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An in depth look
at what Waterjet really is!
Waterjet technology has significant advantages
over other cutting methods. Depending on machine
capabilities, any idea, design or concept that
can be drawn on a computer can be cut by waterjet.
The waterjet can cut cleanly and efficiently
through materials considered "unmachinable"
by conventional methods and achieves a high
level of accuracy and precision on complex shapes.
The waterjet is a cold-cutting technology that
is an accelerated erosion process. It does not
heat, harden, distort or exert pressure on the
working material. The waterjet generates 55,000
psi to cut foam, wood, rubber, plastics and
resilient floor coverings.
When cutting harder materials, a garnet abrasive
is fed into the waterjet stream to increase
the erosion process. The waterjet is a cost
effective way of cutting complex shapes in materials
such as stone, porcelain, glass, aluminum and
stainless steels. Difficult designs with inside
corners, notches, and architectural shapes can
be cut with ease with a high level of precision
and repeatability.
Material
Types and Benefits
Alloys: No heat zone
effect, does not change the molecular structure.
Laminates: Can be
difficult if not immpossible to cut with other
methods
Composites: No problem
cutting materials that typically gum up or delaminate
using traditional cutting methods.
Plastics: Are easily
cut and may be stacked and cut to reduce costs.
Rubber: Depending
on the durometer, can be cut with water pressure
only. Harder rubbers use abrasive along with
the water in the cutting process.
Gaskets: Can be cut
from any material thus eliminating the need
for costly tooling.
Fiberglass: No hazardous
airborne particles dispersed as in traditional
cutting methods - particles are trapped in a
water tank below the cutting table.
Glass: Can cut shapes
from glass for decorative and/or commercial
applications.
What are a few
applications Waterjet can be used for?
Die Strippers: The
waterjet is more cost effective in making Die
Strippers over maching or using WireEDM.
Developing Strips:
The waterjet cuts sample strips without heat
related distortion and without hardening the
edge. These benefits give the strip a truer
representation of a die cut blank. Adjustments
to the strip profile are made easily and quickly
to meet your needs.
Prototypes: The waterjet
is perfect for prototype parts. The parts can
be nested to get the maximum material usage
and revisions are easily made from one sample
run to the next.
Production Runs: The
waterjet is a great method for production parts,
eliminating the up-front tooling costs and again
getting the maximum number of parts from the
material.
Marble, Stone and Ceramic Tile:
The waterjet is capable of cutting
intricate logos and designs into tile or stone
for the home or business.
Architectural Metal: The
waterjet can cut steels, aluminums, brasses,
and coppers. This application can benefit metal
fabricators, architects and sign companies.
Terrazzo: Creating
the metal forms for poured-in-place Terrazzo
is done easily with waterjet. Any design can
be made with a variety of materials. Pre-cast
Terrazzo designs can also be cut with special
attention to detail.
Decorative Hardwood Inlays:
Medallions and custom borders can be created
with the waterjet to add beauty to any wooden
wall or floor design.
Countertops: Unique
countertops can be created from laminate, solid
material, granite and marble.
Advantages of
using Waterjet.
Cost effective
No warping
No heat damage
Intricate shapes
Numerous materials
All industries served
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