Water Jet Cutting

[Scotty370]

Although it's not a home machine (at least in my home!) I was reading an earlier thread where some questions we're asked about the process. I found an interesting read here: How Waterjet Cutting Works | Flow International Corporation

We are fortunate to have E B Atlas Steel here in Buffalo that does this type of cutting. They cut a piece of 1/2" steel plate w/ a 3" center hole perfectly for me during one of my projects. Thought some folks might be interested! ~Scotty

 

[GE222]

I had some pieces that I drew up in AutoCAD, that were cut on a water jet machine. The cut was perfect and burr free!

 

[Chilly807]

Water jet cutting is pretty impressive. We cut the pressure hulls of some of our older Canadian submarines with it during refits years ago, then re-welded them when the refits were done. No problems as far as we knew. I think they used an abrasive additive to the water.

Chilly

 

[Cami]

Very cool. A place I know that does it charges by the inch of cut.

If you're looking to get cuts done in metal, don't overlook your local metal supplier. Mine does CNC oxyfuel, and more recently, plasma cutting. The service is there for the asking; they simply charge a higher rate per pound.

Even for simple shapes it's often cheaper than paying a guy to cut pieces out manually, and if you're doing it for yourself, then it saves a bunch of drudgery.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Water jet cutting is pretty impressive. We cut the pressure hulls of some of our older Canadian submarines with it during refits years ago, then re-welded them when the refits were done. No problems as far as we knew. I think they used an abrasive additive to the water.

Chilly

The steel fabrication place that makes a lot of our food plant machinery has a water jet cutter. They use an abrasive in the water. The one they have is pretty old. It is HUGE. They also have CNC lazers, Plasma, and about every other toy you could think of. They turn out some impressive work.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I realy hope that some day water jets are affordable for the home shop. Then i will have one! For now I will just have to drool over the one at the local metal shop.
Bill

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I realy hope that some day water jets are affordable for the home shop. Then i will have one! For now I will just have to drool over the one at the local metal shop.
Bill

30 horsepower and the garnet is not re-used. It will never be cheap.

Plasma is just about there though.

I posted this before but compared to plasma, water jet is 10x precision and 10x cost. Wire EDM is 100x precision and 100x cost.

 

[GeneD14]

30 horsepower and the garnet is not re-used. It will never be cheap.

Plasma is just about there though.

I posted this before but compared to plasma, water jet is 10x precision and 10x cost. Wire EDM is 100x precision and 100x cost.

I agree that it will never be cheap. With the abrasive media used to cut metal, consumeable tips, water useage, power and initial investment they are a "high-end" machine. I used to manage an operation that had two large waterjet cutting machines. We used to cut hard armor plate over 1" thick with them. It would take the water jet just 13 seconds to pierce a hole through 1" armor. The main advantage of the waterjet is that there is no "heat effected zone". Since the metal never gets hot you don't effect the hardness, grain structure, etc...

 

[Scotty370]

GeneD14- In talking to the guy that cut my measly 1/2" plate, He showed me their 'trophy'! A 10"dia cylinder that they cut out of at 8" steel plate for a press at our local newspaper! (Buffalo News). Guess it took most of a day! He said the 'back-stop' table was as important as the water-jet, as the stream could cut through the floor!

 

[Iplayfarmer]

... He said the 'back-stop' table was as important as the water-jet, as the stream could cut through the floor!

The one I've seen shoots the water jet back into a vat of water.

 

[Oasis]

My dad worked/retired from Flow International years ago. I remember watching the news with him about a 4-year-old boy who fell into an abandoned well (or mine shaft). The kid was wedged in about 30 feet down where it was too small to send rescue... He was saved using a remote controlled Flow water-knife which could carefully cut rock away without heat...

In 1989 I toured the plant with my dad in Kent, WA. Very cool back then, as it still is now. I have some Flow memorabilia hanging in my shop_ see photos

The high-pressure tubing is pretty impressive. The shielding was in case of a leak the jet would disperse and not kill somebody.

They do use grits for steel... or not for frozen ice cream cakes...

Much of the equipment that I saw at the plant was very complex and computer driven$$$ But the facility did have a hand run unit that was similar to a band saw_ except the hair size jet could cut in any direction with just about zero kerf and no distortion. The jet was lit with a red light so you could see it. I should have asked for one of these for Christmas back then, ha ha.

The technology was also attached to a fleet of compact tractors. The tractors were used to drive over concrete bridges where the jets pulverized concrete but left the rebar totally clean and intact. The operation was featured with one of my stock statements.

My dad had a lot of neat occupations during his lifetime, I think he was most proud of working on the Apollo missions, but happiest at Flow International.

Thanks for the memories,
Oasis