Can a water jet cut through anything?
Waterjet cutters can cut through virtually any material, literally. This is quite a unique benefit of waterjet cutting. Most of the other cutting methods apply to cutting only metals. However, waterjet cutting can cut through even wood, glass, or any other material.
Waterjets are capable of cutting composites, metals, glass, stone, concrete, ceramics and rubber.
For one thing, water jet cutters can cut through many different materials, including various metals like steel. The high pressure is accomplished by a high-pressure pump, special high-pressure tubing, and a narrow waterjet nozzle, or cutting head, producing a powerful but tiny jet stream.
Can a water jet cut my finger? Yes, a water jet can easily cut fingers. Water jet cutters operate at a force that can cut through a couple of feet of metals, so cutting fingers or limbs is quite possible with a waterjet.
Yes, cutting rock with water jet equipment is easy. In fact, water jet cutting machines designed for mining applications can cut through 100 feet of rock.
A water jet would not cut through diamond or tempered glass – with tempered glass the material would break as designed to when force is applied.
Since diamond is the hardest material in the world, only the waterjet machine can cut it.” The OMAX 2626 is a high-precision waterjet machine often found in research labs, tech prototyping, and even aerospace facilities. The waterjet is fast and efficient utilizing optimized Intelli-MAX® software.
From cutting of intricate stained glass, to piercing holes in glass, to easily cutting laminated ballistic glass, users from a variety of industries have discovered the versatility and cost-effectiveness of cutting glass materials with waterjet technology.
The water jet technology--in particular the abrasive technique--can be used to cut biomaterials such as bone and bone cement.
So Can They Cut Wood? The answer is yes! Waterjets can cut virtually anything such as metal, ceramic, stone, glass, foam, plastic, and, you guessed it, wood!
How powerful is a water jet cutter?
In waterjet cutting, normal pressure refers to a water pressure of up to 60,000 psi. Of course, this value is not 'normal' compared to the water pressure in non-cutting applications. However, it is termed so due to its comparison with the Hyperpressure pump which goes from 60,000 psi to 90,000 psi and even more.
If the water jet cuts through a shoe or sleeve and punctures the skin, it may only appear as a small bruise. What has actually happened is that contaminated water has been shot inside the body and can cause potentially life-threatening infections. If you suffer a water blasting injury, go to the hospital IMMEDIATELY.
A high flow high-pressure water jet can cut through concrete by eroding the cement. At high pressure with a lower flow, water can actually remove coatings without damaging the sound concrete below. Add an abrasive to the jet and water can completely cut through a concrete slab with rebar inside.
Yes, it is possible (and very easy) to cut rubber with a water jet cutter. In fact, the capabilities of the waterjet cutter of rubber outdo any other method like die cutting, whether in terms of rubber sheet thickness or cutting accuracy.
Many pressure washers on the market today are capable of producing streams of water with up to 4,000 PSI of pressure or even more. A stream just over 1,000 PSI can puncture human skin, while a stream just over 1,700 PSI can punch a hole in concrete.
Waterjet cutters can cut through 9 inches of stainless steel. Anything thicker increases the cutting time significantly. Some applications reconfigure waterjet systems to cut through even 18-inch steel blocks. However, in many applications waterjet cutters are utilized to cut 4-inch steel.
Can You Cut Granite With a Water Jet? Yes, it is easy to cut stone using a waterjet, and not only granite, as a high-pressure waterjet cutter is ideal for cutting stone such as marble too. A water jet can cut stone up to 12 inches, which is suitable for most stone-cutting applications.
Waterjets are also good at cutting small hole sizes. In metal sheet thicknesses (3/16” thick or less), the minimum hole diameter is about 0.060”. In thicker plates, a good rule of thumb is a minimum hole diameter of 20% of the thickness of the material.
Laser cutting is much more accurate than water jet cutting because it's a far less aggressive and abrasive method. Water jet cutters aren't designed for cutting through surfaces smaller than 0.02 inches, while a laser can delicately and safely cut materials that are as small as 0.006 inches.
Waterjet cutting is most commonly used for cutting aluminum, thick carbon steel and stainless steel, copper, brass, titanium, plastic, and rubber. Abrasive waterjet cutting can pierce or drill holes as small as . 030" in diameter (0.004" for water jet without abrasive).
Can you waterjet wood?
Yes, water jet cutting wood is possible. You can cut thin and thick wood with a water jet cutter. Nowadays, many woodworking applications rely on water jets for cutting wood products. Water jet cutting is one of the best methods for sizing or shaping wood.
Waterjet cutting is unlimited in the thickness of aluminum it can handle. The method applies to cutting solid aluminum blocks and aluminum sheets. Waterjet cutters can handle 12-inch-thick aluminum and up to 9 inches of stainless steel.
Waterjets can cut a range of things from stone to glass, wood, some metals and more. There are some things that a waterjet cannot cut, including things like diamonds and tempered glass. Most commonly, waterjets are used to cut things like tiles, ceramic, and non-tempered glass.
Waterjet cutters can make cuts of between 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) in hard materials. It is possible to cut thicker material, but it reduces cutting speed. If you have a lot of time on your hands, there is no limit to the material you can cut with a water jet cutter.
Dozens of materials can be cut using a water cut, some of which include steel, iron, rubber, plastic, stone, ceramics, glass, paper, foam, wood and composites. There are only a select few materials that can't be cut with a water jet, such as diamond and tempered glass.
Waterjet cutting is most commonly used for cutting aluminum, thick carbon steel and stainless steel, copper, brass, titanium, plastic, and rubber. Abrasive waterjet cutting can pierce or drill holes as small as . 030" in diameter (0.004" for water jet without abrasive).
Waterjet cutters easily cut through 8 to 12 inches of plastic material. Many machines have the ability to handle even thicker materials, but the cutting process takes longer.