Precision Waterjet Cutting

Waterjet cutting is used by metal processing specialists to form highly accurate cuts for custom metal components. It is a cold-cutting technique that leverages water (or a mix of water and abrasives, such as garnet) to cut through materials via rapid erosion.

This process is suitable for cutting a variety of materials—ranging from soft products like foam and carpet to hard metals like ceramic and metal—and can cut through materials up to 8 inches thick .

Benefits of Waterjet Cutting

Compared to other cutting methods, waterjet cutting offers numerous benefits, including:

No heat affected zone: As mentioned previously, waterjet cutting is a cold-cutting technique that does not require material to be heated or stressed with machinery. This lack of thermal input means that there is little to no heat affected zone (HAZ) — which decreases the risk of thermal distortion, such as warping or impurities in certain materials.

Versatility: Waterjet cutting can be used on a wide range of materials, including glass, paper, metal, foods, composites, mixed materials, and more.

Tight tolerance: Waterjet cutting can cut parts with better tolerances, especially on thicker materials.

Reduced slag: Since waterjet cutting leverages water and recyclable abrasives, you do not have to deal with slag byproducts that can be produced by other cutting methods, such as laser or plasma cutting.

Ultra-fine finish: Waterjet cutting produces a fine sand-blasted edge finish, which can sometimes eliminate the need for finishing services.

Industrial Applications

Waterjet cutting and multi-axis waterjet cutting operations are used throughout industry for a variety of cutting applications. Some of the industries in which they are commonly used include:

Aerospace (aircraft engines, turbine blades, control panels, etc.)

Architectural (marble, tile, stone, ornamental components, etc.)

Biotech (pipes, tubes, disks, etc.)

Chemical (tanks, pipes, tubes, etc.)

Food processing (foam, food cutting, packaging, etc.)

Marine (pipes, pumps, etc.)

Mechanical (pumps, disks, rings, etc.)

Packaging (inserts, foam, etc.)

Pharmaceutical (tubing, disks, etc.)

Vacuum (tubing, pumps, pipes, etc.)

Welding (pumps, disks, rings, etc.)