There are two types of waterjet cutting systems, high pressure and abrasive waterjet. The first uses high pressure water which is focused into a beam by a nozzle or jewel orifice and cuts through the material without interfering with the structure. Abrasive waterjet works the same, until the water reaches the nozzle and then abrasives like aluminium oxide are fed into it, mixing with the water and forced out at high pressure.
Cutting with water is viable for soft materials but abrasive waterjet makes it possible to cut through harder materials, opening up the scope with which this technology can be used. The advantage of waterjet cutting is that it uses no heat, meaning it does not cause issues often seen with thermal processes, such as surface hardening or warping of the material. It is also ideal for cutting complex and detailed shapes due to its accuracy, which takes away the need for secondary finishing of frayed edges.
Entry into the waterjet cutting sector was a logical step to providing a wider choice of machining solutions”
Wide-format finishing solutions supplier AXYZ International in Canada recently acquired US-based WardJet, which specialises in the development and manufacturing of waterjet cutting machines. AXYZ has now brought a new waterjet cutting machine to the UK which garnered attention at its open house event in Telford on October 10th.
UK managing director of AXYZ International, Mark Sweeney comments: “Entry into the waterjet cutting sector was a logical step to providing a wider choice of machining solutions and in particular those that meet the requirements of customers using materials which traditional CNC routing/cutting systems are unable to process effectively.”
Is your firm considering investing in a waterjet cutting machine? Email me at summer@linkpublishing.co.uk or reach out on Twitter to have your say.