The waterjet cutting machine (WaterJet) uses a jet of water at very high pressure for the cutting process, often with the addition of special granular abrasive substances. The device, in a nutshell, consists of a high-powered pump, a cutter with a gantry or gantry design, and a working table, or so-called tub, in which the workpiece is immersed.
The process begins by supplying water to a special system, where it is pumped under high pressure, on the order of several thousand bar, into a nozzle. The water jet then strikes the material at high speed, reaching up to 340m/s, which causes erosion and ultimately cuts the material.
Very often the water is additionally mixed with an abrasive, in the form of fine granules, at the final stage. Among the most commonly used types of abrasive, we find primarily granules of mineral origin, such as garnet or quartz sand.
By cutting with hydro-abrasive methods we obtain very smooth edges that do not require further processing. This method also does not cause thermal changes in the structure of the material, which is one of its key advantages over laser cutting methods. Waterjet cutting makes it possible to process a variety of materials, such as steel, aluminum, ceramics, wood and plastics. It is also great for cutting materials with very large thicknesses.
