The cutting accuracy is within 0.051mm to 0.254mm. The accuracy may vary depending on the machine, part size, and part thickness.

The water pressure is 3,800 bar (55,000 psi), the pump is 40 HP, and the orifice/nozzle combination is 0.3/1(Ø). The abrasive flow rate is 680 g/min, and the garnet is 80 mesh (based on our machine). The table above shows the maximum cutting speeds. (If you want better cutting surface quality, cutting speeds will be reduced.) The expected cutting speed is given in mm/min.

The cutting width depends on the thickness of the material being cut and the size of the orifice (nozzle) used. Generally, the cutting width of a pure waterjet cutting system is between 0.1mm and 1.1mm. The cutting width increases as the mixing tube wears down..

The taper is a function of the cutting speed. The worst taper is equal to the maximum cutting width (1mm) at the top, and 0.0mm at the bottom. If the speed is reduced, the taper is also reduced. In most cases where the cutting quality is good, the taper is within the range of 0.08mm to 0.12mm on the side.

A waterjet cutting system is particularly suitable for cutting thick, hard, brittle, and heat-sensitive materials.

The laser cutting method is highly productive and widely used. However, the waterjet cutting method has more advantages, including:
1. There is no thickness limit (up to 70mm for STS).
2. Cutting non-ferrous metals like brass or aluminum is not a problem. (Waterjet is considered the most feasible in terms of cost)
3. There is no thermal deformation, so there is no area damaged by heat. (Thin, long materials can be processed without bending)
4. To change the cutting material, only the cutting speed needs to be adjusted. Therefore, to obtain a good surface, only the speed needs to be adjusted.
5. It is possible to work on thick materials with small holes without the phenomenon of melting down. (Only marking is possible)
6. Generally, surface quality is superior to laser cutting, and cutting prices (compared to nitrogen cutting) are the same from 7t, but cheaper from 8t or more.
7. Especially for AL and pipe materials, cutting up to 100t is possible, and the processing cost is cheaper than laser cutting with excellent surface quality.
8. For resin materials, a clean and consistent surface can be obtained without melting or burning, and the price is lower than laser cutting.

The reason why waterjet cutting method is preferred over milling is that milling guarantees good surface finish and high dimensional accuracy. However, it is very expensive and when the size increases a little, it is necessary to move to a larger milling machine which can be very costly.
For simple plate parts, waterjet cutting systems are faster, easier and cheaper. This is because one part can be cut in a single process, and there is no need to reduce all the metal to chip form. In cases where the allowable tolerance is high, if final milling or grinding is added after waterjet cutting, high-quality products can be produced at a much lower cost.
Additionally, the residual material from waterjet cutting is in plate form rather than chip form, which helps reduce production costs.

The reason for preferring waterjet cutting over plasma and oxygen cutting is that plasma cutting is a high-temperature process that adds a lot of heat to the product, leaving a heat-affected zone. As a result, burrs are severe, and the tolerance is usually around 1-3mm, requiring secondary machining. Even after secondary machining, tool wear and processing problems can occur due to thermal deformation.
On the other hand, waterjet cutting produces no impurities on the backside and has a relatively high degree of precision (within 0.1), so it does not require special secondary operations. Moreover, there is no thickness limitation, making it possible to produce much better products.

Generally, a standard waterjet cutting system includes a high-pressure pump, 1-2 waterjet cutting heads, an X-Y waterjet cutting table, a CNC controller, and related CAD/CAM software.