What is Waterjet Cutting? Ultimate Guide to Precision and Versatility

Waterjet cutting involves pressurizing regular water using a super high-pressure pump to a pressure of 380 MPa (55,000 psi) or higher. The water is then forced through a small nozzle with a diameter ranging from 0.010 mm to 0.040 mm, generating a water jet that travels at a speed of 915 meters per second (approximately three times the speed of sound) for cutting. There are two types of waterjet cutters: pure waterjet and abrasive waterjet.

Two Types of Waterjet Cutters

Pure Waterjet Cutter

Abrasive Waterjet Cutter

Pure Water Cutting

APPLICATIONS

The pure water jet cutting technology uses high-pressure water flow for precise cutting of soft materials, widely applied in various industries. This technology enables high-precision, heat-free, and contamination-free cutting, making it ideal for processing materials such as plastic, foam, paper, gaskets, automotive interior parts, disposable items (e.g., diapers), as well as food and fruits. With its precise cutting capabilities, pure water jet ensures smooth, clean edges while maintaining the original properties of the materials, meeting diverse production requirements.

Abrasive Cutting

Abrasive water jet cutting uses high-pressure water mixed with abrasives to precisely cut materials like stainless steel, copper, aluminum, carbon steel, titanium, stone, ceramics, glass, carbon fiber, fiberglass, foam, and more. It ensures high precision, smooth edges, and minimal thermal distortion, making it ideal for complex shapes and various industrial applications.

Cutting Sample Showroom

The waterjet cutting sample show demonstrates precision in cutting various materials, showcasing intricate designs and smooth edges for high-precision applications.

How Thick Can a Water Jet Cut?

A waterjet can cut various metals and non-metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and titanium alloy, up to 200mm thick. Some companies, like Fedjet, have even cut stainless steel as thick as 508mm. Most users typically require metal cutting within the range of 6mm to 100mm.

Main Systems of a Complete Waterjet Cutting

A complete CNC waterjet cutting system includes the following four components:

Intensifier Pump

Cutting Head

Cutting Table Platform

CNC Controller

FAQ

Details about Fedjet Waterjet Cutting

Water jet cutting accuracy?

The part accuracy can reach up to ± 0.025 to 0.070mm (.001 to .003”).

Does waterjet cutting require a pre-drilling device?

Waterjet cutting can perform hole drilling by itself, without the need for additional drilling devices. Additionally, the non-contact cutting process allows for the cutting of any complex shapes.

Is a fixture required for waterjet cutting?

Due to the non-contact cutting process, the force applied to the workpiece during cutting is very small (less than 0.45kg for fine machining, and less than 2.26kg for general parts). Therefore, additional fixtures are usually not required, saving the cost of manufacturing expensive fixtures needed in traditional machining.

Waterjet Cutting vs. Thermal Cutting Technology Comparison

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is suitable for cutting stainless steel up to 15mm and carbon steel up to 20mm. Aluminum has a strong reflection to lasers, so for aluminum over 5mm, waterjet cutting shows greater economic benefits. Laser cutting is mainly applied in the sheet metal cutting industry for cutting carbon steel and stainless steel.

Plasma Cutting

Plasma cutting causes the edges of the workpiece to be oxidized into hard carbides, so they need to be further processed with a milling machine. As a result, the overall processing cost is always higher than that of waterjet cutting.

EDM

Waterjet cutting is much faster and more economical, typically being dozens of times faster than electrical discharge machining (EDM). EDM is usually limited to cutting smaller parts (less than 600 x 600 mm), and holes must be pre-drilled (usually using CNC machines).

Application of Waterjet Cutting in Mechanical Manufacturing

The key to success in the mechanical manufacturing industry lies in providing comprehensive solutions to customers while ensuring competitive quality, and shortening production and delivery cycles. This requires energy-efficient, material-saving, and time-saving production technologies, as well as minimizing the need for subsequent machining processes. Cutting materials with complex geometric shapes demands high precision and advanced cutting techniques.No single cutting technology can be considered the perfect solution to meet all technical requirements. As a result, various cutting techniques have been developed and used in practice, each catering to different needs and requirements.

Summary of Waterjet Cutting Applications

Waterjet Cutting is Currently Growing Rapidly at an Annual Rate of Approximately 15%

Particularly within the metalworking industry. Materials such as aluminum, copper, titanium, stainless steel, high-temperature alloys, wear-resistant steel plates, and parts that do not require subsequent processing are increasingly being processed with waterjet technology, along with thicker carbon steel plates.

The Rapid Development of the Waterjet Market is Driven by Several Factors

Several factors contribute to the fast development of the waterjet cutting market. Compared to thermal cutting processes, waterjet cutting provides stable, high-quality results for the final operation. The cut edges are smooth and flat, meeting high standards for cutting precision and surface quality. Additionally, since waterjet cutting is a cold process, it does not increase the material’s hardness or cause melting, making it convenient for subsequent processing and further manufacturing steps.

Improving Existing Machining Technologies

The contemporary trend is to incorporate waterjet cutting into machining workshops as a supplement to other cutting technologies, such as Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), laser cutting, milling machines, and plasma cutting. Technicians have discovered that waterjet cutting greatly helps in improving production efficiency and reducing production costs.

What Makes Waterjet Technology So Popular?

Waterjet cutting technology is popular due to several key advantages: minimal auxiliary operations, no heat-affected zone (HAZ), no mechanical deformation, ability to cut complex shapes, better material utilization, and versatility. These factors combined make waterjet cutting an attractive option for industries looking for precision, efficiency, and flexibility in their manufacturing processes.

Waterjet Cutting in the Mechanical Manufacturing Industry

Technicians in the fields of process and design in the mechanical manufacturing industry have started to recognize that using waterjet cutting in machining workshops can significantly improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and decrease labor requirements. As a result, waterjet cutting has become an essential machine tool in many machining workshops.