INTRODUCTION TO

ABRASSIVE WATER JET CUTTING

INTRODUCTION:
Abrasive water jet cutting is gaining popularity as a means for cutting a wide
variety of materials. Ease of programming and the jets ability to cut almost all
materials and any thickness make it suitable for all shape cutting applications
except extremely hard materials. Its most significant attribute as an accurate cold
cutting process allows it to cut metals without leaving a heat affected zone.
A machine shop without a water jet is like a carpenter without a hammer
ultimately. Sure the carpenter can use the back of his crow bar to hammer in nails,
but there is a better way. It is important to understand that abrasive jets are not the
same thing as the water jet although they are nearly the same. Water Jet
technology has been around since the early 1970s or so, and abrasive jets
extended the concept about ten years later. Both technologies use the principle of
pressuring water to extremely high pressure, and allowing the water to escape
through opening typically called the orifice or jewel. Water jets use the beam of
water exiting the orifice to cut soft stuffs like candy bars, but are not effective for
cutting harder materials.
The inlet water is typically pressurized between 20000 and 60000 Pounds per
Square Inch (PSI). This is forced through a tiny wall in the jewel which is
typically .007 to .015 diameter (0.18 to0.4 mm).This creates a very high
velocity beam of water. Abrasive jets use the same beam of water to accelerate
abrasive particles to speeds fast enough to cut through much faster material.
In the battle to reduce costs, engineering and manufacturing departments are
constantly on the lookout for an edge. The Water jet process provides many
unique capabilities and advantages that can prove very effective in the cost battle.
Learning more about the Water jet technology will give you an opportunity to put
these cost-cutting capabilities to work.

How high pressure water is created:

The basic technology is both simple and extremely complex. At its most basic,
water flows from a pump, through plumbing and out a cutting head. It is simple to
explain, operate and maintain. The process, however, incorporates extremely
complex materials technology and design. To generate and control water at
pressures of 60,000 psi requires science and technology not taught in universities.
At these pressures a slight leak can cause permanent erosion damage to
components if not properly designed. Thankfully, the Water jet manufacturers take
care of the complex materials technology and cutting-edge engineering. The user
need only be knowledgeable in the basic water jet operation. Essentially, there are
two types of water jets; (1) pure Water jet and (2) abrasive Water jet. Machines are
designed to employ only Water jet, only abrasive Water jet, or both. With any
type, the water must first be pressurized.

Abrasive Jet Process Description:

Abrasive water jet cutting utilizes a high velocity coherent stream of water and
abrasive that can be used to cut almost all materials. Water at 40,000 to 55,000 psi
accelerates through a sapphire, ruby or diamond orifice. The stream passes
through a mixing region where the vacuum, induced by the stream, sucks in
abrasive. Momentum of the water stream accelerates and entrains abrasive as it
passes through the nozzle. The stream exits the nozzle as a three phase mixture of
air, water and abrasive particles with a cutting diameter of 0.020 to 0.060. The
high velocity abrasive particles impact on the kerf face and do the actual cutting.
Kerf material is removed as microchips, with no negligible affects on the material.
The cutting stream carries 0.5 to 1.5 pounds per minute of abrasive. The quantity
of abrasive is dependent on the cutting stream size, which is selected based on the
material to be cut. Garnet is by far the most commonly used abrasive. It is
environmentally clean, contains no free silica, and combines good cutting ability
with reasonable wear on the consumables. Other less commonly used abrasives
are olivine sand, silica sand and slag by-products. Due to its high Mohs hardness,

aluminum oxide has been rarely used, for cutting of very hard materials. Because
of its high hardness aluminum oxide rapidly wears out the nozzle and is expensive
to operate. Most shops use the abrasive once and then it is disposed as land fill
waste. The main attributes of the cut are: no heat, narrow kerf, good edge finish,
and high accuracy. Successful, cost effective, abrasive water jet applications take
advantage of these characteristics.

CUTTING TECHNOLOGY:
Water Jet cutting uses high pressure water to cut softer material like rubber and
foam. When abrasives are added to high pressure water the resulting abrasive jets
cuts harder material like steel, glass, titanium, hard rock, bullet proof glass,
ceramics, etc. The high pressure water is forced through a tiny orifice to
concentrate high energy in a tiny area to cut. The water is pressurized using an
intensifier pump to a pressure of 4150 bar (60,000 psi) and forced through a tiny
orifice of 0.15 mm to 0.35 mm diameter creating a high velocity of beam.
Textiles, elastomeres, fibrous materials, thinner plastics, foodstuffs, paper,
thermoplastics, etc., are cut at a flow velocity of up to 200 meters per minute with
a pure water jet.

ADVANTAGES:
1- Water jets cuts in any direction
2-Water jets cuts around tight corners
3-Water jet cutting can produce the final part with little or no secondary finishing
4-Water jet exerts no thermal damage to heat sensitive material
5-Aerospace composites can be drilled and cut without delamination
6-Water jets can be integrated with existing gantries and robots
7-Water jets do not require extensive part clamping
8-Water jet jobs setup and change over is rapid
9-Water jets produce no airborne dust while cutting composites