If you are in the manufacturing business and cutting and shaping material is an essential part of your work process, you may want to look into the benefits of waterjet cutting. Unlike plasma cutting that utilises high heat that can scorch and mar the material you are using, waterjet cutting uses only water and an abrasive to do the job. Here are some important things to know about the process.

It Uses Pressurised Water

Waterjet cutting involves the use of high-pressure water that runs through a pump and blends with an abrasive to become strong enough to cut through a variety of material or surfaces. The waterjet cutting machine is equipped with a computer control, an articulated cutting head, a hopper in which you load the abrasive, a catcher tank and a waterjet nozzle for the abrasive. The computer control is typically attached to a motion control that regulates the way the waterjet cuts so that there are no bends when the pressurized water makes contact with the material you are cutting.

It Can Cut A Variety of Material/Surfaces

There are no limitations when you choose waterjet cutting, because the power and force of the cutting makes it ideal for materials and surfaces made from fiberglass, glass, wood, copper, brass, natural stone, concrete, brick, ceramic, rubber, vinyl, glass, plastic, steel, aluminum and titanium. That's the same range of materials that is available with laser cutters, plasma cutters or mechanical cutters, so you lose nothing when you select waterjet cutting. The most common type of abrasive used with waterjet cutting is garnet, a gemstone that has sharp edges that are ideal for slicing through even the toughest surfaces.

It Has Multiple Advantages of Other Cutting Methods

As mentioned before, because waterjet cutting doesn't use heat, you don't have the same worry about burning or scalding your material that you would with plasma cutting. That's a big concern when you are using plastics and metal. Waterjet cutting also doesn't generate any gases or toxic smoke when it cuts plastic or vinyl. You can also finish your job faster with waterjet cutting compared to mechanical cutting, because you don't have to stop to change the cutting head since water cutting doesn't utilize cutting tools. And even though laser cutting is precise, it is so powerful that it can damage thinner or softer pieces of material. But with waterjet cutting, you can minimize any adverse effects by cutting thinner or softer surfaces such as rubber without using an abrasive.

For more information, contact a company like Intracut.