Why Do You Need Precision Waterjet Cutting?
If you are in the manufacturing industry, utilizing the benefits of precision waterjet cutting is essential to making fine, precise, and quick cuts on nearly any type of material. Along with using pure waterjet cutting for softer items, abrasive precision waterjet cutting is the preferred method for hard, thick, and tough materials.
However, before you can begin using precision waterjet cutting to service your manufacturing needs, you need to find a reputable company that can help you safely and accurately get the job done. With Elemet Manufacturing, you can use their B2B manufacturing services for all of your industry needs.
For those who need precision waterjet cutting, CNC machining, welding, metal fabrication, and other cutting services, contact Elemet Manufacturing.
Advantages of Precision Waterjet Cutting vs. Other Cutting Operations
If you are debating between using water jet cutting versus other techniques, read on to learn why water jet cutting may be the best option for your projects. One of the other common techniques used when working with soft and hard materials is laser cutting. There are certain characteristics of precision waterjet cutting that make it the preferred cutting method, though:
- Smooth edge quality – When using laser cutting, clients will have to create a secondary finish to eliminate the heat-affected zone. Precision Waterjet cutting creates a smooth edge that does not require any extra finishing.
- Thickness – Precision waterjet cutting – specifically precision abrasive waterjet cutting – can cut through materials up to 3” thick, whereas laser cutting can typically only cut materials up to .25” thick.
- Smaller diameter – Precision waterjet cutting can cut tiny holes, whereas laser cutting cannot cut any material with a smaller diameter than the thickness.
- Various materials – Laser cutting might be too reflective when working with metals, whereas abrasive precision waterjet cutting can cut through numerous hard materials without any byproducts or heat reflection.
- Faster – Abrasive waterjet technology has cutting speeds of 5-10x faster when compared to laser cutting.
Pure Precision Waterjet Cutting vs. Abrasive Precision Waterjet Cutting
When it comes to precision waterjet cutting, two different types can help provide clean, accurate, and easy cuts: pure precision waterjet cutting and abrasive precision waterjet cutting. Before businesses and clients can choose the specific type of waterjet technology to use, they must know the pros and cons of each method.
Pure Precision Waterjet Cutting
Pure precision waterjet cutting uses a different type of cutting head than you would with abrasive waterjet cutting, performing the cuts without the use of a mixing chamber nozzle. The water exits the waterjet cutting head through the open space instead of coming out in a smaller stream via the tapered nozzle.
Although there is no nozzle, pure precision waterjet cutting can still make a thin stream of water and tiny, exact cuts. Since the stream of water is very fine and less powerful than other options, it is a perfect choice for cutting soft materials.
However, if you are interested in cutting harder items, making bigger cuts, or getting more work done faster, abrasive precision waterjet cutting using abrasive particles is the better choice. Pure precision waterjet cutting is helpful for those making tiny cuts in felt, paper, thin plastics, and food products but won’t stand up to the test of cutting through a range of materials.
Abrasive Precision Waterjet Cutting
The second most common waterjet cutting method is abrasive precision waterjet cutting. Although the name sounds harsh, this type of cutting actually describes the accuracy, strength, and power this type of cutting can provide.
Using a stream of water as high as 94,000 PSI, the pressurized water exits through an orifice and maintains its strength, containing the power to cut through both hard and thick materials.
Making abrasive cuts is the preferred technique for those who need to quickly and accurately cut through hard materials like ceramic, metal, copper, stone, or hard plastics.
Along with being able to cut through hard materials, why should you choose abrasive precision waterjet cutting vs. pure precision waterjet cutting?
- Easy setup – The waterjet is easy to set up, making it simple and fast for beginners to use when cutting hard materials.
- Low waste levels – Instead of having excess materials left over after the cutting process, the abrasive precision waterjet cutting leaves behind little waste, making cleanup fast and easy.
- No heat generated – Since you are using pressurized water with abrasive precision waterjet cutting, there is no risk of adding excess heat to the products that can cause product damage.
- Versatile – When using abrasive precision waterjet cutting, it is possible to cut through virtually any type of material, whether 10” thick or ¼” thick.
Why You Should Choose Elemet Manufacturing for Abrasive Precision Waterjet Cutting
Compared to other similar manufacturing businesses, Elemet Manufacturing offers a wide range of services to clients so you can complete all of your equipment and manufacturing needs simultaneously.
Elemet Manufacturing offers the top precision waterjet cutting services in the industry, providing top-of-the-line equipment that can cut through almost any type of material. With CNC abrasive precision waterjet cutting machines, you can easily cut through aluminum, metal, plastic, carpet, rubber, and titanium.
Precision waterjet cutting is the preferred option over other cutting methods, as it creates accurate cuts, does not use unsafe levels of heat, does not produce harmful byproducts, cuts 3D materials, and provides a fast turnaround time for all projects.
Elemet also offers CNC machining services, helping create prototypes and products for clients concerned about replicating their complex and precise models. Using a 3-axis, 4-axis, or 5-axis CNC machine, you can create a realistic prototype that includes compound angles and precise features.
Another reason to select Elemet over other manufacturing businesses is due to its high-quality welding services. Welding services make it possible to work with a wide range of materials, like titanium and steel.
Using the welding services has numerous benefits over other options, such as high operating speeds, low pricing, and large-project scalability.
Lastly, Elemet offers metal fabrication and cutting services to clients who need to rely consistently on quality parts. Using custom metal fabrication and laser cutting services is beneficial for companies who need bending, cutting, and assembling of metal parts.
Not sold yet? Contact Elemet Manufacturing today to see how their skilled team of engineers can help you with your manufacturing project.
