Water Jet Machining

Water Jet Machining
(WJM)
Dr Gurraj Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Industrial & Production Engineering
Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology
Jalandhar
Email Address : singhg@nitj.ac.in
1 2 3 4 5 6
Talk Layout
1 Introduction to WJM/AWJM
2 Working principle and Equipment used
3 Working parameters in WJM/AWJM
4 Case Study- Research Paper
5 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications
6 FAQs
WATER JET MACHINING (WJM)
Introduction to WJM /AWJM
• Water jet machining is one of the modern machining processes which is
used to machine different types of work pieces ranging from plastics to
metals.
• As the name suggests in water jet machining, the force created by a water
jet is used to remove material from the work piece or sometimes cut the
work piece into two parts.
• For machining softer materials such as plastics and fibres, simple water jet
machining is used.
• But when it comes to harder materials such as metals, water alone cannot
provide satisfactory results.
• Hence Abrasive particles are mixed with the water jet to perform the
cutting action. This process is known as Abrasive water jet machining.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Working principle of WJM /AWJM
• Water jet machining works on the principle of erosion of the area on
which the high-velocity water jet strikes.
• In the process, first, the pressure of water is increased to a few thousand
bars and then the pressure energy is converted into kinetic energy of the
water jet.
• This kinetic energy in the form of a high-velocity water stream is enough
to remove material from the surface of the workpiece or penetrate the
workpiece resulting in a cutting action.
• Water jet travels at velocities as high as 900 m/s
• The water, in this case, acts like a saw and cuts a narrow groove in the
workpiece material.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Hydraulic Pump
• Powered from a 30 kilowatt (kW)
electric motor it supplies oil at pressures
as high as 117 bars.
• Compressed oil drives a reciprocating
plunger pump termed an intensifier.
• The hydraulic pump offers complete
flexibility for water jet cutting and
cleaning applications.
• It also supports single or multiple cutting
stations for increased machining
productivity.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Intensifier
 Accepts the water at low
pressure(typically 4 bar) and expels it,
through an accumulator, at higher
pressures of 3800 bar.
 The intensifier converts the energy from
the low-pressure hydraulic fluid into
ultrahigh-pressure water.
 The hydraulic system provides fluid
power to a reciprocating piston in the
intensifier centre section.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Intensifier
• These pressure intensifiers are based on a piston principle, where a
larger diameter piston pushes a smaller diameter piston, thus
increasing the pressure to a factor equal to the ratio: Larger
diameter area divided by smaller diameter area.
• The outlet pressure will always be proportionate to the supplied
pressure.
• Flow Q1 is when the pump pressure has been reached, and flow
Q2 is moving up the vertical part of the curve (see graph left).
• Please note flow values will vary with the viscosity of the fluid.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Accumulator
 Maintains the continuous flow of the

high-pressure water and eliminates
pressure fluctuations.
 It relies on the compressibility of water
(12 percent at 3800 bar) in order to
maintain a uniform discharge pressure
and water jet velocity, when the
intensifier piston changes its direction.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Nozzle
 Nozzle
A longer provides
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 About 200 h ofdesign
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accumulation
from
oftwo-axis
mineral (XY)
deposits on the
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sophisticated
erosive water
multiaxis hardness.
robotic installations.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Nozzle
The abrasive Waterjet cutting nozzle
• High pressure water is generated and supplied to
uses the configuration of a mixing
the nozzle through high pressure tubing
chamber and a tube to allow for the
• Introducing abrasive particles is done in order to abrasive to carefully mix in with the
empower the cutting system to cut through high-pressure water so that efficient
practically anything cutting can take place. Waterjet
• Using a diamond or ruby orifice assures the nozzles are also designed without the
focussing of pressure and determining the kerf abrasive mixing chamber and tube so
width that the nozzle itself fires high-
• With the abrasive and water together, the mixture is pressure water which would be used
delivered through the mixing tube cutting the to cut much softer materials, versus
material. the abrasive solution.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- Catcher
 Acts as a reservoir for collecting the
machining debris entrained in the water
jet.
 Moreover, it reduces the noise levels [105
decibels (dB)] associated with the
reduction in the velocity of the water jet
from Mach 3 to subsonic levels.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Equipment details- High pressure tubing
 Transports pressurized water to the cutting
head.
 Typical tube diameters are 6 to 14 mm.
 The equipment allows for flexible
movement of the cutting head.
 The cutting action is controlled either
manually or through a remote-control
valve specially designed for this purpose.
Dr GurRaj Singh
ABRASIVE WATER JET MACHINING (AWJM)
AWJM Equipment details
Dr GurRaj Singh
Dr GurRaj Singh
X-Y Traverse system Abrasive hopper
Table
Controller
Pump
Articulated cutting head
Catcher tank
Dr GurRaj Singh
AWJM/WJM procedure
• Water from the reservoir first enters the hydraulic pump.
• The hydraulic pump increases the pressure of water to around 5 bars and sends it to the intensifier.
• The intensifier increases the pressure from 5 bars to 3000 to 5000 bars and sends it to the mixing chamber
and accumulator.
• Accumulator provides a high-pressure water supply to the mixing chamber whenever needed.
• After passing through the intensifier water needs to go through the pressure control valve where pressure is
controlled.
• After passing through the control valve it reaches the flow control valve, where the flow of water is
checked.
• In this way, high-pressure water reaches the mixing chamber where it is mixed with abrasive particles.
• The high-pressure water is then converted to a high-velocity flow of water. This stream of water and
abrasives strikes the workpiece.
Dr GurRaj Singh
AWJM/WJM procedure
• Material removal takes place due to the erosion of material from the surface of the workpiece.
• The wastewater is removed through the drain and is supplied to the reservoir with the help of a pump.
• The water supply is stopped and the finished product is removed.
Dr GurRaj Singh
WJM Vs AWJM
Dr GurRaj Singh
WJM Vs AWJM
Dr GurRaj Singh
Water jets Vs Other processes
• Flame Cutting:
Waterjets would make a great compliment to a flame cutting where more precision or higher quality is
required, or for parts where heating is not good, or where there is a need to cut a wider range of materials.
• Milling:
Waterjets are used a lot for complimenting or replacing milling operations. They are used for roughing out
parts prior to milling, for replacing milling entirely, or for providing secondary machining on parts that just
came off the mill. For this reason, many traditional machine shops are adding waterjet capability to provide a
competitive edge.
• Punch Press:
Some stamping houses are using waterjets for fast turn-around, or for low quantity or prototyping
work. Waterjets make a great complimentary tool for punch presses and the like because they offer a wider
range of capability for similar parts.
Dr GurRaj Singh
What materials can be cut?
• Stone and tiles

• Glass
• Metal
• Food
• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Composite
Dr GurRaj Singh
Working parameters in AWJM
Dr GurRaj Singh
Case Study- Research Paper
Effects of process parameters on depth of cut in Abrasive Water jet Cutting of phosphate glass
Abstract: Abrasive Water jet Cutting (AWJC) process is superior to many other cutting techniques in
processing variety of materials and has found wide applications in manufacturing industries. There are several
associated parameters in this method, among which water pressure, abrasive flow rate, jet traverse rate and
standoff distance are of great importance but accurately controllable. This project is conducted to investigate
the effects of these variable parameters on depth of cut of phosphate glass. It is experimentally demonstrated
that if the cutting parameters are selected properly, AWJC can increase the depth of cut.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Dr GurRaj Singh
Depth of cut (mm) Vs Pressure (Mpa)
Dr GurRaj Singh
Depth of cut (mm) Vs Mass Flow rate (g/s)
Dr GurRaj Singh
Depth of cut (mm) Vs Traverse Speed (mm/s)
Dr GurRaj Singh
Depth of cut (mm) Vs Stand off distance (mm)
Dr GurRaj Singh
Case Study- Research Paper (Conclusions)
• Experimental investigations have been carried for the depth of cut in abrasive waterjet cutting of
phosphate glass.
• The effects of different operational parameters such as: pressure, abrasive mass flow rate, traverse speed
and nozzle standoff distance on depth of cut have been investigated.
• As a result of this study, it is observed that these operational parameters have direct effect on depth of cut.
It has been found that water pressure has the most effect on the depth of cut. An increase in water
pressure is associated with an increase in depth of cut.
• Depth of cut constantly increases as mass flow rate increases. It is recommended to use more mass flow
rate to increase depth of cut.
• As nozzle traverse speed increases, depth of cut decreases. This means that low traverse speed should be
used to have more depth of but is at the cost of sacrificing productivity.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Advantages
 It has multidirectional cutting capacity.
 No heat is produced.
 Cuts can be started at any location without the need for predrilled holes.
 Wetting of the workpiece material is minimal.
 There is no deflection to the rest of the workpiece. The burr produced is minimal.
 The tool does not wear and, therefore, does not need sharpening. The process is environmentally safe.
 Hazardous airborne dust contamination and waste disposal problems that are common when using other
cleaning methods are eliminated.
 Grinding and polishing are eliminated, reducing secondary operation costs.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Advantages
 It has multidirectional cutting capacity.
 No heat is produced.
 Cuts can be started at any location without the need for predrilled holes.
 Wetting of the workpiece material is minimal.
 There is no deflection to the rest of the workpiece. The burr produced is minimal.
 The tool does not wear and, therefore, does not need sharpening. The process is environmentally safe.
 Hazardous airborne dust contamination and waste disposal problems that are common when using other
cleaning methods are eliminated.
 Grinding and polishing are eliminated, reducing secondary operation costs.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Disadvantages
• Water jet machining cannot be used for very thick materials.
• Initial investment is high.
• When compared to traditional processes, it takes much more time.
Dr GurRaj Singh
Applications
• Machining of fiber-reinforced plastics
• The process drills precision-angled and -shaped holes in a variety of
materials for which other processes such as EDM or EBM are too
expensive or too slow.
• Cutting of rocks
• Deburring: In this method burrs are broken off by the impact of
water.A higher pressure (4000 bar) and a lower flow rate (2.5 L/min)
are used to remove burrs from nonmetallic materials.
• Food processing industry
• Cutting of PCBs
Dr GurRaj Singh
Applications- Surface related
 Removing deposits and residues without toxic chemicals, which eliminates
costly cleanup and disposal problems.
 Surface cleaning of pipes and castings, decorative finishing, nuclear
decontamination, food utensil cleaning, degreasing, polishing, preparation
for precise inspection, and surface texturing.
 Economical surface preparation and coating removal.
 Removing corrosion, spray residue, soluble salts, chemicals, and surface
damage prior to recoating or painting.
 Can remove the wire insulating material without damaging the metal or
removing the tinning on the copper wire.
Dr GurRaj Singh
FAQs
• How thick can a water jet cut?
• It varies with the softness or hardness of the material being cut.

• This can range anywhere from a 1/4 inch up to 30 inches thick.
• Hard materials are normally cut within a 1/4 to 2.5 inch-range.
• This does not mean Stainless Steel or stone with a 4 or 5-inch thickness cannot be cut with a waterjet.
• It all depends on the purpose for which cutting is done (i.e. prototype, production, etc.), as well as the
system operating conditions.
Dr GurRaj Singh
FAQs
• What are the limitations of a water jet?
• Wood is often a poor application, due to its fibres’ absorption of water, which causes them to splay
and become rough.
• Many fabrics do not cut well, as the fibres “squirm” out from under the cutting stream, rather than
remain in place during the cutting process.
• However, the most common application that is incompatible with waterjet is pipe.
• Any material requiring the waterjet to cut through one layer, cross a void, then cut through another
layer does not produce desirable results. The cutting stream does not remain cohesive after cutting
through the upper layer, causing a poor edge quality on the next layer(s).
Dr GurRaj Singh
FAQs
• What makes water jet cutting a unique process?
• Here are a few examples that set water jet technology apart from the rest:
1. Due to water’s cold nature, the material cut does not show heat affected zones
2. Environmentally friendly, in that debris is removed by water, thereby reducing hazardous gases – a
process, which other technologies cannot claim
3. Cuts fragile materials like glass and stone with ease
4. Cuts plastics without showing signs of noxious fumes
5. Has the ability to perforate most materials without starting holes
6. Waterjet cutting kerf width is small so this technology saves raw materials
7. Cuts composite materials without any special treatment
Dr GurRaj Singh
FAQs
• How much does a water jet setup cost??
• Total price is based upon the scope of supply required for the application. If you provide motion
equipment (robot, gantry, etc.), waterjet components fall within the $US65k to $US100k range.
• Typical ballpark prices for a 2-axis abrasive system, range between $US100k to $US200k, depending
on the size, accuracy and number of nozzles required for the application.
• More complex motion (5-axis, robot, enclosed work cell, flying cross-cutter, etc.) or additional
materials handling solutions vary significantly in price, depending on the actual scope of supply.
Dr GurRaj Singh

Water Jet Machining

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Water Jet Machining

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Water Jet Machining

2 Working principle and Equipment used

3 Working parameters in WJM/AWJM

4 Case Study- Research Paper

5 Advantages, Disadvantages and Applications

 Maintains the continuous flow of the

Articulated cutting head

• Stone and tiles

Depth of cut (mm) Vs Pressure (Mpa)

Depth of cut (mm) Vs Mass Flow rate (g/s)

Depth of cut (mm) Vs Traverse Speed (mm/s)

Depth of cut (mm) Vs Stand off distance (mm)

• It varies with the softness or hardness of the material being cut.

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