Alberta Waterjet Cutting

Why Waterjet? How Does It Work? What Are The Benefits? Waterjet is a very versatile, environmentally clean process. It's very versatility in cutting almost any material, and it's lack of impact on these materials is making waterjet machining a tool of choice as either the only tool used, or to complement other processes. The process of waterjet cutting is quite simple. Water is pressurized to 60,000 psi by hydraulic intensification, and then forced through a small orifice in the cutting head. Inside a mixing tube, abrasive is mixed with the high pressure water, creating an abrasive waterjet stream that exits the nozzle at about 1.5 times the speed of sound. Through a combination of micro-erosion (grinding) and a shear yielding of the material a narrow section of material (called the kerf) is removed all the way through the thickness.  Virtually any material can be cut with abrasive waterjet cutting.
Benefits of Waterjet Cutting
•	More versatile than other processes – Wide range of materials Waterjet cuts most materials, including metals, plastics, stone (manufactured and natural), glass, foam, and ceramics. Because there is no heat and no work induced stress incurred in the cutting process, almost any material is suitable for waterjet cutting.
•	Thinnest sheet to over 6 inches thick Waterjet allows stacking of materials, and cuts a variety of thicknesses, adding productivity to the cutting process.
•	Fits well with other types of material processing Waterjet, either abrasive or straight water, can be used as a partner for other processes in fabrication and machining. It even makes an excellent mate for lasers, providing superior quality on aluminum and high finish materials, as well as extending the thickness range on conventional materials such as stainless steel.
•	Environmentally safe and clean Waterjet cutting involves no chemicals, gases or noxious liquids used in the cutting process. Abrasive waterjet cutting uses garnet (a high grade sand) as the abrasive, resulting in a very clean process that is preferable to other methods of cutting in terms of environmental impact and resulting disposal of by products and waste water.  Waterjet cutting doesn't create dust when cutting stone, thus providing a safer work environment for companies using the process to waterjet cut stone inlays and countertops.
	Contact: Glaswood Industries Ltd. 16435-118 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5V 1H2 Ph: 1-800-582-4960 Fx: 780-452-2882 Em: waterjet@kalvanna.com