Benefits of Water Jet Cutting Technology
Here are some of the benefits that the water jet cutting process has to offer:
1. Superior Edge Quality
One of the most important reasons why professionals choose water jet cutting is because it produces a smooth uniform burr-free edge.
Water jet cutting is accomplished by hitting a very narrow beam of water on the workpiece. The superior edge quality produced by water jet cutting is a function of the speed, pressure, nozzle size and abrasive flow rate. It means there are no metal cutters grinding against our object which enables clean finishing and a superior edge quality.
In many cases water jet eliminates the need for secondary finishing, thus creating significant time savings and improving efficiency in your workshop. This makes it ideal if you are looking for a process which can deliver exceptional edge quality requiring little or no additional edge treatment, and the flexibility to cut almost any type and thickness of product.
2. Efficiency & Cost Effective
Water jet cutting is an excellent tool for cutting very thick products, including aluminium, multi-layer materials, composites, hardened steels over 25mm thick, and products which must be cut with no distortion or heat affected zones.
Not only that, but you can also cut multiple layers of material at the same time by placing them on top of each other in a process called stacking making water jet cutting more efficient than any other cutting method.
For instance, in the amount of time it would take to cut one layer of stone slab for a kitchen, you could cut six layers on a waterjet cutter. Therefore, the cost and time would be almost one-third, making the process very efficient and economical.
3. No Thickness Limitation
Traditional cutting methods have a limitation on the thickness of material that you can cut. One of the biggest advantages of water jet cutting is that you are not limited by material thickness and while other cutting methods may start to lose performance/quality anywhere from 1/2” to 2” in limited materials, water jet cutting is able to reliably cut up to 15” thick of almost any material which saves on secondary machining operations.
With thinner materials operators often create layered stacks of thin stock so the water jet can cut through several sheets at once which can help reduce production times and increase material yield without sacrificing cut quality.
4. Better Accuracy, Low Cutting Tolerances
Cutting tolerance is the shift in the position of the cutting process from the intended cut. In simple terms, cutting tolerance dictates how accurate (or how inaccurate) the cutting process is. The lower the tolerance, the higher the cutting accuracy.
Water jet cutting has one of the lowest tolerances available. This is because the cutting action is achieved through a very narrow beam of water and as water jet cutting is a cold cutting process there is no melting away of materials takes place.
5. Multiple Cut Shapes
High pressure water mixed with abrasive creates a needle-sharp cutting stream which can cut almost any shape. This includes bonded laminated materials such as aluminium composite panel and rubber-lined wear plates.
Cutting accuracy of ±0.038 to ±0.2mm (accuracy varies between machines), water jet provides an extremely versatile cutting tool and is used globally in many industries for intricate designs and jobs which require high tolerances.
And you aren’t limited to just cutting in straight lines with water jet cutting. You can create multiple cut shapes in the workpiece, in addition to the standard straight-line cuts.
6. Multi-axis Cutting
Besides offering different cut shapes, water jet cutting is also a multi-axis cutting method. With a good waterjet cutter, you can cut in five different axes. This helps in creating intricate parts such as small components of engines. 5-axis water jet cutting is superior to the conventional 3-axis technologies thanks to superior flexibility, cutting speed, and the reduced manual labour required.
7. No Heat Affected Zones/Material Integrity
Water jet cutting is a cold cutting method so there is no temperature rise in the cutting points which eliminates problems caused by heat distortion and hardened edges.
With other cutting methods when temperature rises, the formation of heat-affected zones occurs causing the characteristics of the material at the cut location to change significantly.
Having no heat affected zones is particularly advantageous for intricate metal fabrication and products which require additional machining after cutting. For steel fabricators who specialise in intricate fabrication which requires accurate fitting, distortion caused by hot cutting is a significant problem.
8. Consistent Tooling
Water jet cutting allows you to improve your operating efficiency and profitability by cutting all your materials on one machine. Water jet uses the same tool for cutting all types of products so you don’t need to change your tooling when you insert a new workpiece or even a new material. With a new workpiece of the same material, you don’t even need to change any settings. For new materials, you can adjust the settings with the software itself.
9. No Secondary Finishing Requirement
Water jet cutting leaves no visible stains on the material and has a high finishing, so you don’t need any secondary finishing for the workpiece.
10. Very Little Fixturing
Some CNC machines require lengthy setups with complex fixturing that can take hours to install and calibrate before a cut is made. Water jet cutting machines can be set up and running in minutes instead of hours.
Whether a job calls for a large sheet of material, or you just need to cut a small part from an existing remnant, a skilled operator can have the process completed in no time, making set up costs next to nothing.
The quick set up and limited fixturing on a water jet cutting machine can be a real benefit to the customer. Depending on the size of the job, most shops can offer significantly shorter lead times on water jet work which can make a huge difference in reducing costs and expediting production.
11. Environmentally Friendly
Water jet cutting is a very environmentally friendly process because it follows a closed-loop process where all the water that you use for the cutting is recycled in the process itself. The metal that is cut is strained through the water and sold as scrap
12. Range of Supported Materials
Water jet cutters can almost uniquely cut through virtually any material. of the other cutting methods apply to cutting only metals. However, waterjet cutting can cut through even wood, glass, or any other material. Water jet cutting offers the flexibility to be able to efficiently cut almost any job that your clients require. All of the following products are cut on a day-to-day basis by waterjet cutters worldwide:
- Aluminium (including cast aluminium): Tipper trailers, boat manufacturers, aircraft components, general fabrication
- Alloys of Titanium, Aluminium, and Cr-Ni-Co-based Alloys, plus Composite Materials, as used in Airplane and Jet Engine Construction.
- Hardened Steels: Armour plating, Bisalloy, military hardware
- Composites: Supportive structures and bodywork/trim parts made of high-tech materials, Construction of Vessels, Edge Trim, Cut-outs, Model-making
- Marble & Granite: Kitchen & bathroom vanity tops, memorials, monuments, decorative flooring
- Stone & Ceramics: Porcelain, wear liners, floor and wall tiles, kitchen worktops, table tops, mosaics, ornaments
- Plastics: Fibreglass, kevlar, polyethylene, composites
- Automotive: Carpets, head linings, trims, insulation
- Glass: Splashbacks, doors, GPO cutouts, glass art, door hardware, balustrade panels, stair treads, shower screens & mirrors, table top inlays, architectural work
- Gasket Manufacture: Cork, rubber, neoprene, foam
Benefits of Water Jet Cutting Technology
Water Jet Cutting v Laser Cutting
- - Water Jet cutting and laser cutting can both cut through a wide range of materials in addition to metals.
- Laser cutting will fail when cutting through reflective as well as transparent materials such as aluminium, copper, glass, acrylics, brass, etc.
- - Laser cutters can only cut about half-inch thick steel at most.
- Water Jet cutters can cut 6 inches of steel.
- - Through the melting of material at the cut joint laser cutting releases toxic fumes, hazardous waste and creates heat-affected zones.
- Water jet cutting releases no fumes or hazardous waste.
- - Laser cutting may lead to the warping of material.
- There is no risk of this in waterjet cutting.
Water Jet Cutting v EDM Cutting
- - EDM machines cut at a speed of 0.4 inches per minute.
- Water Jet cutting machines can cut at a speed of 6 inches per minute.
- - EDM cutter parts can wear out quickly.
- Water Jet cutting parts can last thousands of hours.
- - EDM cutters only work for cutting electrically conductive materials like metals and graphite.
- Water Jet cutting works on just about any material
Water Jet Cutting v Plasma Cutting
- - Plasma cutting involves extensive wearing out of parts. Nozzles get worn out every few hours, so need to be replaced.
- Nozzles used in water jet cutting can last a hundred hours and other parts can last thousands of hours.
- - Plasma cutters can only cut electrically conductive materials like metals and graphite, it cannot cut non-conductive materials like plastic.
- Water jet cutting can cut through anything.
- - Plasma cutters usually work with a cutting tolerance of 0.015″.
- Waterjet cutting has an accuracy ten times that with a tolerance of 0.001″. A lower cutting tolerance means higher accuracy.
- - Plasma cutting also introduces a great deal of heat which limits its cutting capabilities to certain materials/thicknesses before melting and work hardening occurs. The formation of a heat-affected zone causes weakened material integrity and the need for secondary finishing.
- Water jet cutting is a cold cutting method, so there is no temperature rise in the cutting points and material integrity is maintained with no need for secondary finishing.
- - Plasma cutting uses a series of gas/consumables to create a plasma arc that corrodes material along a path. As a result, plasma cutters will omit gaseous fumes when cutting so precautions must be taken for proper ventilation.
- There are no fumes with water jet cutting, it also produces fewer airborne dust particles, smoke, fumes, and contaminants, reducing operator exposure to hazardous materials.
Why choose Water Jet Sweden UK for Service & Support?
Approved UK Support
All of our team of experienced, water jet cutting engineers are Water Jet Sweden factory trained. Our support team is based in the UK and we're available for technical support 24 hours a day. Our UK Technical Centre also provides test cutting and training.
UK Spare Parts Stock
As approved UK technical service and support for Water Jet Sweden, we hold a large stock of original spare parts in the UK for the full range of Water Jet Sweden machines. Guaranteed next day delivery and re-stocked from Sweden on a weekly basis.
Water Jet Cutting Expertise
Our UK-based team has over 30 years industry experience with CNC water jet cutting machines. We install and maintain machines throughout the UK. We also have direct access to the support team at Water Jet Sweden AB.
