Waterjet machines do this by using high pressure streams of water to erode a thin line in a material used as stock for a custom cut part.
To cut a wider range of materials, an abrasive (usually garnet) is added to the stream to increase cutting power. Because the abrasive is added at the nozzle, switching between water-only and abrasive waterjet cutting is easy. Also, because waterjets are computer-controlled, manufacturing teams can transition quickly from cutting foam to metal to a highly engineered material and back with minimal setup. This flexibility greatly enhances the versatility of a waterjet machine as a material conversion tool.
KLINGER IGI offers CNC waterjet cutting services in two forms: Standard (water-only) and Abrasive.
An advantage of waterjets is that they have the ability to cut almost any material in myriad complex shapes while maintaining high precision (up to +/- .005), minimizing material waste, and achieving superior edge quality that doesn't require secondary finishing. An additional advantage of this process versus other cutting methods (such as laser or die-cutting) is that there is no material distortion or degradation (burning, crushing, chipping and fracturing). Those things considered, it's no wonder that the demand for waterjet cutting services tends to be higher than alternative cutting services.
