Abrasive Waterjet Cutting
EBTEC's Abrasive Waterjet Cutting Service can process virtually any material quickly and leave a smooth finish that meets aerospace standards. Utilized in the production of components as thin as aerospace titanium to as thick as military armament, EBTEC can handle any production challenge.
Our facilities utilize three Abrasive Waterjet Cutting machines, all of which have an output of 55,000 psi. Our two 5-axis, large gantry machines are CNC controlled with a fully articulated wrist and can accommodate pieces up to 120" x 72". Our flat sheet, double head machine can accommodate pieces up to 144" x 96" and can accommodate cutting up to three 4' x 8' sheets at the same time.
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About Abrasive Waterjet Cutting
Abrasive Waterjet Cutting is a process that employs high-pressure water with garnet in suspension as the cutting medium. Some of the advantages customers receive from using Abrasive Water Jet Cutting include:
- 5-axis control
- No heat input and no recast
- Ideal for nonmetallics and superalloys
- Thick cross sections (up to 2" in steel, 5" in aluminum)
- Fast and accurate
- Highly repeatable
The Value of Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
Benefits of Abrasive Water Jet Cutting:
- Water Jet Cutting creates superior edge quality
- Typical finishes 125-250 microns – Q1 through Q5
- Dependent upon materials and thickness
- Reduced need for secondary finishing
- No cutter-induced distortion
- Low cutting forces on workpiece
- Limited tooling requirements
- Little to no cutting burr
- Small kerf size (.020"-.045") reduces material scrap
- Water Jet Cutting preserves metallurgical integrity
- No heat-affected zone
- Localizes structural changes
- No cutter-induced metal contamination
- Eliminates thermal distortion
- Water Jet Cutting can perform composite cutting – nonmetallic
- Minimal delimitation of edge cut surfaces
- No fraying of edge cut surfaces
- No thermally induced cracking
- No splintering
- Water Jet Cutting creates smooth cuts
- No slag or cutting dross
- Water Jet Cutting is omnidirectional
- Precise multiplane cutting of contours, shapes, and bevels of any angle
Limitations of Abrasive Water Jet Cutting
- Cannot drill flat bottom, "non-through" holes
- Cannot cut materials that degrade quickly with moisture
- Surface finish degrades at higher cut speeds, which are frequently used for rough cutting
Abrasive Waterjet Typical Finishes
Light Striations
Minimal Edge Taper
Limited Striations
Moderate Bottom Striations
Severe Bottom Striations
Requires Force to Separate
The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting Process
High-pressure water as a work tool has reached the machine tool industry with great benefits. The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting process is controlled with CNC programming and can hold tolerances normally associated with Laser Cutting. Our Abrasive Waterjet Cutting system has 5-axis controls, allowing for complex geometries, as well as flat sheet processing capabilities. The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting system operates at a maximum pressure of 55,000 psi (technology is allowing for the introduction of higher pressure capabilities), flowing through a ceramic orifice and mixing tube.
The pressures required to operate the Abrasive Waterjet Cutting system are generated through high-pressure intensifiers (pumps) and high-pressure attenuators (smoothening the peaks and valleys of the pumps). The orifice finely focuses the water stream to a pinpoint, creating an intense water stream projection. The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting system's mixing tube facilitates the introduction of a cutting media; typically the abrasive material is garnet. The combination of expulsion from the nozzle at speeds reaching 2.5 times the speed of sound, and the near homogenous mixture of abrasive and water, creates an extremely powerful cutting device.
The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting process is not a thermal process and therefore does not introduce recast, remelt, or heat-related distortion. This attribute of Abrasive Waterjet Cutting creates a tremendous value for subsequent operations, with little finishing needed.
Resources That Support Your Needs
EBTEC not only provides customers with access to the latest in high energy beam processes, but we also provide access to a dedicated Process Management Team, capable of helping you through every step of the fabrication and refurbishing process. Our Process Management Service is a valuable resource to customers, providing everything from solutions to design challenges, to finding the most cost-efficient ways to process your components. Our teams include professionals from our Engineering, Metallurgy, Quality Assurance, Sales, and Manufacturing departments.
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