ForMatter/Processes/subtractive/Water-Jet Cutting
proc_waterjet_cutting

Water-Jet Cutting

subtractive · abrasive waterjet, AWJ, high-pressure water cutting

Water at extreme pressure — sometimes mixed with garnet sand — cuts almost anything. No heat-affected zone. Cuts inch-thick steel, stone, glass, foam, food. Slow, wet, but the most material-agnostic cutting technology in the shop.

Cold cutting via 50,000–90,000 psi water stream, optionally laden with abrasive (garnet at 80–120 mesh). Pure water for soft materials; abrasive for hard. No HAZ — preserves tempered, hardened, or laminated structures that thermal processes would damage.

Scale & Tolerance

  • scale (mm)5 – 4000
  • tolerance (mm)0.2
  • skillbeginner to intermediate — CAD in, part out; tuning for thick or laminated stacks
  • costmoderate to high per part; capital cost high

Equipment

  • school_shopoccasionally — OMAX MAXIEM and Wazer desktop systems are reaching schools
  • professionalOMAX, Flow, KMT large-format flatbeds
  • industrial5-axis water-jet for bevel cuts; tilting heads for taper compensation

Environmental

  • energy_usehigh (intensifier pump)
  • waste_streamspent garnet + cut slurry — most facilities settle and recycle the garnet
  • consumablesgarnet abrasive, focusing tube, orifice

Citations

  • book · Lefteri, *Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design*, 2nd ed. (Laurence King, 2012), 'Water-Jet Cutting' p. 42.