How WaterJet Cutting Works The waterjet systems utilized by Waterjet Technical are pure water, non-abrasive cutting tools. Water is pressurized to approximately 50,000 pounds and forced through a jewel with a 4mil (.004" through .013") orifice. This fine stream of pressurized water is maneuvered by PC-driven servo-motors.
WaterJet Cutting for Fast-Turn Prototypes As the need for rapid prototyping and quick turnaround production has become a common occurrence, waterjet cutting systems have helped us lead the market in this area. These systems not only help to meet the needs of rapid prototyping, they also allow for more accuracy and more complex designs than possible with cutting dies. Our advantage is the ability to provide cut-to-size samples for immediate testing rather than generic material swatches. In many cases when material is available and the designer provides transferable CAD files (dxf format is preferred) same or next day samples may be furnished.
Waterjet cutting provides a cleaner cut edge on thick rubber materials without the edge concavity that is characteristic of die cutting. Non-abrasive waterjet cutting machines can cut 3" thick open cell rubber, and closed cell rubber in excess of 1" thick to tolerances within -/+.010".
WaterJet Cutting for Production The more complex the design, the greater the need for cutting equipment that can keep up with the demand of the market. Because of the increased demand for accurate high-quality production parts, additional larger units have been acquired to meet production needs. The waterjet units pick up where conventional cutting equipment leaves off, where accuracy and ability is concerned. The waterjet units provide accuracy that die cutting just can not meet. At Waterjet Technical, the waterjets are utilized daily to cut parts that would be deformed by other cutting methods - for example, soft parts with adhesive on two sides or cutting very thick foam pads. When accuracy and quality are critical, the waterjet cutting process is the logical choice.
Waterjet Technical currently has seven waterjet cutting heads used for production and prototype runs.
When and Why to Utilize WaterJet Cutting When parts are in the prototyping phase and designs are being proven, waterjet cutting allows for design modifications without incurring multiple tool purchases.
When the material being used is expensive, waterjet cutting offers tighter yields that can offset this more time intensive process.
When the part has adhesive on 2 sides, the edge quality of a waterjet part well exceeds that of a die cut part with adhesive on 2 sides.
When the part demands tight tolerances, waterjet cutting (in most cases) can hold tighter tolerances than die cutting.
When the part is complex, waterjet systems are capable of cutting abnormal curves or odd geometry.
ADVANTAGES
The advantages to using waterjet cutting for prototype or production components are many
some of which include:
- Narrow kerf width
- No heat affected edges
- No or minimal burrs
- Short delivery time
- Reduced material waste (Nested)
- Environmentally safe
- Economical cutting - no tooling required
- Cuts in one pass
- Multiple shapes of different dimensions can be cut consecutively
- Direct interfacing of DXF files
Copyright 1997 - 2008, Waterjet Technical Services, Inc.
The waterjet systems utilized by Waterjet Technical are pure water, non-abrasive cutting tools. Water is pressurized to approximately 50,000 pounds and forced through a jewel with a 4mil (.004" through .013") orifice. This fine stream of pressurized water is maneuvered by PC-driven servo-motors. 
As the need for rapid prototyping and quick turnaround production has become a common occurrence, waterjet cutting systems have helped us lead the market in this area. These systems not only help to meet the needs of rapid prototyping, they also allow for more accuracy and more complex designs than possible with cutting dies. Our advantage is the ability to provide cut-to-size samples for immediate testing rather than generic material swatches. In many cases when material is available and the designer provides transferable CAD files (dxf format is preferred) same or next day samples may be furnished.
Waterjet cutting provides a cleaner cut edge on thick rubber materials without the edge concavity that is characteristic of die cutting. Non-abrasive waterjet cutting machines can cut 3" thick open cell rubber, and closed cell rubber in excess of 1" thick to tolerances within -/+.010".
The more complex the design, the greater the need for cutting equipment that can keep up with the demand of the market. Because of the increased demand for accurate high-quality production parts, additional larger units have been acquired to meet production needs. The waterjet units pick up where conventional cutting equipment leaves off, where accuracy and ability is concerned. The waterjet units provide accuracy that die cutting just can not meet. At Waterjet Technical, the waterjets are utilized daily to cut parts that would be deformed by other cutting methods - for example, soft parts with adhesive on two sides or cutting very thick foam pads. When accuracy and quality are critical, the waterjet cutting process is the logical choice.
Waterjet Technical currently has seven waterjet cutting heads used for production and prototype runs.
When parts are in the prototyping phase and designs are being proven, waterjet cutting allows for design modifications without incurring multiple tool purchases.
When the material being used is expensive, waterjet cutting offers tighter yields that can offset this more time intensive process.
When the part has adhesive on 2 sides, the edge quality of a waterjet part well exceeds that of a die cut part with adhesive on 2 sides.
When the part demands tight tolerances, waterjet cutting (in most cases) can hold tighter tolerances than die cutting.
When the part is complex, waterjet systems are capable of cutting abnormal curves or odd geometry.
