Waterjet cutting is a technology that utilizes a very high-pressure stream of water, or a mixture of water and an abrasive material, to cut materials. Pressurized to around 60,000 PSI, the jet of water is capable of cutting through even very tough materials with extreme precision. The jet of water acts kind of like a very sharp scalpel, allowing waterjet machines to cut intricate shapes in materials without causing collateral damage to the surrounding area.

How Waterjet Cutting Works

A waterjet cutting system works by pumping water or a water-abrasive mixture through an extremely small orifice, typically less than one millimeter in diameter. The intensity of the stream generated is over 60,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. To put this into perspective, a fire hose outputs around 1,000-2,000 PSI. In comparison, the waterjet is operating at a pressure nearly 100 times greater than a fire hose.

After being pressurized, the stream of water is directed through a cutting head where it is focused into an extremely thin, very high-powered jet. For harder materials, garnet or other abrasives are mixed with the water to help it abrade and erode away the work material. The cutting head is attached to a gantry system much like a CNC machine tool. This allows it to be moved with precision over a workpiece placed on a bed below. By controlling the movement of the cutting head, complex 2D and 3D shapes can be cleanly cut from the material.

Materials That Can Be Cut With Waterjet

One of the major advantages of waterjet cutting is its ability to cut a wide variety of materials. Almost any material that can be wetted by water can potentially be cut, including:

- Metals such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum and titanium.

- Composites like carbon fiber and fiberglass.

- Stone and solid surface materials like granite, marble, and engineered stone.

- Plastics, polymers and rubber.

- Foams including various rigid and flexible foams.

- Fabrics, leather and other thinly sliced materials.

- Food products such as meat, cheese and frozen foods.

The process produces no heat affected zone, making it suitable for even heat-sensitive materials. With abrasive injection, waterjet can cleanly cut materials nearly as hard as diamonds like tungsten carbide. Its versatility has made it popular across many industries.

Main Industries that Use Waterjet Cutting

Some of the major industries taking advantage of waterjet cutting technology include:

- Automotive and Aerospace

The precision and flexibility of waterjet make it useful for prototyping and manufacturing complex engine and airframe components out of materials like composites and aluminum. Waterjets allow intricate parts to be cut without compromise to strength or tolerance.

- Stone Fabrication

For cutting shapes out of materials like granite, marble, limestone and engineered stone, waterjet machines have become the norm in stone fabrication shops. They can accurately cut both straight and complex contoured parts for uses like construction, flooring, memorials and more.

- Medical Device Manufacturing

The ability to cut bio-compatible materials like surgical grade stainless steels and plastics without generating heat makes waterjet technology suitable for precision parts in medical devices, implants and prosthetics.

- Shipbuilding and Repair

Shipyards rely on waterjets to cut hulls, decks and other structural components from materials like steel plate with precision. Their mobility also enables cutting of large pieces both in fabrication shops and for repair work done on site.

- Composites Manufacturing

With composites becoming increasingly popular, waterjets are an excellent technology for quickly and cleanly cutting fiber reinforced polymers for a wide range of applications from aerospace to wind energy and transportation.

Benefits of Waterjet Cutting Machine

Beyond its versatility with materials, waterjet cutting technology provides several manufacturing advantages:

- Precision cuts with minimal kerf width allow tighter tolerances and more complex profiles versus other cutting methods.

- There is no heat affected zone on the cut surface. Thermal stress and distortion caused by heat are eliminated.

- No tool wear occurs, so the same sharp cutting performance is maintained over millions of cuts.

- Parts can be nestled very close together to maximize material yield from a sheet.

- Programming is CNC-based allowing for fast prototype production and automation of repetitive cuts.

- Cutting is clean, producing no sparks or airborne debris. This improves workplace safety.

- Intricate internal cavity cuts and drilling of small diameter holes are possible.

- Water cleaning washes away debris, reducing post-processing needs.

As the capabilities of waterjet technology continue advancing, its use in industry will likely continue expanding due to these precision manufacturing benefits over traditional cutting methods. With broad material compatibility and process versatility, waterjet cutting provides solutions for an extensive range of fabrication applications.

In summary, waterjet cutting machine utilizes ultrahigh-pressure water or water-abrasive jets to accurately and precisely cut a wide array of materials. The process results in clean cuts without a heat affected zone and can produce complex profiles with tight tolerances. These advantages, along with the ability to cut heat-sensitive materials and nest parts closely, have made waterjet technology popular across industries such as automotive, aerospace, stoneworking, medical devices and composites manufacturing. As waterjet systems evolve further, their adoption for advanced manufacturing applications will likely continue growing.