Water jet cutting
The inlet water is typically pressurized to approx. 4000 bar (58000 PSI) by a special high-pressure pump. In order to lend the necessary kinetic energy to this compressed water, the water is conducted through a very fine nozzle and thus accelerated up to 1000 m/sec (this correspond approx. three times to sonic velocity!). This enormous energy makes it possible to cut various materials with an accuracy of approx. +/- 0.1 mm. There are mainly 3 different types of water jet cutting:
Water jet cutting
Water jet cutting use exclusive the medium water, without any additives. With this procedure soft material like foam material, insulation, rubber, sealing compound, paper, foils and many more can be cut with a very high driving speed.
Abrasive jet cutting
For cutting harder materials the single force of a water jet is not sufficient. To achieve the enormous cutting performance for hard materials, an abrasive must be added to the water. Normally a special garnet will be used for this purpose. Thereby we obtain a considerable increase of the removal rate and thus a very high-energy and versatile abrasive jet. With this abrasive jet any materials like metal, natural stone, ceramics, plastics, glass, carbon and many more can be cut.
Polymer jet cutting
Polymer jet cutting shows the same characteristics as the water jet or abrasive jet cutting, but with a polymer additive.
Advantages of waterjetcutting
- Cold cutting process, i.e. the cutting rate will be performed without any thermal influences to the material. Thus distortion-free and ware-free cutting is possible.
- Due to the abrasion no pressure affect directly on the material. Thus a deformation of the material can be avoid, although the high kinetic energy.
- The capillary water jet makes a cutting of arbitrary outlines with precise cut accuracy and a very high quality possible.
- Material-saving manufacturing due to small cut width and nesting. Increased productivity by multi-layer cutting.
- High productivity by the simultaneous assignment of multiple heads (multi-head cutting machine).