Abrasive jet and waterjet cutting machines are used to cut sheet materials or to remove materials from a surface by generating a focused stream of fluid mixed with abrasive particles. They may use pressurized water or compressed air as the driving fluid to propel the abrasive particles.

Machine Components

Abrasive jet and waterjet cutting machines are available as complete systems with all of the components required for the blasting or jet machining applications such as pressure generation / intensification, cabinets, nozzles or wheels, and dust collectors; or they may be purchased in component form to either build a custom system from the ground up, or to replace worn out parts.

Types of Abrasive Jet and Waterjet Cutting Machines

Abrasive jet and waterjet cutting machines includes three main types of devices (not including proprietary or custom devices, which can be designed by suppliers as necessary);

• Abrasive water jet and waterjet cutting machines use abrasive grains entrained in a stream of water to cut through metal, composite or other materials in sheet or web forms. Garnet grain is widely applied as the abrasive media in abrasive water jet cutting.
• Air abrasive jet cutters are employed in similar circumstances, although they use air as the propelling fluid. The abrasive grains most commonly used air systems are aluminum oxide or silicon carbide.

• Precision abrasive blasters or micro-jets produce extremely fine and precise streams. They are used for drilling, detailing and precision cutting of printed circuit boards and other high quality components.

Video credit: Jet Edge Waterjets / CC BY-SA 4.0

Abrasive Jet and Waterjet Cutting Machines Applications

In addition to cutting, abrasive jet and waterjet cutting machines can perform a number of secondary procedures.

• Sectioning- Cutting patterns out of sheet or plate materials.
• Deburring and deflashing- Removing sharp edges or discontinuities from a part.
• Demolition- The destruction of structures or walls constructed of building materials.
• Hydrodemolition- The destruction of concrete structures or walls.
• Descaling- The removal of heat-treat scale, surface discoloration, oxides, rust, weld scale or corrosion that ruins appearance and interferes with welding, painting, plating, coating, drawing and other processes.
• Stripping- The removal of an existing protective coating or paint layer to facilitate welding, recoating or adhesive joining.
• Web slitting- These abrasive jet cutting machines typically have a coil feeder, winder or rewinder.