13 August 2009

Understanding How CNC Waterjet Cutting Works

plasma cutting with a cnc machineImage via Wikipedia

By Jim Pickeringson

When you start a manufacturing process, you need everything to go smoothly. Of course, the ultimate goal is to have your product produced quickly, efficiently and consistently. However, today's modern companies also are concerned about their environmental impact. It can often be hard to reconcile those competing factors, but cnc waterjet cutting makes it easier than you might think.

Before you hung around much, you may have not even realized the amazing things that could be accomplished with modern tools. While CNC waterjet cutting isn't exactly brand new, it is still capable of some amazing shows in the shop. By understanding how this tool works and what it is capable of, you can unlock it's potential in your machine shop.

A waterjet cutter also uses surprisingly little water, only about 1/2 to 1 gallon per minute. The abrasive components can also be recycled and reused. To top that all off, if you are cutting a potentially hazardous material, such as asbestos or fiberglass, you will drastically cut down on dust and toxic particles using this method.

Many people who regularly work with metal are quite familiar with waterjet cutting. However, the technology is widely used throughout manufacturing and is suitable for many applications. CNC waterjet cutting is used on stone, tile, foam, metal, plastic, rubber, composite materials, paper and even food. Each product has unique properties that make them difficult to work with when using normal techniques. Luckily, the cutters can be calibrated to work perfectly with each material, even when the properties are vastly different.

If you have ever seen artistic metal work, CNC waterjet cutting is often the tool of choice to accomplish those amazing and intricate results. However, it is also used to create speciality tools, machine parts and much more. Also, unlike most tools, the cutter isn't really hindered by thickness of the material. It can easily handle thicknesses of 18 inches or more! If you cut metal as a part of your work, a waterjet can do the job for you.

While it is true that you want to create a great product every time you turn on your shop, it's also true that you care about the environment.

You want your employees to enjoy a safe workplace and you also want to ensure that you reduce your carbon footprint. By using cnc waterjet cutting, you can accomplish both those goals, offering consistency and accuracy in your cutting and cutting back on the common byproducts of producing a product.

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