Water Jet Cutting – The Most Versatile Of Technologies!
When someone says water jet cutting, what do you think of?
Most likely, it’s a jet of water cutting through a thin piece of metal or plastic, and there’s nothing wrong with that visualisation. A lot of any self-respecting water jet’s time is spent cutting through plastic and metal.
However, water jet cutting machines can also be used for much more besides. Don’t believe us? Here are a few examples of the technology’s versatility.
Cutting great art
We have looked before at how artists have started to use water jet cutting to make beautiful pieces.
The technology’s ability to cut complex 3-d shapes with incredible accuracy means it can quickly turn imagination into reality.
But with all art, it is far better to look at it, than talk about it. Here is a superb example taken from the waterjets.org site.
Cutting keys for a church.
No, really! A while back, we got the call from a local church who were in need of a new set of key blanks.
The initial set almost certainly weren’t cut by water, but in the modern world it proved to be the far most efficient manner.
More importantly, the church were delighted, telling us “Many thanks for your expertise, it would have been almost impossible for me to cut the blanks as accurately as your machine has done.”
Cutting random things in half.
At TMC we use our water jets solely for professional purposes; others though seem to use them just for their own amusement!
On YouTube, there are dozens of videos of people using water jets to cut random objects in half – all filmed in super slo-mo of course.
Here’s a great video of a water jet vs a range of sports balls. Spoiler alert – the water jet comes out on top!
Accessible to all
OK, maybe water jets aren’t about to become the must-have accessory in every house, but they might just become increasingly available on a small scale for those making regular, straightforward cuts.
The Tinijet could be installed in garages and small workshops. OK, it can’t cut to anywhere near the depth of its big brothers, but it could become the 3-d printing equivalent of the cutting world.
We wrote about the Tinijet in a blog post here.
Working with a Formula 1 team.
Admittedly, this did involve cutting metal so your initial thought of a water jet cutting metal wasn’t too far off.
F1 Rake Frame
However, working our work with a formula 1 team helps highlight how water jet cutting is increasingly being used in industries where absolute precision is essential.
Water jet cutting is also used by Boeing and other manufacturing giants as the technology offers several key benefits:
- it can cut to greater depths
- there is no heat produced so the part is never damaged
- it can cut complex 3-d shapes.
Other uses?
Water jet cutting has been used for logos, for electronics parts, for sculptures, for car parts and jut for the sheer fun of it.
If you’ve heard about a novel use for a water jet, let us know on our Facebook page.
Meanwhile, if you’ve got a more prosaic requirement, a cutting job where water jet cutting could be of benefit, please do get in touch with TMC – a leading UK water jet cutting company.
