Water serves two primary purposes in your water jet cutting system: processing and cooling. But did you know, the water in both of those processes has a temperature standard it should meet so your system performs at its highest level? “Out-of-spec” water temperature will eventually affect cut quality and edge finish and will reduce seal, pump, and filter lifespans.
Adding the power and versatility of a water jet to your shop floor opens a whole new range of material processing opportunities. Deciding which tool to purchase requires a detailed evaluation of your options. It can be an especially daunting task for first-time water jet purchases. This 4-step buying guide is intended to help evaluate water jet cutting in your shop and hopefully guides you in your efforts.
When the spent garnet and debris (“sludge”) reaches the bottom of the slats that the work pieces are held on, or when the sludge has accumulated in the tank to a degree in which an increase of water turbulence occurs while cutting, it should be cleaned by removing the spent garnet and slug material.
Waterjet cutting starts with bringing an incoming water stream up to ultra-high pressure, usually 60,000 psi, and then directing it through high pressure lines to a cutting head. That cutting head can be mounted to a motion system gantry that travels over a “Catcher Tank” filled with water.
Waterjet cutting delivers ultra-high water pressures ranging from 60,000 psi up to 90,000 psi. And while the incoming water is not under high pressure, the jet stream produced by the pump is, and needs to be routed with specialized high pressure tubing and high pressure tubing fittings for both safety and performance.
There is a lot of information on the web about water jet cutting systems, their applications, and the companies/brands that serve the industry. However, it’s hard to know what to trust. What’s accurate? What sources contain accurate information?
Everyone understands the value of timely routine maintenance for all high-precision cutting and machining tools, including waterjet cutting equipment and high pressure pumps. Done correctly, per a recommended schedule, you experience higher uptime and lower total maintenance expense which provides a higher ROI on the tool’s investment.
Nature has been cutting and carving stone for billions of years. Nothing can resist the unrelenting force of water. Take the Grand Canyon, for example. Now that is a masterpiece of stone cutting with water. However, as a fabricator working with stone, you don’t have the luxury of 6 million years, give or take a few millennia, to fulfill your client’s order.
The water used in a waterjet cutting system serves two distinct and different purposes, the cutting process and hydraulics cooling. Poor water quality, as measured by the volume of suspended solids, reduces component life and increases the system’s maintenance requirements, both unnecessary and avoidable costs. By taking some simple steps to implement an optimized filter replacement practice you can maintain the high water quality you have achieved and increase the tool’s performance and operational life. Let’s explore the best practices for making this happen.
Water jet systems utilize two different technologies, water-only and abrasive cutting and each of those come in two basic cutting versions, 3-axis and 5-axis. Let’s look at the differences and advantages of each type.
