Tackling Misconceptions About Water Jet Cutting
At TMC Water Jet we do get frustrated occasionally.
We get frustrated when we go to make a brew and someone’s used the last of the milk.
We get frustrated when the broadband goes down.
We get frustrated when we’re driving home, switch radio station because we don’t like the song being played, and switch to a station playing the same bloody song.
Anyway. None of those are what get us really frustrated. What really gets us frustrated is dealing with misconceptions about water jet cutting. Perhaps we should just relax a bit, but it’s so frustrating that people don’t know how beneficial water jet cutting could be to their business!
But what are those misconceptions? Strap yourself in, this is what gets us going!
Water Jet Cutting is slow…
No, no it isn’t!. We know where this comes from, it sounds slow.
If you had the choice of water or a laser to cut through something quickly, which would you choose? Probably the laser, it sounds fast doesn’t it.
However, water jet cutting is as fast as any other technology – often faster (more on that later).
In truth, the speed of the cut, especially with simple cuts, is somewhat irrelevant. The turnaround time is likely to be a few days, of which only a small part will be actually physically cutting.
What we can say with certainty is that choosing water jet cutting won’t slow any job down.
Water Jet Cutting is weak…
Weak? Weak? How dare you!
You find us other technologies that an effortlessly cut through 25 centimetres of metal; lasers can only cut one tenth that depth.
Water is powerful stuff, we’ll have you know – just look at the cliffs round the UK, it;s water that’s cut them into those shapes; no lasers or drills.
Water jet cutting can be described as accelerated erosion – very accelerated that is, no waiting millions of years here. A couple of hours more like.
Water Jet Cutting is only good for simple jobs
Perhaps there used to be some truth in this, water jets could only cut in two dimensions, they couldn’t easily cut a complex part.
But you’ll notice the use of could multiple time.
Water jets can now cut complex three-dimensional parts, the cutting head can move along multiple axis.
What does this mean in real terms? It means that cutting a complex part can be done in one go. This saves time as there is no need for a secondary cut and it also eliminates the risk of any imperfections creeping in. Everything is done in one fluid motion.
Water Jet Cutting is less precise than laser cutting
Some laser cutting heads have a marginally smaller diameter, they aren’t more precise though.
With a water jet, there is no damage to the cut part, no micro abrasions, just a perfect edge. But with a laser, or other technologies, the cutting head creates damage, potentially affecting the cut part’s structural integrity.
Water Jet Cutting Might Not be Right For My Job
Come on, have you learnt nothing?!
If you’ve got a cutting job, then water jet cutting is perfect for your job – indeed it might well be the only sensible choice.
Water jets can cut to greater depth, they can cut more complex parts, they don’t damage the part in any way and, as a technology, it is far kinder to the environment than the alternatives. As our American friends might say, it’s all upsides.
In Need Of A Quality Water Jet Cutter?
At TMC Water Jet Cutting, we are capable of carrying out any job from the smallest one-off task to repeat jobs for multi-national firms.
We were among the first water jet cutters to embrace three-dimensional cutting an have stayed at the forefront of this wonderful technology, using industry-leading cutting heads. Perhaps what really makes us stand out though is our experience, decades of working within this industry, whereas others have sprung up far more recently as water jet cutting has grown in popularity.
If you do have a cutting job, please get in touch with us today by calling 01625 610 441 even if you’re not sure whether water jet cutting is right for your job, give us a call as we’d be more than happy to chat you through the options.
