Batman v Superman v Water Jets

We often get asked just how water jets work.

Here we take a look with the help of a great video or two and a helping hand from the Man of Steel.

The basics are obvious – a jet of water cuts stuff, but there’s a lot of detail beyond that. Just how does a water jet manage to cut through metal (and to far greater depths than a laser cutter can manage?).

How does the jet cut accurately, How quick a process is it?

And we’ve written a lot on this topic, but sometimes a video is worth a thousand words.

Below is a video from How Stuff Works. The video is from a few years ago, but it’s still a great look at water jet cutting – and it’s nicely relevant too as they cut Superman’s logo. Superman v Batman is in cinemas now, we’re betting on whoever has access to a water jet cutter coming out the winner.

How water jet cutting works

While that video is a great quick guide to water jet cutting, it;s worth noting that things have moved on a bit in the last few years, and at TMC we have been at the forefront of those changes.

The video mentions water jets using a pressure of 60,000 PSI, we now use 87,000 PSI jets.

This near 50% increase in water pressure of course means more powerful water jets, jets which can cut more materials and to a greater depth. Water jets can now cut to a remarkable 25 centimetre depth in most materials, including metals (10 times the depth of laser cutting).

What else is new? It would be remiss not to mention XD cutting. What’s that? It’s three dimensional cutting, the ability to cut complex shapes all in one process rather than through complicated and costly secondary cuts.

The cutting head can tilt sideways and backwards and forwards, meaning parts which are produced more quickly, look better and have greater structural integrity.

Again, a video can show the potential of XD cutting off so much better, so why not take a look below?

XD cutting – a game changer

Water jet cutting is a technology with hardly any weaknesses. A water jet struggles with diamond and tempered glass, Superman suffers in the presence of Kryptonite. Could a water jet cut kryptonite? If any super villains have a sample to test we’re more than happy to have a go.

We think water jet cutting is pretty exciting technology. Maybe not quite Superman v Batman exciting, but exciting if you’ve got something you need cutting – and we mean anything from an art projects to formula one parts, to shop front logos to jobs for Boeing – all tasks water jets have been used for.

If you want to know more, have a look around the site and feel free to get in touch for an obligation free chat about any jobs you might have planned.