Wter jet cutter

wter jet cutter, lso known s wter jet or wterjet, is n industril tool
cpble of cutting wide vriety of mterils using very high-pressure jet of
wter, or mixture of wter nd n brsive substnce. The term brsivejet refers
specificlly to the use of mixture of wter nd brsive to cut hrd mterils such
s metl or grnite, while the terms pure wterjet nd wter-only cutting refer to
wterjet cutting without the use of dded brsives, often used for softer mterils
such s wood or rubber.
Wterjet cutting is often used during fbriction of mchine prts. It is the preferred
method when the mterils being cut re sensitive to the high tempertures
generted by other methods. Wterjet cutting is used in vrious industries,
including mining nd erospce, for cutting, shping, nd reming.

While using high-pressure wter for erosion dtes bck s fr s the mid-1800s with
hydrulic mining, it ws not until the 1930s tht nrrow jets of wter strted to
pper s n industril cutting device. In 1933, the Pper Ptents Compny in
Wisconsin developed pper metering, cutting, nd reeling mchine tht used
digonlly moving wterjet nozzle to cut horizontlly moving sheet of continuous
pper.[2] These erly pplictions were t low pressure nd restricted to soft
mterils like pper.

Wterjet technology evolved in the post-wr er s reserchers round the world

serched for new methods of efficient cutting systems. In 1956, Crl Johnson of
Durox Interntionl in Luxembourg developed method for cutting plstic shpes
using thin strem high-pressure wterjet, but those mterils, like pper, were
soft mterils.[3] In 1958, Billie Schwch of North mericn vition developed
system using ultr-high-pressure liquid to cut hrd mterils.[4] This system used
100,000 psi (690 MP) pump to deliver hypersonic liquid jet tht could cut high
strength lloys such s PH15-7-MO stinless steel. Used s honeycomb lminte
on the Mch 3 North mericn XB-70 Vlkyrie, this cutting method resulted in
delminting t high speed, requiring chnges to the mnufcturing process.[5]

While not effective for the XB-70 project, the concept ws vlid nd further reserch
continued to evolve wterjet cutting. In 1962, Philip Rice of Union Crbide explored
using pulsing wterjet t up to 50,000 psi (340 MP) to cut metls, stone, nd
other mterils.[6] Reserch by S.J. Lech nd G.L. Wlker in the mid-1960s
expnded on trditionl col wterjet cutting to determine idel nozzle shpe for
high-pressure wterjet cutting of stone,[7] nd Normn Frnz in the lte 1960s
focused on wterjet cutting of soft mterils by dissolving long chin polymers in
the wter to improve the cohesiveness of the jet strem.[8] In the erly 1970s, the
desire to improve the durbility of the wterjet nozzle led Ry Chdwick, Michel
Kurko, nd Joseph Corriveu of the Bendix Corportion to come up with the ide of
using corundum crystl to form wterjet orifice,[9] while Normn Frnz expnded
on this nd creted wterjet nozzle with n orifice s smll s 0.002 inches (0.051
mm) tht operted t pressures up to 70,000 psi (480 MP).[10] John Olsen, long
with George Hurlburt nd Louis Kpcsndy t Flow Reserch (lter Flow Industries),
further improved the commercil potentil of the wterjet by showing tht treting
the wter beforehnd could increse the opertionl life of the nozzle.[11]

High pressure[edit]
High-pressure vessels nd pumps becme ffordble nd relible with the dvent of
stem power. By the mid-1800s, stem locomotives were common nd the first
efficient stem-driven fire engine ws opertionl.[12] By the turn of the century,
high-pressure relibility improved, with locomotive reserch leding to sixfold
increse in boiler pressure, some reching 1,600 psi (11 MP). Most high-pressure
pumps t this time, though, operted round 500800 psi (3.45.5 MP).

High-pressure systems were further shped by the vition, utomotive, nd oil

industries. ircrft mnufcturers such s Boeing developed sels for hydruliclly
boosted control systems in the 1940s,[13] while utomotive designers followed
similr reserch for hydrulic suspension systems.[14] Higher pressures in hydrulic
systems in the oil industry lso led to the development of dvnced sels nd
pcking to prevent leks.[15]

These dvnces in sel technology, plus the rise of plstics in the post-wr yers,
led to the development of the first relible high-pressure pump. The invention of
Mrlex by Robert Bnks nd John Pul Hogn of the Phillips Petroleum compny
required ctlyst to be injected into the polyethylene.[16] McCrtney
Mnufcturing Compny in Bxter Springs, Knss, begn mnufcturing these
high-pressure pumps in 1960 for the polyethylene industry.[17] Flow Industries in
Kent, Wshington set the groundwork for commercil vibility of wterjets with John
Olsens development of the high-pressure fluid intensifier in 1973,[18] design tht
ws further refined in 1976.[19] Flow Industries then combined the high-pressure
pump reserch with their wterjet nozzle reserch nd brought wterjet cutting into
the mnufcturing world.

brsive wterjet[edit]

The Evolution of the brsive Wterjet Nozzle

While cutting with wter is possible for soft mterils, the ddition of n brsive
turned the wterjet into modern mchining tool for ll mterils. This begn in
1935 when the ide of dding n brsive to the wter strem ws developed by
Elmo Smith for the liquid brsive blsting.[20] Smiths design ws further refined
by Leslie Tirrell of the Hydroblst Corportion in 1937, resulting in nozzle design
tht creted mix of high-pressure wter nd brsive for the purpose of wet
blsting.[21] Producing commercilly vible brsive wterjet nozzle for precision
cutting cme next by Dr. Mohmed Hshish who invented nd led n engineering
reserch tem t Flow Industries to develop the modern brsive wterjet cutting
technology.[22] Dr. Hshish, who lso coined the new term brsive Wterjet WJ,
nd his tem continued to develop nd improve the WJ technology nd its
hrdwre for mny pplictions which is now in over 50 industries worldwide.
most criticl development ws creting durble mixing tube tht could withstnd
the power of the high-pressure WJ, nd it ws Boride Products (now Kennmetl)
development of their ROCTEC line of cermic tungsten crbide composite tubes
tht significntly incresed the opertionl life of the WJ nozzle.[23] Current work

on WJ nozzles is on micro brsive wterjet so cutting with jets smller thn 0.015
inches (0.38 mm) in dimeter cn be commercilized.

Wterjet control[edit]
s wterjet cutting moved into trditionl mnufcturing shops, controlling the
cutter relibly nd ccurtely ws essentil. Erly wterjet cutting systems dpted
trditionl systems such s mechnicl pntogrphs nd CNC systems bsed on
John Prsons 1952 NC milling mchine nd running G-code. Chllenges inherent to
wterjet technology reveled the indequcies of trditionl G-Code, s ccurcy
depends on vrying the speed of the nozzle s it pproches corners nd detils.
Creting motion control systems to incorporte those vribles becme mjor
innovtion for leding wterjet mnufcturers in the erly 1990s, with Dr John Olsen
of OMX Corportion developing systems to precisely position the wterjet nozzle
while ccurtely specifying the speed t every point long the pth, nd lso
utilizing common PCs s controller. The lrgest wterjet mnufcturer, Flow
Interntionl ( spinoff of Flow Industries), recognized the benefits of tht system
nd licensed the OMX softwre, with the result tht the vst mjority of wterjet
cutting mchines worldwide re simple to use, fst, nd ccurte.

Opertion
The cutter is commonly connected to high-pressure wter pump where the wter
is then ejected from the nozzle, cutting through the mteril by sprying it with the
jet of high-speed wter. dditives in the form of suspended grit or other brsives,
such s grnet nd luminium oxide, cn ssist in this process.

Benefits
n importnt benefit of the wter jet is the bility to cut mteril without interfering
with its inherent structure, s there is no het-ffected zone (HZ). Minimizing the
effects of het llows metls to be cut without hrming or chnging intrinsic
properties.[29]

Wter jet cutters re lso cpble of producing intricte cuts in mteril. With
specilized softwre nd 3-D mchining heds, complex shpes cn be produced.

The kerf, or width, of the cut cn be djusted by swpping prts in the nozzle, s
well s chnging the type nd size of brsive. Typicl brsive cuts hve kerf in
the rnge of 0.04 to 0.05 in (1.01.3 mm), but cn be s nrrow s 0.02 inches
(0.51 mm). Non-brsive cuts re normlly 0.007 to 0.013 in (0.180.33 mm), but
cn be s smll s 0.003 inches (0.076 mm), which is pproximtely tht of
humn hir. These smll jets cn permit smll detils in wide rnge of
pplictions.
Wter jets re cpble of ttining ccurcy down to 0.005 inches (0.13 mm) nd
repetbility down to 0.001 inches (0.025 mm).
Due to its reltively nrrow kerf, wter jet cutting cn reduce the mount of scrp
mteril produced, by llowing uncut prts to be nested more closely together thn
trditionl cutting methods. Wter jets use pproximtely 0.5 to 1 US gl (1.93.8 l)
per minute (depending on the cutting hed's orifice size), nd the wter cn be
recycled using closed-loop system. Wste wter usully is clen enough to filter
nd dispose of down drin. The grnet brsive is non-toxic mteril tht cn
be mostly recycled for repeted use; otherwise, it cn usully be disposed in
lndfill. Wter jets lso produce fewer irborne dust prticles, smoke, fumes, nd
contminnts, reducing opertor exposure to hzrdous mterils.
.