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Waterjet cutters are not complex machinery, even though they are good at cutting. However, to get the best experience using a waterjet machine for cutting, you need to understand the technicalities.<\/p>\n
Additionally, to get high-quality cuts and to make the cutter last longer, you need to know about the working limits of your water jet machine.<\/p>\n
One of the things to know beforehand is about the upper thickness limit that a waterjet cutter can handle.<\/p>\n
Here, you will get all the information about the maximum thickness of materials you can cut using a waterjet cutting machine. You will also find a side-by-side comparison of the upper thickness limit for various cutting alternatives.<\/p>\n
Before we look at waterjet cutting different materials, here’s an overview of several factors that govern cutting ability.<\/p>\n
Thickness and material hardness are the most critical factors in water jet cutting. Thick materials involve more force to cut than thinner materials. Soft materials allow for a deeper cut than hard materials. The hardness is determined by the density of the material.<\/p>\n
The time needed by the water jet cutter to cut through the workpiece also influences how thick the material can be for a successful cut. A longer cutting duration means thick materials can be cut easily.<\/p>\n
How thick the material is you cut with a waterjet machine depends on the waterjet cutting method you use. There are two types of waterjet cutting processes: abrasive waterjet and pure waterjet cutting.<\/p>\n
Let’s see how these two waterjet cutting methods handle some common types of materials.<\/p>\n
In normal conditions, an abrasive waterjet machine<\/a> can cut through 12 inches (30 cm) of most materials such as stainless steel and carbon steel. Advanced abrasive waterjets using garnet particles can cut more than that.<\/p>\n Pure water jet cutting can handle thick foam, rubber, and paper as you require. Even foam and paper a few feet thick are no big deal for a pure waterjet cutter.<\/p>\n However, when cutting harder substances, it becomes a problem to use pure waterjet cutting. Therefore, advanced water jets using abrasive waterjet cutting technology are preferred for thicker materials.<\/p>\n Waterjet cutters are used to cut soft materials like 2-3 feet thick foam. In addition to other benefits of waterjet cutting, softer materials also allow a smooth cut edge and near-net-shape fabrication applications with minimal finishing required. Water jet cutting is extensively used in the paper industry to cut thick reams of paper.<\/p>\n Abrasive water jet cutting is the preferred method for handling hard materials like titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and virtually anything except for diamonds. Waterjet cutters can make cuts of between 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) in hard materials.<\/p>\n It is possible to cut thicker material, but it reduces cutting speed. If you have a lot of time on your hands, there is no limit to the material you can cut with a water jet cutter.<\/p>\n Waterjet cutters can cut through 9 inches of stainless steel. Anything thicker increases the cutting time significantly. Some applications reconfigure waterjet systems to cut through even 18-inch steel blocks.<\/p>\n However, in many applications waterjet cutters are utilized to cut 4-inch steel. In these applications, waterjet cutting is both fast and cost-effective.<\/p>\n Abrasive water jet cutters can cut through aluminum very easily. In fact, you can cut an 8-inch thick block of aluminum in a single pass.<\/p>\n When you are cutting thick material with waterjet cutters, you get many benefits<\/a> that other alternatives might not provide:<\/p>\n Waterjet cutting provides a superior edge quality<\/a> that is unmatchable by any other processes. This is because waterjet cutting is a no-contact method, and there is no temperature rise in the cut edge. Therefore, no material distortion occurs even when cutting thick materials, leading to a smooth finish.<\/p>\n With waterjet cutting, you are not limited to cutting thick metals. You can even cut thick foam, rubber, leather, paper, glass, plastics, wood, and composites. This makes a waterjet cutter very versatile machinery. Abrasive waterjet cutting can easily cut brass, tool steel, and even stone such as granite and marble.<\/p>\n When using other techniques for cutting thick materials, heat-affected zones form at the cutting edge. Additionally, cutting thicker materials leads to a higher temperature rise and much material distortion. Waterjet cutting involves no such phenomenon.<\/p>\n Due to higher distortion caused by alternative cutting techniques, it is more challenging to maintain tight accuracies or cutting tolerances. However, since waterjet cutting is a cold cutting process, it creates cuts with tight accuracies<\/a> in even thicker materials.<\/p>\n Knowing the details about water jet cutting for thicker materials will not be enough unless you know how the alternatives perform in the same conditions.<\/p>\n Therefore, here is a brief comparison of water jet cutting against other cutting methods:<\/p>\n Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) cutting applies only to the cutting of electrically conductive material. It has a maximum cutting limit of 8 inches. Therefore, it lacks cutting depth and does not support the range of materials that waterjet cutting does.<\/p>\n Plasma cutters can only cut materials up to one inch thick. This is just a fraction of what waterjets are capable of. Just like EDM cutting, plasma cutting has limits when cutting thicker materials.<\/p>\n Laser cutters are also very limited when it comes to cutting thicker materials. Lasers can cut mild steel up to 1.25 inches thick. Laser cutters can cut diverse materials like waterjet cutters, including wood and ceramics. However, when cutting thicker materials, waterjet cutters win the battle.<\/p>\n For more in-depth comparisons check our dedicated pages:<\/p>\n Abrasive waterjet cutting is the most popular cutting technology used nowadays, whether you consider small-scale fabricators or large-scale manufacturers.<\/p>\n The huge popularity of waterjet machines, especially abrasive water jets is not without cause. As you have read in this article, waterjet cutting is extensively used to cut thin and thick materials. These might be a fraction of an inch of foam or thick steel and titanium blocks more than 12 inches thick.<\/p>\n If you feel your next project could use technology like water jet cutting, check out the range of products available at Techni Waterjet. Techni Waterjet offers industry-leading waterjet machines suitable for cutting materials for various applications, so they will be a perfect fit for you.<\/p>\n In case you have any doubts regarding waterjet cutting technology or which products will be perfect for your needs, you can reach out to Techni Waterjet. Our team of experts is waiting to answer your questions.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Waterjet cutters are not complex machinery, even though they are good at cutting. However, to get the best experience using a waterjet machine for cutting, you need to understand the technicalities. Additionally, to get high-quality cuts and to make the cutter last longer, you need to know about the working limits of your water jet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":438,"featured_media":18977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Waterjet cutters are not complex machinery, even though they are quite good at what they do. However, to get the best cutting experience from a waterjet cutter, you need to have a little idea about the technicalities.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, to get high quality cuts and to make the cutter last longer, you need to know about the working limits of your machine.\r\n\r\nOne of the important things to know beforehand is about the maximum cutting thickness that a waterjet cutter can handle.\r\n\r\nIn this article, you will get all the information regarding the same. You will know about waterjet cutting maximum cutting thickness for a lot of different materials. You will also find a side by side comparison of this maximum thickness among various cutting alternatives.\r\nPure Waterjet Cutting<\/h3>\n
Cutting Thickness for Soft Materials<\/h3>\n
Cutting Thickness for Hard Materials<\/h3>\n
How thick can a water jet cut steel?<\/h3>\n
How thick can a water jet cut aluminum?<\/h3>\n
What are the Benefits of Cutting a Thick Material with a Waterjet Cutter?<\/h2>\n
Superior Edge Quality<\/h3>\n
Range of Materials<\/h3>\n
No Heat-Affected Zone<\/h3>\n
Tolerances<\/h3>\n
Cutting Thickness of Waterjet Compared to Other Types of Cutting<\/h2>\n
Water Jet vs EDM Cutting<\/h3>\n
Water Jet vs Plasma Cutting<\/h3>\n
Water Jet vs Laser Cutting<\/h3>\n
\n
Endnotes<\/h2>\n
Factors that Influence Waterjet's Upper Thickness Limit<\/h2>\r\nBefore we go into the details of waterjet cutting thickness for different materials, let us get an overview of the different factors that influence this thickness:\r\n
Thicker Material Hardness:<\/h3>\r\nWhen we are talking about water jet cutting maximum thickness, thicker material hardness is the most important factor. Soft materials allow for more cutting thickness as compared to harder materials. Material hardness can also be considered as material density.\r\n
Duration:<\/h3>\r\nThe time taken by the water jet cutter to cut the workpiece also influences the thickness that you can cut. The more this duration, the higher the cutting thickness.\r\n
How Thick Can a Waterjet Cut?<\/h2>\r\nThe cutting thickness in case of waterjet cutting depends on the waterjet cutting method you use. As you might know already, there are two different types of waterjet cutting processes, such as abrasive waterjet and pure waterjet cutting.\r\n\r\nLet us discuss the maximum cutting thickness for these two waterjet types and some common types of materials:\r\n
Abrasive Waterjet Cutting<\/h3>\r\nIn normal conditions, abrasive waterjet can commonly cut through 12 inches (30 cm) of most materials. It can even cut more than that by making some adjustments.\r\n
Pure Waterjet Cutting<\/h3>\r\nPure water jet can cut through as thick foam, rubber, and paper as you require. Foam and paper of even a couple of feet of thickness are no big deal for a pure waterjet cutter.\r\n\r\nHowever, when cutting harder materials, it becomes a problem to use pure waterjet cutting. Therefore, abrasive waterjet is preferred when cutting thickness is a concern.\r\n
How thick can a waterjet cut steel?<\/h3>\r\nIt is possible for waterjet cutters to cut through 9 inches of stainless steel. You can go to an even greater thickness, but it increases the time taken by the cutter significantly. Certain applications reconfigure waterjet systems to cut through even 18 inches of steel blocks.\r\n\r\nHowever, for most applications, waterjet cutters are utilized to cut steel up to 4 inches of thickness. In these applications, waterjet cutting is both- fast and cost-effective.\r\n
How thick of aluminum can a waterjet cut?<\/h3>\r\nWater jet cutters can cut through aluminum very easily. In fact, you can cut 8 inch thick block of aluminum in a single pass.\r\n
Cutting Thickness for Soft Materials<\/h3>\r\nWaterjet cutters are used to cut soft materials like foam that is 2-3 feet thick. In addition to other benefits of waterjet cutting, softer materials also get a smooth cut edge with this process. Water jet cutting is extensively used in paper industry to cut thick reams of paper.\r\n
Cutting Thickness for Hard Materials<\/h3>\r\nAbrasive waterjet cutting is the preferred process for cutting hard materials like Titanium, Steel, Aluminium, and virtually anything except for diamonds. For hard materials, the maximum cutting thickness of waterjet cutters is taken to be between 25-30 cm (10-12 inches).\r\n\r\nIt is possible to cut an even more thick material, but it can make the process slower than required. If you have a lot of time on your hand, there is no limit to the thickness of material that you can cut with a water jet cutter.\r\n
What are the Benefits of Cutting a Thick Material with Waterjet Cutter?<\/h2>\r\nWhen you are cutting thick materials with waterjet cutters, you get many benefits that other alternatives might not provide:\r\n
Superior Edge Quality<\/h3>\r\nAs mentioned before, waterjet cutting provides a superior edge quality that is unmatchable by any other cutting method. This is because waterjet cutting is a no contact method and there is no temperature rise in the cut edge. Therefore, no material deformation takes place leading to a smooth finish.\r\n
Range of Materials<\/h3>\r\nWith waterjet cutting, you are not just limited to cutting thick metals. You can even cut thick foam, rubber, paper, wood, and even stone with this process. This makes a waterjet cutter very versatile machinery.\r\n
No Heat Affected Zone<\/h3>\r\nWhen using other methods for cutting thick materials, heat affected zones form at the cutting edge. Additionally, the high thickness leads to a higher temperature rise and a lot of material deformity. Waterjet cutting involves no such phenomenon.\r\n
Tolerances<\/h3>\r\nDue to higher deformity in other alternatives, the cuts are not very accurate. However, since waterjet cutting is a cold cutting process, it creates accurate and precise cuts on even thicker materials.\r\n
Cutting Thickness of Waterjet Compared to Other Types of Cutting<\/h2>\r\nKnowing the details about water jet cutting for thicker materials will not be enough unless you know how the alternatives perform in the same conditions.\r\n\r\nTherefore, here is a brief comparison about cutting thickness of water jet cutting against other cutting methods:\r\n
Water Jet Cutting vs EDM Cutting<\/h3>\r\nElectrical Discharge Machining (EDM) cutting applies only to the cutting of electrically conductive materials. It has a maximum cutting thickness of 8 inches. Therefore, it lacks in cutting thickness as well as range of materials supported.\r\n
Water Jet Cutting vs Plasma Cutting<\/h3>\r\nWith plasma cutters, you can only cut materials up to one inch of thickness. This is just a fraction of what waterjets are capable of. Just like EDM cutting, Plasma cutting is also limited for the cutting of thicker materials only.\r\n
Water Jet Cutting vs Laser Cutting<\/h3>\r\nLaser cutters are also very limited when it comes to cutting thicker materials. They can cut mild steep only up to 1.25 inch of thickness. Laser cutters can cut diverse range of materials like waterjet cutters, including wood and ceramics. However, when cutting thicker materials, waterjet cutters win the battle.\r\n
Endnotes<\/h2>\r\nAbrasive waterjet cutting is the most popular cutting technology used nowadays, whether you consider small scale fabricators or large scale manufacturers.\r\n\r\nThe huge popularity and usage of this technology is not without a cause. As you have read in this article, waterjet cutting is extensively used to cut materials of all thickness, from a fraction of inches of foam to large blocks of steel and titanium that can be more than 12 inches thick.\r\n\r\nIf you feel that your next project could use a technology like water jet cutting, you can check out the range of products available at Techniwaterjet. Techniwaterjet offers industry-leading waterjet cutters utilised by the most reliable brands out there, so they will be a perfect fit for you.\r\n\r\nIn case you have any doubts regarding waterjet cutting technology or about which products will be perfect for your needs, you can reach out to Techniwaterjet. There is a team of experts waiting to answer your every query and need.\r\n\r\n\u00a0","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[639],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technical-specifications"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n