Water jet cutting technology. Waterjet cutting

Waterjet cutting of metal is one of the key ways of cutting metal, without which the metalworking industry cannot do. There are a wide variety of waterjet cutting machines, which often outperform plasma cutting machines in terms of processing quality.

It should be noted that waterjet cutting is in demand not only in the field of mechanical engineering. For the first time, this method of metal processing was used by an American aircraft manufacturer and has since been widely used throughout the world.

Features of waterjet cutting

Waterjet cutting technology plays a significant role in the processing of thick-walled workpieces from various types of metal. Experts note the special role of waterjet cutting machines in the creation of pipes of different diameters and types. The technology allows processing metal in such a way that there are no scales and other consequences of cutting on the workpieces.

Despite the relatively high cost of devices of this type, they are quite simple to use and do not require additional nodes for fastening the workpieces to be processed. In addition, when working with waterjet machines, clouds of dust from production waste are not created. Since the cutting tool is virtually absent, there is no need to replace it or monitor its sharpness.

Abrasive cutting of metal is carried out with a jet of water and abrasive elements. This allows not to slow down the processing speed of materials, even if they have very noticeable dimensions.

The accuracy and versatility of waterjet cutting allows you to work not only with metals, but also with glass, plastic and wood parts. In addition, waterjet cutting equipment is safe to use and can be installed in almost any industry.

Device classification

Waterjet machines are often divided into manual machines and numerical control (CNC) machines.

The design of abrasive machines for metal cutting significantly affects their technical characteristics and production capacity.

Manual devices

Non-CNC machines are fully controlled by the operator, who sets all the parameters for the future processing of parts. In addition, the operator will have to carry out certain stages of work with blanks on his own. But such devices have a number of advantages:

1. Relatively low price.
2. Same quality waterjet cutting titanium, aluminum and other materials.
3. Ease of care and management, which does not require the operator to have great knowledge and experience in the field of metalworking.
4. A sufficient number of functions that allow you to create simple parts with regular geometric shapes.

CNC machines

Numeric software, installed on waterjet machines, significantly increases their functionality and production efficiency. CNC machines allow you to process all types of metal blanks with high quality and do it with high accuracy. Automated devices have the following advantages:

• The software allows you to create holes of the required diameter in the workpieces.
• After completion of all established operations, the part does not need additional processing.
• The software allows you to select an individual processing mode for each workpiece. The device itself will select the necessary jet indicators and other parameters.
• CNC machines can control the quality of the cut and independently change it in accordance with the established program and the sequence of actions of the machine.

At the same time, such a device has a number of significant drawbacks. Firstly, the cost of a CNC waterjet significantly exceeds the price of a manual counterpart. Secondly, in order to correctly set the parameters of the work performed, the operator must have certain knowledge in the field of metalworking and experience in creating parts on automated machines.

Scope and features of functioning

Waterjet machines are considered the most suitable tool for cutting metal, but they are widely used for other purposes. Here are the most common uses for these devices:

1. CNC machines allow you to create quite complex geometric shapes without constant control and participation from the operator. In addition, the program installed on such a machine significantly improves the accuracy of its work.
2. Finished blanks do not require additional grinding and other types of finishing. Work can be done at the required angle of inclination and this will not affect the quality.
3. Abrasive cutting technology allows you to work with parts of great thickness. For different metals indicators will be different. For example, for titanium - 1.5-2 cm, and for copper - 5 mm.
4. With the help of abrasive machines, design objects and various decorations are created, but for this they use special modifications of hydroabrasive devices.

The principle of operation of these devices is based on the supply of water under high pressure. In addition to water, garnet sand is used for waterjet cutting. Water and additional components are stored in separate containers and only during the cutting process are mixed into a single jet. The quality of processing parts with such a device is very similar to cutting metal with a laser. Adjusting the jet parameters allows you to process workpieces at the required angles.

Video: cutting with water with the precision of a scalpel - waterjet metal cutting.

Operation of the machine and its design features

The structure of this device is such that it is almost impossible to make it with your own hands and at home. Moreover, even machines from unverified manufacturers can be dangerous to use or simply of poor quality. This will affect the processing of blanks and the life of the product.

But even high-quality waterjet machines require high-quality personal care. First of all, you should pay attention to worn structural elements and consumables.

It is worth noting that powerful machines consume a fairly large amount of abrasive in a few minutes of operation, so it will have to be changed relatively often. In the instructions for any device, you will find information about which microparticles are best used in order to work with maximum efficiency.

It is recommended to pay special attention to the quality of water that is used while working with the device. Before use, the liquid undergoes special filtration and only after that it is used in the process of processing parts. The use of low-quality water adversely affects the cutting of workpieces and the duration of operation of the machine itself.

Most often, in devices of this type, the abrasive supply mechanism and guide pipes break. An important element of this device is the pump, without which it will not be possible to maintain normal pressure inside the machine, which will extremely negatively affect the quality of processing.

The well-known saying that water wears away a stone is silent about the fact that it also cuts metal, and not for hundreds of years, but instantly. Much has been said about cutting metal with your own hands using plasmatrons - water that turns under the influence of electricity into a plasma arc. But there is another way that gives a cleaner cut that does not need finishing - this is. Separating the part with water without special preparation of the liquid will give less smooth edges of the workpieces, then you will have to process them additionally with your own hands using tools using force. Provided that the water-sand mixture supplied under pressure is used to cut metal up to 20 cm thick, it is better that the edges of the workpieces do not have to be further processed. And just a preparatory process is to filter the water.

Advantages of the water jet

Waterjet cutting was developed for the manufacture of aviation parts. Subsequently, this method was called the best in the processing of refractory materials and steels. Now it is used in factories where CNC equipment works. Water cutting is of no less importance for auto repair shops and the manufacture of household items with their own hands, where equipment without fasteners is used.

Low temperature operation gives advantages in steel processing. Cutting metal with plasma or gas results in a strong heating of the metal, which causes oxidation and other side effects (depending on the individual characteristics of the metal). The impact on the metal of abrasive particles supplied under high pressure with water would also lead to heating of the sheet and its melting, but the cutting is so fast that it can only be compared in terms of cleanliness of the cut with a laser, and in terms of speed with a plasma torch. The heating of the treated surface during operation is appropriate - it is so insignificant that there is not even scale. As there is no dependence on the size of the equipment and the method of work - without human intervention or cutting by equipment on manual control.

A pleasant moment when doing do-it-yourself work is that the equipment does not produce any strong odors, smoke and dust. There is also no need to keep spare cutting tools on hand, this equipment works without hard cutters - only very fine sand with water. A scalpel that separates thick pieces of metal with surgical precision is water entering the nozzle under pressure, at the outlet of the nozzle it is saturated with abrasive microparticles, with instant mixing a powerful cutting mixture is obtained.

The entire cutting cycle, both on factory CNC equipment and with your own hands on a conventional machine, is carried out in one stage. Thin and thick, refractory and ductile materials are cut at the same speed, without any restrictions. Machines with the ability to process several parts at the same time - this is an opportunity to carry out the necessary processing of metal and glass, plastic and rubber in the shortest possible time, due to the fact that there is no need to reconfigure the equipment. Parts made of materials of different hardness, if necessary, will be processed in one working cycle.

When processing materials with your own hands, it is more profitable to process them one by one in terms of saving time that would have taken to fix the materials on the work surface, and a combined part consisting of several completely different materials will be easily and accurately cut using a high-pressure waterjet mixture.

Application of waterjet cutting machines

Equipment operating on hydroabrasive suspension is used for:

1. Artistic cutting of metal with water, and other materials with various technical specifications. Thin e and wide parts can be cut not only at right angles. Changing the slope of the cutting substance will not affect the cleanliness of the cut edges. None of the materials that this equipment cuts require further processing, the part from under the hydraulic cutter comes out 100% finished.
2. The most complex elements that are repeated in several fragments and parts that require increased accuracy are best done on a programmable water cutting machine. computer program better than a man cope with precise tasks for machining parts that do not tolerate deviations. For creativity and the manufacture of items that are not involved in complex mechanical units, manual equipment is quite suitable.
3. The maximum thickness of metal for cutting with water, as mentioned earlier, is 200 mm, but there are exceptions. Hydroabrasive suspension can cut copper only 5 mm thick, refractory alloys up to 12 mm, titanium up to 17 mm thick. If you look at the scope of these metals and their cost, then the loss is not so great.
4. If it is necessary to make an ornament made of copper or brass with your own hands, then the top layer is removed in stages. So a recess of 1 cm can be made in 2 passes instead of one. As sculptors working on a masterpiece with a chisel say, cut off everything unnecessary. The same principle of operation with a waterjet cutting element. For accurate reproduction of the part, it is better to use a computer-controlled machine.

Non-CNC machines operate on manual control, the entire cutting machine is set up by the operator, which can give some inaccuracies if the cutting angle is set incorrectly. But such a machine does not require any specific knowledge. It is significantly cheaper than its computer-controlled counterpart. Little functional equipment, you can figure out its settings quickly enough. Simple and complex lines, as well as standard geometric shapes on this machine, can be done by everyone, after a brief acquaintance with the device of the machine, safety precautions, the method of filling it with water with sandy abrasive, the method of changing the cutting angle.

The uniqueness of waterjet cutting technology lies in the fact that it can be used to cut almost any type of material. It is important to note that waterjet cutting is an alternative not only to mechanical, but also to laser, plasma, and ultrasonic cutting, and in some cases is the only possible one.

In waterjet cutting, the material is processed with a thin ultra-high-speed jet of water. To increase the destructive power of the water jet, particles of a highly hard material - an abrasive - are added to it. Sometimes waterjet equipment is called "waterjet", "waterjet cutting", "waterjet", "GAR" or "waterjet". In industry, such machines have been used since 1982, and their prototypes appeared in 1970.

What is the essence of the waterjet cutting process? If ordinary water is compressed under a pressure of about 4000 atmospheres, and then passed through a hole with a diameter of less than 1 mm, then it will flow at a speed exceeding the speed of sound by 3-4 times. Being directed at the workpiece, such a jet of water becomes a cutting tool. With the addition of abrasive particles, its cutting ability increases hundreds of times, and it is able to cut almost any material.

The technology of waterjet cutting is based on the principle of erosive (abrasive) action of an abrasive and a water jet. Their high-speed solid-phase particles act as energy carriers and, hitting the product particles, tear off and remove the latter from the cut cavity. The erosion rate depends on the kinetic energy of the acting particles, their mass, hardness, shape and angle of impact, as well as on mechanical properties processed material.

cutting technology

Water pumped by a pump to an ultra-high pressure of the order of 1000-6000 atmospheres is supplied to the cutting head. Escaping through a narrow nozzle (nozzle) usually with a diameter of 0.08-0.5 mm at transonic or supersonic speed (up to 900-1200 m / s and above), the water jet enters the mixing chamber, where it begins to mix with abrasive particles - garnet sand , grains of electrocorundum, silicon carbide or other highly hard material. The mixed jet comes out of the mixing (mixing) tube with an inner diameter of 0.5-1.5 mm and cuts the material. In some models of cutting heads, the abrasive is fed into the mixing tube. To extinguish the residual energy of the jet, a layer of water is used, as a rule, 70-100 centimeters thick.

Various materials with Mohs hardness from 6.5 are used as an abrasive. Their choice depends on the type and hardness of the workpiece, and it should also be borne in mind that a harder abrasive wears out the cutting head components faster. In waterjet cutting, the destructive ability of the jet is created to a much greater extent due to the abrasive, and water performs mainly a transport function. The size of the abrasive particles is selected equal to 10-30% of the diameter of the cutting jet to ensure its effective impact and stable flow. Typically, the grain size is 0.15-0.25 mm (150-250 µm), and in some cases - about 0.075-0.1 mm (75-100 µm), if you want to obtain a cut surface with a low roughness. It is believed that the optimal size of the abrasive should be less than the value (ds.t. - dv.s.) / 2, where ds.t. - the inner diameter of the mixing tube, dv.s. - the inner diameter of the water nozzle.

Typical application area for water cutting technologies

Waterjet	Waterjet cutting
Leather, textiles, felt (shoe, leather, textile industry)	Sheets of steels, metals
Plastics, rubber products (automotive industry)	Various metal parts (castings, gears, etc.)
Electronic boards	Alloys of aluminum, titanium, etc., composite materials, thick-walled plastics (aviation and space industry)
Laminated materials (aviation and space industry)	Concrete, reinforced concrete, gypsum blocks, solid paving stones, etc. Construction Materials
Heat-insulating, sealing and noise-reducing materials	Stone, granite, marble, etc.
Food - frozen foods, dense foods, chocolate, baked goods, etc.	Glass, armored glass, ceramics
Paper, cardboard	Combined materials, coated materials
Wood	Wood
Thermo and Duroplast	Reinforced plastics

Typical applications for some abrasives in cutting

Name	Typical scope
Garnet sand (consists of corundum Al 2 O 3 , quartz sand SiO 2 , iron oxide Fe 2 O 3 and other components)	Widely used for cutting various materials, especially high alloy steels and titanium alloys
Grains of electrocorundum (consists mainly of Al 2 O 3 corundum, as well as impurities) or its varieties	artificial materials with very high Mohs hardness. Used for cutting steel, aluminum, titanium, reinforced concrete, granite and other materials
Silicon carbide (SiC) grains - green or black
Quartz sand (SiO 2)	glass cutting
Silicate slag particles	Cutting plastic reinforced with glass or carbon fibers

Advantages, disadvantages and comparative characteristics

Almost any material can be cut with a waterjet or water jet. In this case, neither mechanical deformations of the workpiece (since the impact force of the jet is only 1-100 N), nor its thermal deformations occur, since the temperature in the cut zone is about 60-90°C. Thus, in comparison with heat treatment technologies (oxygen, plasma, laser, etc.), waterjet cutting has the following distinctive advantages:

• higher cut quality due to minimal thermal effect on the workpiece (no melting, melting or burning of the edges);
• the possibility of cutting heat-sensitive materials (a number of fire and explosive, laminated, composite, etc.);
• environmental cleanliness of the process, the complete absence of harmful gas emissions;
• explosion and fire safety of the process.

The hydroabrasive jet is capable of cutting materials up to 300 mm thick and more. Cutting can be performed along a complex contour with high accuracy (up to 0.025-0.1 mm), including for processing bulk products. With it, you can make bevels. It is effective for aluminum alloys, copper and brass, due to the high thermal conductivity of which thermal cutting methods require more powerful heating sources. In addition, these metals are more difficult to cut with a laser due to their low ability to absorb laser radiation.

The disadvantages of water-abrasive cutting include:

• significantly lower cutting speed of steel of small thickness compared to plasma and laser cutting;
• high equipment cost and high operating costs (typical for laser cutting) due to the consumption of abrasive, electricity, water, replacement of mixing tubes, water nozzles and seals that can withstand high pressure, as well as waste disposal costs;
• increased noise due to the expiration of the jet at supersonic speed (typical for plasma cutting).

Why doesn't everyone use GAR machines?

If GAR machines have so many obvious advantages, why not everyone uses them in their enterprise? The answer lies not in the process of cutting with abrasive material, but in the ability to control this process. Until now, the use of installations required the user to have both the ability to program and the skills of an experienced operator.

The linear speed of the nozzle of the GAR machine should change depending on changes in the shape of the parts. Too high a speed or its sudden change may lead to a decrease in the quality of processing. In the past, waterjet applications required manual setting of programs in order to control the speed of the cutting head.

However, even the most the best program required experienced operators to maintain the installations, who could control their speed. When the jet of abrasive material moved along the cut line, the operator adjusted the speed of the nozzle and thus optimized the process.

Too high a speed had a negative effect on edge quality and accuracy. Too low reduced accuracy and increased time. If the GAR nozzle went through the corner too quickly, it could have a bad effect on the shape and quality of the cut.

As a result, waterjet cutting machines have been used in mass production that does not require high precision, for example, to produce hundreds of parts using a well-proven program, or to cut materials that cannot be processed using other technologies. Appeared machines of the company "WaterJet Corp." (Italy) greatly simplified this process. Waterjet has become much more affordable and equipment has become easier to operate.

In addition, the company produces installations with 4 and 5 controlled axes (Figure No. 1), which allow for complex cutting of parts from sheet material. For example: cutting parts with internal and external chamfers along any curved surfaces, cutting inclined holes of any profile with a rectilinear generatrix and processing complex curved grooves.

In addition to 4- and 5-axis cutting of parts from sheet material, implemented using a cutting head, Water Jet produces machines for volumetric 5-axis water jet cutting, which has the ability to direct the water jet at any angle to the table surface, including horizontally. .

Processing examples

Top 7 reasons to choose a waterjet cutting machine:

Water jet cutting machines - for a long time were considered equipment intended only for highly qualified specialists. However, over the past few years, this equipment has changed a lot. Thanks to new technologies, almost every machine shop or manufacturing enterprise can afford to purchase and use a high-precision waterjet cutting system effectively, even with little or no experience. Waterjet Corp. revolutionized the industry by offering the first truly affordable system that combines the power of abrasive blasting with precision machining.

• 1. Wide range of processed materials

Waterjet cutting is suitable for a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, composite, glass, marble, and granite.

• 2. High quality edge processing

After cutting on WaterJet Corp. the edges of the material are as smooth as sandblasted. No sharp edges, burrs, uneven edges.

• 3. No heating during processing

Due to the fact that waterjet cutting machines use water and an abrasive, the material being cut almost does not heat up during the cutting process. Therefore, it is ideal for materials that deform under the influence of high temperature or react to heat in some other way (for example, titanium).

• 4. Environmentally friendly

Waterjet cutting of metal is a cutting technology that now dominates the metallurgical, metal rolling and engineering industries. Metal cutting with water has replaced plasma and classical cutting on cutting machines.

For the first time this method was developed and applied in the aircraft industry, for cutting aircraft aluminum. American company, which invented this method, after conducting research and analysis, provided statistics on how effectively waterjet cutting is applied in the industry.

Today, large machine-building plants cannot do without waterjet cutting: it allows you to achieve maximum precision in the production of parts from steel and refractory materials.

Advantages of the method

Waterjet cutting of metal is indispensable for the processing of thick-walled workpieces. To get a really high-quality cut line is possible only in this way. The use of hydraulic cutting is relevant when laying pipes in which there will be high pressure. After cutting, there will be no scale or burr left on the entire line, no matter how long it is: no additional processing is required.

It should be borne in mind that a machine of this type is more expensive than simpler analogues. But the initial cost is offset by the price Supplies, fasteners and additional units. Another plus of working with hydraulics is that even with long work there is no smoke screen, dust does not fly in all directions. In addition, you do not need to monitor how sharp the cutting tool is, periodically replace it and buy optional equipment for sharpening.

At the same time, the waterjet method of cutting metal allows you to maintain high speed production due to the fast processing speed of metal blanks. The cutting speed does not change even when processing thick-walled workpieces. At the same time, the waterjet machine allows you to process not only metal, but also glass, rubber, plastic and other multilayer workpieces.

Principal device of machines

Given the fact that waterjet machines are universal in use, they have a very specific device that allows them to cut not only metals.

The technology is based on the supply of water under high pressure through a nozzle to the workpiece at a certain angle. The fluid contains abrasive material, which is an auxiliary component of cutting. The most commonly used sand, crushed to microparticles. Before feeding, water and sand grains are mixed in a special preliminary tank. The thoroughly mixed mixture is fed to the nozzle of the machine.

Water cutter for metal

Depending on the given program, the formed jet is fed onto the workpiece. The nozzle of the nozzle is placed on a movable head, which can be rotated and tilted at random. The speed of cutting with water can only be compared with a plasma cutter, but the accuracy and quality are comparable only with long-term laser cutting.

Modern scope

Technical growth trends have not bypassed the hydraulic abrasive cutting machine. Modern equipment of this type allows:

Operation of CNC machines

Progress in terms of waterjet cutting of metal developed rapidly, and machines of this type decided to equip the CNC. Numeric program control allowed to achieve greater accuracy in cutting and significantly speed up the process. Compared to the work of a DIY craftsman, an electronically controlled machine can cut more complex shapes and cut at various angles.

CNC machines are used to make blanks from various steels, aluminium, copper, bronze and other widely used metals.

The advantages of CNC waterjet machines are expressed in such moments:

Manual equipment

There are a number of waterjet machines that are not equipped with CNC, and in them the master has to set the cutting parameters with his own hands. Here, the comfort of work is much worse, the accuracy and quality of processing are reduced. Many factors depend on how professional the machine operator is. But, like everywhere else, there are positives that we will see in this list:

• Classic manual machines are much cheaper than computer-controlled equipment.
• Having understood the buttons and levers, even a person without specialized education will be able to cope with the work on this machine.
• On such equipment, it is possible to obtain most of the simple parts and blanks with simple geometric shapes.
• Even on a manual machine, it is possible to obtain a high-quality cut at different angles, to cut the material as required by the technology.

Consumables and independent construction of the machine

In order for the waterjet machine to work fully, it is only necessary to replace abrasive materials and worn-out elements in time, which eventually lose their resource. The abrasive consumption rate depends on the thickness of the material being cut: it also happens that the machine consumes about 300 g of sand microparticles per minute.

During the processing of metal of maximum thickness, the consumption will be even greater, about 500-600 g per minute. Parts that often require replacement include various seals and high pressure pump elements. The latter often fail, as the machine is always working with extremely high pressure, which creates a load on the parts.

In terms of building such a machine on your own, there is one problem that is almost impossible to solve - the low quality of self-made parts. The fact is that the construction of a waterjet machine requires a lot of unique parts and parts that will have to be ordered from a turner and somehow created with your own hands. As a rule, the service life of such parts will not exceed a few days, given the pressure that has to be dealt with.

As a result, you will have to buy original spare parts, complete assemblies, while other parts will remain home-made or taken from analogues. In terms of money costs, you will spend almost as much as a new full-fledged waterjet machine would cost, plus you will also spend a lot of effort.

A new industrial installation for waterjet cutting costs from 3 million rubles, and a used one can be purchased much cheaper.

Video: Waterjet metal cutting

Waterjet cutting machines are used for processing metals, stone, plastics, glass in the military, aviation and tool industries, mechanical engineering. Cutting using this technology is an efficient and fast process that allows you to reproduce accurate details from almost any material.

Machine capabilities

When comparing the technical properties of CNC waterjet machines, stone is used as a reference. After all, it is very difficult to process and has a high density. Therefore, having coped with rocks, the equipment will easily cut any other materials.

Directed by a thin jet under pressure on a stone, water cuts rocks. At the same time, the cutting line can be of any configuration, so the technology allows you to create complex carved patterns and ornaments.

Abrasive cutting of metals is able to cope even with one of the most strong metals- titanium. It is only necessary to put the correct coordinates into the electronic brain and start the process. The impact power is determined by a combination of the following characteristics set by the operator:

• jet pressure;
• supply of abrasive;
• the speed and nature of the water supply;
• the amount of abrasive particles;
• characteristics of abrasive particles.

A wide variety of materials can be used as cutting particles, including:

• garnet for titanium alloys and high-strength steels;
• agglomerate for stone;
• sand is used to cut glass;
• slags of silicate origin for plastics.

One of the most popular abrasive materials is garnet sand, which includes various parts of quartz sand, corundum, iron oxide.

The principle of operation and types of waterjet cutting machines

The CNC waterjet cutting machine works as follows:

• the pump supplies the ox to the working head, here a jet of water of the required diameter is created. It enters the mixer, where a water-sand mixture is formed, from there it is directed directly to the nozzle. Nozzle diameter can be from 1 to 5 mm;
• a mixture is poured out of the nozzle under pressure from 100 to 6000 bar, knocking out particles of material. The speed of the mixture is several times higher than the speed of sound. The head rotates in a wide range and is controlled by automation;
• there is an artificial erosion process that allows you to work with stone slabs up to 300 mm thick.

Processing of soft materials, such as wood, rubber, some plastics, is carried out without abrasive particles, with clean water. The nozzle is put on sapphire or ruby, and the nozzle should be of a minimum diameter. Such nozzles last longer, because clean water has a softer effect on consumables.

Equipment for waterjet cutting differs in device, purpose, power and cost:

• CNC machines;
• portable.

CNC machines perform cutting according to the loaded parameters and drawings. They perform complex figured products with little or no operator intervention. Production shops usually equipped with such equipment.

Portable machines are good for cutting any material in hard-to-reach and dangerous places, such as tunnels. The work is done very quickly and accurately. That's why this species processing is very economical.

Machine design

Waterjet cutting is the processing of solid materials with a density of about 2.5 tons / cubic meter using a mixture of solid particles and water according to the erosion principle. The cutting mixture is applied to the material under powerful pressure, a water stream of small diameter through a specially shaped head. The processing speed depends on the parameters of the material.

CNC waterjet machines are a combination of several modules, including mounted ones:

• solid particles feed mechanism;
• bath table;
• high pressure water pump;
• portal;
• moving head;
• pressure distribution mechanism;
• container for abrasive mixture.

In addition, the waterjet cutting machine is equipped with automatic measurement and control systems that improve accuracy.

Heads are made of artificial minerals, they are quite expensive and require periodic replacement. Mixing tubes made of durable metals are also subject to replacement.

Processing is carried out on a specially designed table.

The waterjet cutting method has many advantages:

• during the operation of a specialized machine, waste is minimal;
• the surface of the stone is not given unnecessary roughness;
• the metal is not covered with scale;
• processing takes place at room temperature, overheating of the material is excluded;
• the quality of the parts obtained is the highest;
• a wide variety of types of waterjet cutting are possible, including those imitating hand carving;
• the material is not deformed;
• you can completely remove the front layer from the workpiece or chamfer;
• harmful vapors, gases, soot are not emitted;
• It is possible to process plates with a thickness of more than 15 cm.

CNC waterjet cutting equipment work in automatic mode, manual labor is not applied. All processed materials fully retain their primary qualities.

Special tooling for CNC machines

Height and collision avoidance sensors monitor the distance between the material surface and the nozzle. They prevent the head from moving under the pressure of water and collision with vertical surfaces during operation. Before starting work, the controller determines the thickness of the material and the required working depth. Periodically, during operation, the sensor makes adjustments to the work depending on the operations already performed.

The laser pointer makes it possible to accurately “aim” when placing the part on the worktop, quickly positions the nozzle. The function is applied on small and large coordinate tables. The pointer is reliably protected from water by the strong waterproof case.

The substrate is used for processing small parts, improving the contact between the water-sand jet and the material. The substrates have a special structure that easily passes water and securely holds the part.

A set of clamps is provided with each machine. With its help, details of various sizes and shapes are firmly fixed on the tabletop.

The pump cooling system is mandatory for effective work. It can be closed or flowing. Closed is more economical.

The abrasive supply dispenser controls the amount of abrasive to work on material of different thicknesses. Eliminates interruptions in the supply of abrasive, which is very important when cutting valuable materials, the processing of which with clean water can ruin them.

The water purification system prevents mineral deposits on valves, hinges and other elements of the CNC machine. Water is purified from calcium and iron. Permissible Quantity iron in 1 liter of water is no more than 10 milligrams. The cleaning system improves the productivity and life of the CNC machine.

Videos show waterjet cutting in 3D and 2D: