Thursday, August 13, 2009

Using CNC Waterjet Cutting for Metal Work and More

By Jim Pickeringson

When working with metal, there are many things to keep in mind. The strength and durability of metal products makes them ideal for many applications. However, stress and heat can affect the properties of metal, weakening them and causing problems. Today, new technology like cnc waterjet cutting is available that can vastly cut down on the problems associated with metal working. There are many reasons to cut metal with a waterjet, so if your product is created with metals, you will definitely want to take a look at the many benefits.

There are several factors that make waterjet cutters such a green technology. First, using the tool creates absolutely no hazardous by products. Also, cnc waterjet cutting reduces waste for your business. This is because each item that you cut can be closely placed, reducing your scrap material.

The waterjet cutter was first developed around 1950 by a guy named Dr. Norman Franz, who experimented with it as a new way to cut wood. It stayed much the same and a bit obscure until the 1970's when Dr. Mohamed Hashish realized that adding abrasives to the mix greatly improved the possibilities.

Many people who regularly work with metal are quite familiar with waterjet cutting. However, the technology is widely used throughout manufacturing and is suitable for many applications. CNC waterjet cutting is used on stone, tile, foam, metal, plastic, rubber, composite materials, paper and even food. Each product has unique properties that make them difficult to work with when using normal techniques. Luckily, the cutters can be calibrated to work perfectly with each material, even when the properties are vastly different.

A tool that can effortlessly handle the hard nature of metal and still accurately cut foam is quite rare, so as you can see, there's an application for almost every industry. In fact, the only materials that can't be taken care of by a waterjet are diamonds, glass and some types of ceramic.

While it is true that you want to create a great product every time you turn on your shop, it's also true that you care about the environment.

While you may have seen your friend make amazing things with his waterjet cutter, you possibly didn't realize that it could have application in your shop as well. CNC waterjet cutting can perform in almost all manufacturing processes, save for the cutting of glass, diamonds and some types of ceramics. If you work with any other material, this tool can likely take you and your products to an entirely new level.

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