Waterjet Cutting

Abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting is the newest breakthrough in non-conventional machining. Using a water/abrasive mixture propelled at a high rate of speed, up to 3,000 miles per hour, this erosion-based process can cut virtually any material, and almost any thickness without distortion or inducing any stress. Waterjet cutting technology has been a relatively new arrival to the manufacturing industry, but it has proven itself as a superior cutting technology.

Contact our sales team today to find out more of our waterjet cutting advantages.

How does waterjet compare to other methods?
Below is a list of other conventional methods of machining, based from the following parameters, the comparisons to abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJ) are listed below.

  • Type of material
    • Is it reflective?
    • Is it a laminate?
    • Is it machinable?
    • How does it react to heat or machining?
  • Thickness of the material
    • Laser and plasma cutting have thickness limitations.
  • Cost of material
    • Is a tight nesting layout and maximum yield important?
  • Complexity of the shape
    • Will parts “burn out” when laser cut or “chatter” when machined?
    • Are fine detailed features required in the shape?
  • Edge finish
    • Is a heat-free edge required?
    • Is machining required after cutting?
  • Tolerances.
    • Are parts cut to near-net or net shape?
    • Is edge taper important?

AWJ vs. electrical discharge machining (EDM)

  • AWJ cutting feedrate is faster than EDM
  • EDM requires starter holes on inside features, while AWJ can pierce any material
  • AWJ has no heat affected zone compared to EDM
  • EDM can hold smaller tolerances than AWJ
  • AWJ requires far less set up time than EDM
  • AWJ processed parts are less expensive than EDM
  • EDM cannot cut non-metallic material, unlike AWJ

AWJ vs. Laser Cutting

  • Lasers cannot cut highly reflective material.  AWJ has no limitations
  • AWJ has no heat affected zone compared to laser cutting
  • Laser cutting vaporizes material generating toxic fumes, AWJ method does not
  • Lasers are thickness-limited, where AWJ is can cut any thickness of material
  • Laser cutting feedrates are faster than AWJ
  • Laser uses a single head for cutting, AWJ use multiple heads to increase productivity
  • AWJ can cut stacked material, Lasers are limited to single layers
  • AWJ does not induce heat or stresses in material, Laser cutting will heat, distort and work harden material.

AWJ vs. Plasma Cutting

  • Plasma cutting generates a heat affected zone; AWJ induces no heat or stress in material.
  • AWJ edge finish is smoother than Plasma
  • Plasma cutters are thickness-limited, AWJ can cut any thickness of material
  • Plasma produces heavy slag. AWJ has little or no burr.
  • AWJ kerf is less than 1/16” wide; Plasma kerf width can exceed ¼” wide.
  • AWJ edges are preferred by machinists, over the case hardened Plasma surfaces

AWJ vs. Stamping

  • Stamping has high initial tooling costs, AWJ has no tooling costs
  • Stamping is thickness-limited, AWJ can cut any thickness of material
  • AWJ does not distort edges, stamping will “pinch” or “round” edges
  • AWJ is not geometry limited when cutting small complex features.

AWJ vs. Milling

  • AWJ can cut parts to shape in a single pass, milling requires roughing and finishing passes
  • AWJ requires far less set up time than milling
  • Milling machines can thread, tap, pocket mill, counter bore, etc., AWJ is limited to cutting and beveling
  • AWJ requires little or no tooling, milling almost always requires tooling
  • Milling can achieve smaller tolerances than AWJ
  • Milling produces more material waste than AWJ