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WATER JET MACHINING (WJM)

A SEMINAR REPORT

SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
“BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY”
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BY
D.RAJESH-17265A0315

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MAHATMA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Affiliated to JNTUH, Gandipet Hyderabad-500075.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I Would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those who provided us the possibility to
Complete this report. A special gratitude to my Professor at Dept. of Mechanical engineering.
Whose contribution in stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me to coordinate our
Technical report.
Furthermore. I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of
Dr. k. Sudhakar Reddy,HOD,Dept. of Mechanical Engineering who gave his valuable inputs
And ideas to complete the technical report for the seminar. A special thanks goes to Professor
k. Jaya Shankar Rao, Principle, M.G.I.T for providing us with all the required facilities.
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CONTENTS
S.no CHAPTERS Page.no

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 HISTORY 2
3 BASIC WATER JET PRINCIPLE 3-4
4 CLASSIFICATION 4-7
5 WATER JET CUTTING EQUIPMENT 8-12
6 MECHANISM OF MATERIAL REMOVAL 13
7 PROCESS PARAMETERS 14
8 MACHINING CHARACTERISTIC 14-15
9 APPLICATIONS 15-17
10 ADVANTAGES 18-20
11 DISADVANTAGES 21

12 BASIC WTAER JET SAFETY 22

13 FUTURE RESEARCH 23

14 CONCLUSION 24

15 REFERENCE 25
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1.INTRODUCTION

`
Water Jet Machining (WJM) and Abrasive Water Jet Machining (AWJM) are two non-
traditional or non-conventional machining processes. They belong to mechanical group of non-
conventional processes like Ultrasonic Machining (USM) and Abrasive Jet Machining (AJM).
In these processes (WJM and AJWM), the mechanical energy of water and abrasive phases are
used to achieve material removal or machining. The general grouping of some of the typical
non-traditional processes are shown below:

o Mechanical processes
▪ USM
▪ AJM
▪ WJM AND AWJM
o Thermal processes
▪ EBM
▪ LBM
▪ PAM
o Electrical processes
▪ ECM
▪ EDG
▪ EJD
o Chemical processes
▪ Chemical milling
▪ Photo chemical machining

A water jet cutter, also known as a waterjet. is a tool capable of slicing into metal or other
materials using a jet of water at high velocity and pressure, or a mixture of water and an abrasive
substance. The process is essentially the same as water erosion found in nature but greatly
accelerated and concentrated. It is often used during fabrication or manufacture of parts for
machinery and other devices.
It is the preferred method when the materials being cut are sensitive to the high temperatures
generated by other methods.

It has found applications in a diverse number of industries from mining to aerospace where it is
used for operations such as cutting, shaping, carving, and reaming.
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2.HISTORY

Waterjet cutting can be traced back to hydraulic mining of coal in the Soviet Union and New
Zealand. Water was collected from streams and aimed to wash over a blasted rock face carrying
away the loose coal and rock. This method of mining was redeveloped in South African gold
mines to remove blasted rock from the work area into a collection drift or tunnel. In the
California Gold Country between 1853-1886, pressurized water was first used to excavate soft
gold rock from the mining surfaces. The pressurized water allowed the miner to stand further
back from the face being washed. This was safer because there was less danger of being covered
by a collapsing wall of blasted rock. By early 1900s this method of mining had re ached Prussia
and Russia. In these two countries the pressurized water was used to wash blasted coal away.

In the 1930s it was Russia that made the first attempt at actually cutting the rock with the
pressurized water. A water cannon was used to generate a pressure of 7000 Bars.

In the 1970s technology was developed in the USA that was capable of creating a 40,000 Bar
pressure. Most of the waterjet mining growth after this involved combining a drill with the
waterjet. In 1972 Professor Norman Franz of Michigan worked with McCartney Manufacturing
Company to install the first industrial waterjet cutter. The equipment was installed in Alton
Boxboard. Flow industries also began to market industrial waterjet cutting equipment. It was
Flow Industries who added sand to a pressurized cleaning system to give metal a white finish.
After this it was demonstrated that abrasive waterjet systems could cut through metal and
ceramics. From here the waterjet cutting industry took off.

3. BASIC WATER JET PRINCIPLE.

Waterjets are fast, flexible, reasonably precise, and in the last few years have become friendly
and easy to use. They use the technology of high-pressure water being forced through a small
hole (typically called the "orifice" or "jewel") to concentrate an extreme amount of energy in a
small area. The restriction of the tiny orifice creates high pressure and a high-velocity beam,
much like putting your finger over the end of a garden hose.

Pure waterjets use the beam of water exiting the orifice to cut soft material like diapers, candy
bars, and thin soft wood, but are not effective for cutting harder materials.

The inlet water for a pure waterjet is pressurized between 20,000 and 60,000 Pounds Per Square
Inch (PSI) (1300 to 6200 bar). This is forced through a tiny hole in the jewel, which is typically
0.007" to 0.020" in diameter (0.18 to 0.4 mm). This creates a very high-velocity, very thin beam
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of water (which is why some people refer to waterjets as "water lasers") traveling as close to the
speed of sound (about 600 mph or 960 km/hr).

An abrasive jet starts out the same as a pure waterjet. As the thin stream of water leaves the
jewel, however, abrasive is added to the stream and mixed. The high-velocity water exiting the
jewel creates a vacuum which pulls abrasive from the abrasive line, which then mixes with the
water in the mixing tube. The beam of water accelerates abrasive particles to speeds fast enough
to cut through much harder materials.

The cutting action of an abrasive jet is two-fold. The force of the water and abrasive erodes the
material, even if the jet is stationary (which is how the material is initially pierced). The cutting
action is greatly enhanced if the abrasive jet stream is moved across the material and the ideal
speed of movement depends on a variety of factors, including the material, the shape of the part,
the water pressure and the type of abrasive. Controlling the speed of the abrasive jet nozzle is
crucial to efficient and economical machining.
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4. CLASSIFICATION

Water jet machining process may be classified as follows:

1. Pure water jet cutting,

2. Abrasive water jet cutting,
3. Dynamic water jet cutting.

4.1 Pure water jet cutting

Pure waterjet is the original water cutting method. The first commercial applications were in the
early to mid 1970s, and involved the cutting of corrugated cardboard. The largest uses for pure
waterjet cutting are disposable diapers, tissue paper, and automotive interiors. In the cases of
tissue paper and disposable diapers the waterjet process creates less moisture on the material than
touching or breathing on it.
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Pure waterjet Attributes

● Very thin stream (0.004 to 0.010-inch in

● diameter is the common range)

● Extremely detailed geometry

● Very little material loss due to cutting
● Non-heat cutting
● Cut very thick
● Cut very thin
● Usually cuts very quickly

● Able to cut soft, light materials

(e.g., fiberglass insulation up to 24" thick)

● Extremely low cutting forces

● Simple fixturing

● 24 hours per day operation

4.2 Abrasive Waterjet Cutting

The abrasive waterjet differs from the pure waterjet in just a few ways. In pure waterjet, the
supersonic stream erodes the material. In the abrasive waterjet, the waterjet stream accelerates
abrasive particles and those particles, not the water, erode the material. Abrasive waterjets using
standard parameters can cut materials with hardness up to and slightly beyond aluminum oxide
ceramic (often called alumina, AD 99.9).
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Abrasive Waterjet Attributes

● Extremely versatile process

● No Heat Affected Zones
● No mechanical stresses
● Easy to program
● Thin stream (0.020to 0.050 inch in diameter)
● Extremely detailed geometry
● Thin material cutting
● 10 inch thick cutting
● Stack cutting
● Little material loss due to cutting
● Simple to fixture

● Low cutting forces (under 1 lb. while cutting)

● One jet setup for nearly all abrasive jet jobs

● Easily switched from single to multi-head use

● Quickly switch from pure waterjet to abrasive waterjet

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4.3 Dynamic Waterjet cutting

Certain characteristics are inherent to the abrasive waterjet process. There are two distinct
attributes that waterjet operators can encounter when cutting with water: stream lag and
taper.

Stream Lag occurs when the entry point of the waterjet cuts faster than the exit part. This is
because the jet is most powerful when entering the material and loses some of it’s power as it
exits.

Taper is a V-shaped natural occurrence that takes place when the power of the waterjet
stream decreases as it cuts through the material.

Given the challenges of stream lag and taper, the development of Flow's Dynamic Waterjet
with Active Tolerance Control was essential to the advancement of abrasive waterjet.

Invented and patented by Flow in 2001 to counteract stream lag and taper, Dynamic Waterjet
allows you to cut at top speed and to high precision.

Stream lag and taper are no longer an issue in the waterjet process, and the most versatile
cutting tool has been transformed into a system that is highly competitive with alternative
cutting methods in accuracy, precision, and speed.
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5.WATER JET CUTTING EQUIPMENT

5.1 Intensifier Pump

Pressurizing liquid to the 1500-4000 MN/m2 range is usually accomplished either by direct
mechanical drive applied to a small diameter plunger or by an intensifier where an
intermediate pressure fluid drives a large area piston, which in turn ,drives a small diameter
ram which pumps the cutting fluid. At these pressure, the main problem is sealing high
pressure rams, and at high pressure ,fatigue failure of the mechanical component can limit the
life of the equipment. These problems can be solved by allowing high pressure seals to be
changed quickly by making them easily available. Alternatively, the conventional fabric-
backed, synthetic rubber seal can be lubricated by adding soluble oil up to 5 percent to the
water being pumped. Intensifier, shown in Fig. 11 is driven by a hydraulic power pack. The
heart of the hydraulic power pack is a positive displacement hydraulic pump. The power
packs in modern commercial systems are often controlled by microcomputers to achieve
programmed rise of pressure etc.

The hydraulic power pack delivers the hydraulic oil to the intensifier at a pressure of ph . The
ratio of cross-section of the two cylinders in the intensifier is say
A ratio (A = A large / A small ).
Thus, pressure amplification would take place at the small cylinder as follows.

ph×Alarge=pw×Asmall

pw = ph×(Alarge/Asmall)

pw = ph×Aratio
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Thus, if the hydraulic pressure is set as 100 bar and area ratio is 40, pw = 100 x 40 = 4000 bar.
By using direction control valve, the intensifier is driven by the hydraulic unit. The water may
directly supplied to the small cylinder of the intensifier or it may be supplied through a booster
pump, which typically raises the water pressure to 11 bar before supplying it to the intensifier.
Sometimes water is softened or long chain polymers are added in “additive unit”.
Thus, as the intensifier works, it delivers high pressure water (refer Fig. 11). As the larger piston
changes direction within the intensifier, there would be a drop in the delivery pressure. To
counter such drops, a thick cylinder is added to the delivery unit to accommodate water at high
pressure.
This is called an “accumulator” which acts like a “fly wheel” of an engine and minimizes
fluctuation of water pressure.
High-pressure water is then fed through the flexible stainless steel pipes to the cutting head. It
worth mentioning here that such pipes are to carry water at 4000 bar (400 MPa) with flexibility
incorporated in them with joints but without any leakage.
Cutting head consists of orifice, mixing chamber and focusing tube or insert where water jet is
formed and mixed with abrasive particles to form abrasive water jet.
Typical diameter of the flexible stainless steel pipes is of 6 mm. Water carried through the pipes
is brought to jet form Typical diameter of the flexible stainless steel pipes is of 6 mm.
Water carried through the pipes is brought to jet former or cutting head.
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5.2 Tubing
High pressure tubing used to transport fluid from one system component to another is thick
walled, with the ratio of the outside to inside diameter at least 5 and sometimes as high as 10.
The tubing may be `jacket. Tubing may be used to constrain fluids at a pressure greater than the
yield stress of the tube material by the use of a process known as autofrettaging or self hooping.
5.3 Tube-fittings
A metal to metal line contact is usual technique for achieving a fluid seal in high pressure tube
fittings, accomplished by drawing a cone shape into a rounded socket. The cone may be
machined directly onto the tubing or a cone shaped insert may be used. At the highest pressures,
the replaceable cone design is the most workable.
5.4 Valves
Most high pressure valves are of the needle type. The main flow passage is controlled by a cone
shape on the end of the needle fixed into a seat. A gland seal is usually required to eliminate
leaks along the stem.
5.5 Nozzles
Nozzles meant to convert the high pressure liquid to a high velocity jet present a severe
challenge to the designer. For minimum erosion, the nozzle material should be extremely hard.
Yet to allow the formation of smooth contour, the material should be ductile and easily
machinable. Nozzles made of sintered diamond or sapphire are available and they can be used as
inserts in a steel holder that provides needed strength and ductility. Diamond, tungsten carbide
and special steels have also been used successfully for making quality nozzles. A nozzle with an
exit diameter of 0.05-0.35 mm gives a coherent jet length up to 3-4 cm. A method of increasing
this length is to add to the cutting water up to 1 percent of long chain polymer, such as
polyethylene oxide with a molecular weight of four million, which produces much higher fluid
viscosities. With such an additives, coherent jets of up to 600 diameters in length have been
achieved.
In abrasive water jet systems use the same basic two-stage nozzle as shown in the FIG. First,
water passes through a small-diameter jewel orifice to form a narrow.
1. High pressure water inlet
2. Jewel (ruby or diamond)
3. Abrasive
4. Mixing tube
5. Guard
6. Cutting water jet
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7. Cut material

The water jet then passes through a small chamber where a Venturi effect creates a slight vacuum that
pulls abrasive material and air into this area through a feed tube. The abrasive particles are accelerated by
the moving stream of water and together they pass into a long, hollow cylindrical ceramic mixing tube.

The resulting mix of abrasive and water exits the mixing tube as a coherent stream and cuts the
material. It's critical that the jewel orifice and the mixing tube be precisely aligned to ensure that
the water jet passes directly down the center of the mixing tube. Otherwise the quality of the
abrasive jet will be diffused, the quality of the cuts it produces will be poor, and the life of the
mixing tube will be short.

5.6 Mixing Chamber

Mixing means gradual entrainment of abrasive particles within the water jet and finally the
abrasive water jet comes out of the focusing tube or the nozzle. Fig.13 schematically shows the
mixing process.

During mixing process, the abrasive particles are gradually accelerated due to transfer of
momentum from the water phase to abrasive phase and when the jet finally leaves the focusing
tube, both phases, water and abrasive, are assumed to be at same velocity.
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The mixing chamber, as shown in Fig.13 is immediately followed by the focusing tube or the
inserts. The focusing tube is generally made of tungsten carbide (powder metallurgy product)
having an inner diameter of 0.8 to 1.6 mm and a length of 50 to 80 mm.
Tungsten carbide is used for its abrasive resistance. Abrasive particles during mixing try to enter
the jet, but they are reflected away due to interplay of buoyancy and drag force. They go on
interacting with the jet and the inner walls of the mixing tube, until they are accelerated using the
momentum of the water jet.
Mixing process may be mathematically modelled as follows. Taking into account the energy loss
during water jet formation at the orifice, the water jet velocity may be given.

5.7 Catcher
Once the abrasive jet has been used for machining, they may have sufficiently high level of
energy depending on the type of application. Such high-energy abrasive water jet needs to be
contained before they can damage any part of the machine or operators. “Catcher” is used to
absorb the residual energy of the AWJ and dissipate the same. Fig. 14 shows three different types
of catcher – water basin type, submerged steel balls and TiB2 plate type.
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6. Mechanism of material removal

The general domain of parameters in entrained type AWJ machining system is given below:
• Orifice – Sapphires – 0.1 to 0.3 mm
• Focusing Tube – WC – 0.8 to 2.4 mm
• Pressure – 2500 to 4000 bar
• Abrasive – garnet and olivine - #125 to #60
• Abrasive flow - 0.1 to 1.0 Kg/min
• Stand off distance – 1 to 2 mm
• Machine Impact Angle – 60 to 90
• Traverse Speed – 100 mm/min to 5 m/min
• Depth of Cut – 1 mm to 250 mm
Mechanism of material removal in machining with water jet and abrasive water jet is rather
complex.
In AWJM of ductile materials, material is mainly removed by low angle impact by abrasive
particles leading to ploughing and micro cutting. Further at higher angle of impact, the material
removal involves plastic failure of the material at the sight of impact. In case of AWJM of brittle
materials, other than the above two models, material would be removed due to crack initiation
and propagation because of brittle failure of the material.
Fig-15 and Fig-16 show the cut generated by an AWJM. It is called a kerf.
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The top of the kerf is wider than the bottom of the kerf. Generally, the top width of the kerf is
equal to the diameter of the AWJ. Once again, diameter of the AWJ is equal to the diameter of
the focusing tube or the insert if the stand-off distance is around 1 to 5mm. The taper angle of the
kerf can be reduced by increasing the cutting ability of the AWJ.
7.Process Parameters
For successful utilization of WJM process, it is necessary to analyze the following process
criteria:
1) Material Removal Rate (MRR).
2) Geometry and finish of work piece.
3) Wear rate of nozzle
However, the process criteria are greatly influenced by various process parameters as
enumerated below:
a) MRR depends on the reactive force F of jet.

Again, Reactive force=Mass flow rate (m) × Jet velocity(V)

Hence MRR ∞ m ∞ V

And the velocity depends on fluid pressure whereas mass flow rate depends on both- nozzle
diameter (d) and fluid pressure (P).

Hence, MRR ∞ d ∞ P

British Hydromechanic Research Association have found following empirical relationship:

V=14.1P(1/2)
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Q=0.67 K N d2P(1/2)

HHP=K N d2 P(3/2)

F=0.079 K N d2 P

Where, V=maximum water jet velocity at nozzle outlet (m/s),

Q=water flow rate through the nozzle,
HHP=hydraulic horsepower of jets (W),
F=reactive force of jet nozzle (N),
K=nozzle discharge co efficient (dimensionless),
N=no of nozzle used (dimensionless),
P=pressure differential across the nozzle (bar),

d=nozzle orifice diameter (mm)

.
Apart from these, MRR is also greatly influenced by stand-off distance (SOD) of nozzle tip
from the surface of the material being cut.

It is found that MRR increases with increase of SOD up to a certain limit after which it
remains unchanged for a certain tip distances and then falls gradually. This is explained as
follows. Small MRR at low SOD is due to a reduction in nozzle pressure with decreasing
distance, whereas a drop in MRR at large SOD is due to a reduction in jet velocity with
increasing distance
.
A large SOD affects accuracy and quality. Water flares out because of a “peeling off” effect
caused by air friction. Theoretically, any divergences cause the jet to cut less effectively and
less accurately.

b) Geometry and finish of work piece depends on these factors:

1) Nozzle design.

2) Jet velocity, cutting speed and depth of cut.

3) Properties (especially hardness) of the material being cut.

c) wear rate of the nozzle depends mainly on the hardness of the nozzle material, pressure
(hence, velocity) of the jet and nozzle design.

From above it is clear that for a given material, the rate of cut, depth of cut and quality, a
compromise has to be made and optimum values of various parameters discussed above are
to be found out and used.
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8.Machining characteristic

Results of the tests conducted confirm the following;

1.Cutting or piercing ability of jets is most eminent when impinged perpendicularly on the work
piece surface.

2.Value of specific stock removal energy in cutting has been found to be lower than that in
piercing. This fact can be explained by assuming the groove generated in cutting allows for
“counter flow” of the jet to escape freely and lessens it tendency to build a ”liquid cushion”.

3.Opening of the groove cut or the hole pierced becomes enlarged and irregular in shape with the
increase of SOD. However, as stated earlier, the material removal rate increases as SOD is
increased within a certain range. It has been found that MRR is maximum for SOD between 3 to
5 mm.

Effect of exit pressure

Figure shows the variation of the depth of cut with the exit pressure P for several materials
(metals and non-metals).It is clear from the figure that the liquid jets represent a fairly effective
cutting tool for some non-metallic materials.
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Extrapolation of this figure indicates that there is threshold pressure below which little or no
cutting can be achieved. For example, mild steel requires about 6 Kbar pressure to produce
effect.

Variation of MRR with P indicating that the MRR varies approximately with P(3/2) and
consequently to the working power of a jet, except for the material which are less machineable at
these pressure levels, e.g. steel and brass. The working power E of a jet is the energy carried by a
is density of liquid and a is the cross sectional area of the jet.

It is interesting to observe that the curve lead is discontinuous and consist of two parallel lines.
The value of specific stock removal energy (i.e. the energy required to erode unit volume of the
work material) changes from 3.3×10 to 0.59×10^6 J/cm^3 at a pressure between 4 to 6 Kbar.
Observation of the wall surfaces of the groove cut by the jets of higher velocities suggests the
occurrence of brittle fracture and is supposed to bear a certain relation to the velocity of plastic
waves propagating in the materials.

Effect of Feed Rate

The effect of feed rate on stock removal is shown in figure.19. The removal rate increases with
feed rate and reaches a peak value and then tendency is to fall. This may because of erosion and
removal.

process lagging behind the impacting phenomenon. The depth of groove has also been reported
to decrease with increase in feed rate.
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9.Applications:

Aerospace

Application

● Titanium bodies for military aircraft

● Engine components (aluminum, titanium, heat-resistant alloys)
● Aluminum body parts
● Interior cabin panels
● Custom control panels and structural components for special purpose aircraft such
as crop-dusters and float planes
● Rough trimming of turbine blades on jet engines
● Aluminum skin, struts, seats, shim stock, brake components, titanium & exotic
metals used in manufacturing landing gear.

Industries

Aerospace, Tool & Die, Job Shop

Architectural/ Art Work

Application

● To cut floor medallions, tabletop inlay, Wall inlay, metal inlay, out door stone,
Border Tiles, Artistic & Architectural designs, murals, Stone furniture, Kitchens
countertops etc in ceramic and stone segment.

● Metal art work such as out door, Theme park , Special lighting, Museum art work
etc,
● For profile cutting of Stained glass such as Crafts, Church Mosaics, and Lamp
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Shades etc.
● Components for architectural trim and window systems.

Automotive

Application

● For cutting Interior & Exterior trims such as headliners, carpets. Liners. Dumpers. Door
and instrument panels, seats, composite parts and castings
● Robot waterjet can cut an automobile interior in any angles and separate Scraps
automatically
● Flanges for custom exhaust systems
● Specialty metal gaskets for antique automobiles
● Specialty clutch components for racing cars
Electronic

Application

● Circuit boards (Populated & unpopulated)

● Cable stripping (Insulation coverings)
● Custom and short run electrical enclosures and control panels
● Custom designed elevator control panels.

Food Processing Equipment

Application

● Components (primarily from stainless steel and plastic) for food processing lines
● Guards, enclosures, food handling and packaging equipment
● Custom food processing equipment
● Beverage manufacturing equipment
● Specialty liquid filling equipment.

Glass

Application

● To cut Special shaped window panels for cabinets and doors

● To cut Lens blanks from glass and quartz
● To cut Glass components used in the electronic and medical industry
● To cut Optical laser parts for various high tech industries
● To cut Custom glass panels for the space shuttle
● To cut Replacement glass for antique autos
● To cut Art deco mirror designs
● To cut flat glass with numerous contours, Stained glass, Bullet proof glass, Optical glass.
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Medical/Surgical

Application

● Blanking out surgical instruments from special steel alloys

● Cutting artificial limb components from carbon fiber
● Composites
● Manufacturing carbon braces and orthopedic appliances
● Making prototype medical devices for test and evaluation.

10. Advantages and Disadvantages of WJM & AWJM

10.1 Advantages

There is a reason that waterjet machining has rapidly grown in popularity since the mid-1990's.
Actually there are a number of reasons, listed below, but they mostly come down to "versatility."
A waterjet is a versatile and flexible machining tool. You can cut a wide variety of material
efficiently and cost-effectively and can create a wide variety of parts.

Cut virtually any material

● Because waterjets cut using water and abrasive, they can work with a wide variety of
materials. These materials include:
● Copper, brass, aluminum:
● Pre-hardened steel
● Mild steel
● Exotic materials such as titanium, Inconel and Hastalloy
● 304 stainless steel
● Brittle materials such as glass, ceramic, quartz, stone.
● Laminated material
● Flammable materials

One of the few materials that cannot be cut with a waterjet is tempered glass. Because tempered
glass is under stress, as soon as you begin to cut it, it will shatter into small fragments—as it is
designed to do.

Fast setup and programming

With waterjet machining, a flat piece of material is placed on a table and a cutting head moves
across the material (although in some custom systems, the material moves past a fixed head).
This simplicity means that it's fast and easy to change materials and that no tool changes are
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required. All materials use the same cutting head, so there is no need to program tool changes or
physically qualify multiple tools.

The movement of the machining head is controlled by a computer, which greatly simplifies
control of the waterjet. In most cases, "programming" a part means using a CAD program to
draw the part. When you "push print," the part is made by the waterjet machine. This approach
also means that customers can create their own drawings and bring them to a waterjet machine
for creation.

Little fixturing for most parts

There are very low sideway forces with waterjet machining--cutting the material doesn't push it.
The downward forces are also small, in the range of a few pounds. Typically, the largest force is
from the water in the tank pushing back up against the material.
Fixturing is generally a matter of weighing down the material by placing weights on it. Small
parts might require tabs to prevent them from falling into the tank.

The low side forces, means you can machine a part with walls as thin as 0.01" (0.25 mm). This
is one of the factors that make fixturing is so easy. Also, low side forces allow for close nesting
of parts, and maximum material usage.

Almost no heat generated on your part

What little heat is generated by the waterjet is absorbed by the water and carried into the catch
tank. The material itself experiences almost no change in temperature during machining. During
piercing 2" (5 cm) thick steel, temperatures may get as high as 120° F (50° C), but otherwise
machining is done at room temperature.

The result is that there is no heat affected zone (HAZ) on the material. The absence of a HAZ
means you can machine without hardening the material, generating poisonous fumes, recasting,
or warping. You can also machine parts that have already been heat treated.

No mechanical stresses

Waterjet machining does not introduce any stresses into the material.

Machine thick material

While most money will probably be made in thicknesses under 1" (2.5 cm) for steel, it is
common to machine up to 4" (10 cm). The thicker the material, the longer it will take to cut. A
part made from material twice as thick will take more than twice as long. Some companies make
low tolerance parts out of metal that is up to 5" to 10" thick (12.5 cm-25 cm), but it takes a long
time and tends to be an occasional operation. Typically, most waterjet parts are made from metal
that is 2" (5 cm) or thinner.
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Are very safe

Obviously, you don't put any body parts in front of a waterjet machining head while it is on.
Anything that can cut through 2" steel will make short work of flesh and bone. Aside from this,
however, waterjets are very safe. A leak in a high-pressure water system tends to result in a rapid
drop in pressure to safe levels. Water itself is safe and non-explosive and the garnet abrasive is
also inert and non-toxic. One of the largest hazards is cuts from the sharp edges of material
created by the waterjet.

Modern systems are now very easy to learn

Control of the waterjet head is complicated and requires careful calculation to get the proper
speed that will give the best result. This means that the system needs to be controlled by a
computer, which means that the user-interface for the system can be simplified and made
friendlier. Modern systems are designed the same way as many other computerized CAD
systems and are quickly learned.

Environmentally friendly

As long as you are not machining a material that is hazardous, the spent abrasive and waste
material become suitable for land fill. The garnet abrasive is inert and can be disposed of with
your other trash.

If you are machining lots of lead or other hazardous materials, you will still need to dispose of
your waste appropriately, and recycle your water. Keep in mind, however, that very little metal is
actually removed in the cutting process. This keeps the environmental impact relatively low,
even if you do machine the occasional hazardous material.

In most areas, excess water is simply drained to the sewer. In some areas, water treatment may
be necessary prior to draining to sewer. In a few areas, a "closed loop" system that recycles the
water may be required.

The pumps do use a considerable amount of electricity, though, so there is some additional
environmental (and cost) impact due to this.

No start hole required

Start holes are only required for materials that are difficult or impossible to pierce. A few poorly
bonded laminates can fall into this category, in which case pre-drilling or other special methods
may be used.

Narrow kerf removes only a small amount of material

The amount of material removed by the waterjet stream is typically about 0.02" (0.5 mm) wide,
meaning that very little material is removed. When you are working with expensive material
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(such as titanium) or hazardous material (such as lead), this can be a significant benefit. It also
means that you can get more parts from a given sheet of material.

When machining or roughing out expensive materials such as titanium, your scrap still has
value. This is because you get chunks, not chips.

Relatively fast process

It does not produce any hazardous gas.
It automatically cleans the surface of the work piece.
Water jet machining has excellent precision. Tolerances of the can be obtained.
It prevents the formation of heat affected zone on the work piece.

11.Disadvantages

Among various cutting methods, Waterjet cutting is one of the most useful machining processes
that can be readily substituted for many other cutting methods; however, this method too has
some limitations to what Steel Profiles it can cut.

1. By using waterjet metal cutting method only a limited number of materials can be cut
economically. Thus being one of the main disadvantages of waterjet cutting. While it is possible
to cut tool steels, and other hard materials, the cutting rate has to be greatly reduced, and the time
to cut a part can be very long. Because of this, waterjet cutting can be very costly and outweigh
the other advantages that it offers.

2. One more disadvantage of waterjet cutting method is that it is not possible to cut very thick
parts with waterjet cutting as there may be problems in maintaining the dimensional accuracy of
the metal to be cut. If the part is too thick, the jet may dissipate some, and cause it to steel cut on
a diagonal, or to have a wider cut at the bottom of the part than the top. It can also cause a ruff
wave pattern on the cut surface.

3. Taper is also a problem with waterjet cutting in very thick materials. Taper is when the Steel
Cutter jet exits the part at a different angle than it enters the part, and can cause dimensional
inaccuracy. Decreasing the speed of the head may reduce this, although it can still be a problem.

If the part is too thick, the jet may dissipate some, and cause it to steel cut on a diagonal, or to
have a wider cut at the bottom of the part than the top.

While it is possible to cut tool steels, and other hard materials, the cutting rate has to be greatly
reduced, and the time to cut a part can be very long.

It can also cause a ruff wave pattern on the cut surface.

Only soft materials can be machined.

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Very thick materials cannot be easily machined.

Initial investment is high.

One of the main disadvantages of water jet cutting is that a limited number of materials can be
cut economically. While it is possible to cut tool steels and other hard materials the cutting rate is
has to be greatly reduced and the time to cut a part can be very long.

It can also cause a rough wave pattern on the cut surface.

12. Basic waterjet safety

In general, waterjets are quite safe. The nozzle is typically 0.1" (2.5 mm) or so from the
material, so it is difficult to get your fingers under it. High pressure tubing does not explode
because water is not very compressible. When a leak occurs, the pressure quickly drops to a safe
level.

That said, like any machining tool, there are hazards to working with a waterjet. You should
refer to the manufacturer's material for complete safety information. The information provided
here is basic and does not cover all the potential hazards and should not substitute for carefully
reading the safety information provided by the manufacturer of the waterjet.

Beware the waterjet stream

Remember that the waterjet stream can cut through 2" steel, so it will make short work of any
body parts you place in front of it. It is a very dangerous cutting edge. Always take care before
turning on the machine to make sure that no body parts are in the way.

Eye protection

You can put splash guards on the nozzle and cover it with rags and you will still get the
occasional splash of water mixed with abrasive. You do not want to get abrasive in your eye
although it's inert, it's still abrasive and will irritate your eyes and possibly scratch your cornea.

Motion control system

The motion control system precisely positions the nozzle at various locations on the table and
can move at up to 100 inches per minute (2.5 meters per minute). Don't let body parts get
between the nozzle and a solid object or they can be crushed.
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Ear protection

When you are cutting above water always wear ear protection. The water exits the nozzle at
about the speed of sound and makes a lot of noise—enough noise to damage your hearing. When
cutting underwater, the noise level is much lower, but depending on your shop environment, you
may still want to use ear protection.

13. Future Research

Since its development, waterjet machining has seen many improvements in its design. Many
different types of abrasives, nozzles, flow rates, and jet positions have been experimented with to
name a few.

Here at Michigan Tech, one of the elements being researched is the type of abrasive used.
Typically, garnet, which has a hardness of 8 on Mohs scale of hardness, is used because it is
much harder than most materials and because it breaks in clean, sharp edges.

Garnet is considered inexpensive when compared to abrasives like diamond, however, it still
costs around $600 per ton of abrasive.

Working with the Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, Michigan Tech has found a way to used
crushed windshield glass as an acceptable replacement for garnet.

Glass, which is made of silica and has a hardness of 6 of Mohs scale of hardness, is not as hard
as garnet, however the cost of 1 ton of glass is about $50.

As far as hardness is concerned, silica glass is still harder than most materials, and since it is
crushed, the particles all have sharp edges that haven’t been worn due to erosion that might occur
in garnet, which has to be mined.

The other benefit for using silica is that all the glass being used is scrap window glass that would
have otherwise been sent to a landfill where it would be of no use.
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Several other improvements and experiments that are being worked on by other companies are:

● Using a cryogenic cutting fluid

● Finding new uses for waterjet cutting such as turning, and polishingFinding new ways to
make waterjet cutting more efficient in already existing manufacturing processes.

14. Conclusions:
A variety of material can be cut by this process. Some of the material which have been successfully cut at
the British Hydromechanics Research Association (BHRA) using high pressure water jets are, asbestos
cement board, break shoe material, corduroy, erepe, high density polyethylene, leather, news print, fabric,
plywood, polypropylene gasket material etc.
The Japanese engineers too are doing considerable researches in the field. It is expected that a safer and
more effective tool for quality cutting will emerge in the next few years with WJM opening up a new era
in modern machining.
It appeared after the studying advantages and dis advantages of the water jet that this is a tool that the
construction industries should find very useful. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.many
Of the regional companies do not have any significant knowledge of the water jet thus remaining
unwilling to employ this technology.
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References

1. Water jet cutter- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_jet_cutter dated-13.02.2011

2. Waterjetcutting-http://www.mfg.mtu.edu/cyberman/machining/non_trad/waterjet/
dated-13.02.2011
3. Waterjet cutting machines & product- www.flowwaterjet.com dated-25.02.2011
4. Journal-Water jet machining & Abrasive water jet machining-Version-2 ME,IIT Kharagpur
nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/.../pdf/LM-37.pdf dated-06.02.2011
5. Modern Machining Process-P.C.Pandey & H.S.Shan
6. Non-conventional Machining-P.K.Mishra
7. Application-http://www.waterjet.co.in/waterjet-applications.htm dated-16.02.2011
8. Waterjet cutting machines- http://www.omax.com/compare-waterjet.php dated-25.02.2011
9. The most complete waterjet resources on the web- http://www.waterjets.org/ dated-16.02.2011
10. Disadvantages of waterjet cutting method-http://www.articlesbase.com/industrial--
articles/disadvantages-of-waterjet-cutting-method-1236554.html dated-16.02.2011
11. Google Images
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