on most materials, and eliminates most post-process finishing.







    Ecological

    The waterjet cutting process involves no chemicals, gases or noxious liquids. Abrasive waterjet cutting uses garnet (a high grade sand) as the abrasive. This creates a very clean process, preferable to other methods of cutting in terms of environmental impact, eliminating disposal of by-products and waste water. There is no dust created when cutting stone with waterjet technology, thus providing a safer work environment for those using waterjet to cut stone inlays and countertops.

    Typical materials cut by Water Jet


    • Stainless Steel
    • Aluminium
    • Titanium
    • Tool Steel
    • Brass
    • Shim Material
    • Ceramic
    • Wood & Wood Composites
    • Laminates
    • Kevlar
    • Polypropylene
    • Nylon
    • Rubber
    • Acrylic
    • Clay & Porcelain Tiles
    • Composite Materials
    • Foam
    • Gasket Paper
    • Filter Paper
    • Carbon Fibre
    • Granite
    • Marble
    • Glass