Waterjet cutting
The most practical and safest.
Waterjet cutting
vs
Traditional cutting
Waterjet cutting vs traditional cutting.
Waterjets can cut any solid material including stone, tile, glass, metal, foam, rubber, plastic, and food. When compared with plasma, laser, and blade – waterjet cutting has distinct advantages. In addition to no heat-affected zone, the benefits and applications for waterjet technology are limitless and ever-expanding.
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone | Metals | Metals | Stone |
| Plastics | Excluding | Plastics | |
| Ceramics | Reflective | Ceramics | |
| Thick metals | Thick metals | ||
| Reflective metals | Reflective metals | ||
| Foods | Foods | ||
| Composites | Composites | ||
| Rubber & glass | Rubber & glass |
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 304 mm for most materials | Up to 25mm mild steels, 12mm stainless steels and 10mm aluminium | Up to 150mm | From 3mm to 10mm |
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| The material will not experience any stress or undergo and molecular change as waterjet uses a cold cutting process. | Deformation, tempering and structural changes may occur | Deformation, tempering and structural changes may occur | Deformation, tempering and structural changes may occur |
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water and grit | Dust and fumes requiring vacuum extraction and filtering | Dust and fumes requiring vacuum extraction and filtering | Mostly dust |
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nozzle head | Protective glass, gas nozzle and optics | Cutting nozzles and electrodes | Table moveable parts and blades (frequently) |
| Waterjet | Laser | Plasma | Mechanical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usually none. Waterjet is a cold-cutting process that leaves a satin smooth edge. | Sometimes yes. Removal of oxidized edge and HAZ. Gases used impact depth of HAZ. | Typically yes. Slag grinding for removal of HAZ (heat affected zone) & flattening to eliminate distortion from heat. Assist gas used impacts depth of HAZ. |
Conclusion
As can be seen from the above data, water knife cutting has proved to be the most functional and safe cutting process on the market. It has the ability to cut thicker, wider materials while still creating a safe environment, making it the number one cutting method in a variety of industries. If you would like to learn more about our machines.
RELATED QUESTIONS
No – most hard materials (metals and stone) use the same abrasive cutting head, and almost exactly the same parameters.
Cutting Head size is selected to match pump maximum output flow rate. As with most machinery, you want to achieve the high performance without overloading your equipment.
The software will automatically adjust the speed and kerf to suit your cutting head, material and edge quality required.
As a general rule – all metals, and any material that is not possible to flex by hand will require abrasive. Example:
Abrasive
Metals, Glass, Stone, Wood, Acrylics,
Water only
Rubber, Textile, Plastics like PVC, Silicone, Insulation materials,
Fibrous (Carbon / Glass) products and Cement board in thin sheet form
SAME pride ourselves on support. We have highly trained service technicians who can offer Remote support and site visits to suit our clients’ needs. We understand that timely support is critical to our customers.
