Manufacturers are realizing more and more every day there are virtually no limits to what water jets are capable of cutting and machining. Due to its versatility and ease of operation, water jet cutting technology has become one of the fastest growing machine processes in the world.As a result of implementing water jets in their operations, machine shops of all sizes are realizing greater efficiency and productivity. Many shops have made water jets the machine tool of choice.
Since water jet technology was first invented, the technology has rapidly evolved with continuous research and development. The question arises as to why water jets have become so popular. For starters, they require few secondary operations, produce net-shaped parts with no heat-affected zone, heat distortion, or mechanical stresses caused by other cutting methods. Water jets can cut with a narrow kerf; and since parts can be tightly nested, they provide better usage of raw material.
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Water jets are extremely easy to use due to a control system and intuitive operation. Typically operators can be trained in a matter of hours and are producing high quality parts in hours. In addition, water jets can cut virtually any material, leaving a satin-smooth edge. These benefits add up to a significant cost savings per part in industries that have traditionally defined productivity by cost per hour.
Water jets are unmatched in versatility. They allow for cutting a variety of applications with ease. Whatever the shape, dimensions or material, east-to-use software allows for valuable versatility. Whatever your business – automotive, aerospace, stone and tile, tool and die, fabrication or job shop, water jets can cut metal, stone, plastics, composites, glass, ceramics or rubber – all up to eight inches thick. There is no heat-affected zone and there is superior edge quality.
Since water jets require minimal fixturing and tooling, valuable time is save on the shop floor. Water jets cut accurate, clean edges that allow for tight nesting and reduced scrap – saving money through greater material utilization. Today there is a trend by many shops to add water jets to their operations as a complement to other cutting technologies such as EDM, laser, milling and plasma.
Water jets work simply. When water is pressurized up to 87,000 pounds or more per square inch (psi) and forced through a tiny opening, it can cut a variety of soft materials including food, paper, rubber and foam. When small amounts of abrasive particles, such as garnet, are mixed into the jet stream, the resulting water jet can cut virtually any hard material.
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An obvious question might be why water jet cutting should be used over lasers. Laser cutting is, or course, a very productive process and certainly has its place. Water jets, however, have several advantages over lasers:
- No thickness limitations
- No problems with reflective materials such as brass and aluminum
- No heat input, thus there is no burning or heat-affected zone (HAZ)
- Water jets can cut materials which are heat sensitive – plastics, rubber or composites, plus even such materials as glass, stone, and very hard ceramics
- When you change materials, the only thing you change is cut speed. There are no gases, optic or anything else to change
- Multiple heads are easily added for increased production
- Maintenance on laser equipment is more specialized and more difficult to perform
- Standoff distance between nozzles and material is not nearly as critical
- Water jets typically require less of a capital investment than lasers.
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If you are through-cutting the periphery and holes, rather than blind holes, pockets and threads, the water jet is typically much faster, easier to program and less expensive than milling. This is largely due to the fact that water jet can cut a part with one pass and all the metal does not have to be reduced to chip form. Additionally, the scrap is usually more valuable in solid form than chip form. Still another question arises as to why water jet might be selected over plasma or oxy fuel. Obviously, plasma is a hot process. It adds a great deal of heat to the product, leaving a heat-affective zone. The surface finish of the water jet is generally better. It leave no dross on the back side of the part, reducing secondary operations. Water jets have no thickness limitations, and can be much more closely nested. There are, of course, tolerances that can be expected from water jet cutting. Over 80 percent of the world’s water jet users cut parts to + or – 0.003 inches, or looser activity. There is a percentages of users, however, who cut parts to tolerances as tight as + or – 0.001 inches and even + or – 0.0005 inches. The accuracy you will get depends on whether or not you have water jet technology, the accuracy of the machine, part size and part thickness.
How thick can water jet cut – up to eight inches thick steel and titanium are cut on a production basis. There have been cases where 12 inch and even 15 inch thick material has been cut. The vast majority of users, however, cut between ¼ inch and two inch thick materials. Stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium are difficult materials to cut in laser and traditional methods. Water jets cut these with ease resulting in additional cost savings.
For more information on water jet cutting contact: Kevin Schuler, Schuler Manufacturing Co.; 502-637-4700; web site: http://www.schulermfg.com/.
Schuler Manufacturing is a 27-year old company that specializes in custom fabrication.
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