Waterjet Cutting – Five Benefits

Five Benefits of Water Jet Cutting

It doesn’t matter whether you are new to water jet Cutting or already make use of water jet technology for your manufacturing, the benefits of water jet cutting are always important to know. This article will explain five benefits of water jet cutting to help you make a better, and informed decision when deciding on a cutting method for your next project.

First off, it is important to note that there are two kinds of water jet cutting methods:

Pure Water jet Cutting – Used for the cutting of soft materials such as foam or paper by using only the water stream for the cutting of the material.

Abrasive Water jet cutting –  A granular abrasive is added directly to the water stream. This abrasive accelerates the power of the cutting stream and enables the cutting of extremely hard materials such as metal, stone or ceramics.

Below are five Water jet cutting benefits outlined, enhancing your overall water jet technology knowledge!

1. Few Material Limitations

Water jet cutting is versatile applicable, cutting nearly any material; composites, plastics, metals, glass, stone or rock, ceramics, and rubber. With the addition of a granular abrasive, a water jet cutting machine can perform quality cuts on materials up to 200 mm thickness.

2. No Heat Affected Zone (HAZ)

A major advantage of water jet cutting is that no heat affected zone (HAZ) occurs due to its cold cutting method. Not only does cold cutting enable clean cuts, but also increases the operators’ safety significantly by eliminating the risks of burns.

3. No material distortion

Through its cold cutting method, the heat exposure can be bypassed, which is especially critical for materials like metal, leading to a fine cut without distortion in the material. This results in a smooth and burr-free cut.

4. No additional finishing process

The immediate high cutting quality ensures a precise result, avoiding an additional finishing process. This significantly accelerates the cutting process and saves time, increasing the overall efficiency.

5. No hazardous waste

The growing importance of environmentally friendly processes throughout the industries is becoming more apparent. A significant advantage of waterjet cutting is that it does not create any hazardous waste in the form of fumes and gases, unlike other cutting technologies.

Common Water Jet Applications