What is waterjet cutting, and why are there so many differences among manufacturers?
What is forcing change in the industry, and how are changes being addressed? Waterjet cutting is a unique form of processing and shaping materials, best described as a controlled, accelerated erosion process. With water pressures, abrasive flow, orifice life and nozzle wear variables, combined with the motion of a CNC gantry, waterjet cutting is often considered an art more than a science. The drag of the exit of the stream can be as much as inches behind the entrance. Added to this equation is the constantly changing kerf resulting from the increasing inside diameter of the nozzle or focusing tube, which immediately begins growing as the waterjet is activated. In the early days of waterjet cutting, tolerances were severely limited as the carbide nozzles made to focus the water and abrasive mixture lasted only a few hours, growing from 0.040 to 0.080 inch. This rapid change in kerf, and the limitations of CNC, restricted the financially viable applications for waterjet cutting compared
