Water can be an overwhelmingly powerful force.
When you draw a glass of water from your kitchen tap to satisfy your thirst, or open a bottle of spring water for the same purpose, it might feel like water is a well controlled and docile substance. Anyone who has ever witnessed or, worse, experienced the ravages of a flood knows how inaccurate this perception is.
The uses of the power of water are also quite familiar. Hydraulic mining was developed in the 1800's. This involved the use of water to wash away materials from the target ore and it proved to be quite effective. We are all familiar with the power of water propelled from a fire hose. The use of that power is not just limited to putting out fires either, it has also been used for riot control and even to repel boarders on ships. Water pressure machines, which are useful for a wide variety of cleaning applications, are another familiar device where water is more than a thirst quencher.
Water as a cutting tool is a relatively unknown but nonetheless exciting development.
Water jet cutting machines work by using high pressure and small nozzles to produce a very small stream of water, moving at a high rate of speed as a cutting device. The use of an abrasive material is a usual method of increasing its power.
In the 1930's a paper company in Wisconsin introduced a machine that marked a major milestone in the use of water power for the needs of humanity. This was a machine that used a pinpoint stream of water moving at a high rate of speed to cut the sheets of paper as they were being produced. This was the first water jet cutting machine.
The potential of the technology was quickly grasped and began to be developed and improved upon. The use of an abrasive added to the water was one of the most far reaching of these. The abrasive made it possible to cut virtually anything on earth. The only exceptions are some ceramics, tempered glass and diamonds.
Precision, cleanliness, and versatility are some of the advantages of water-jet cutting.
Most water jet cutting machines today do include the use of an abrasive. Only soft materials, like paper and wood can be cut without the inclusion of the abrasive. Another adjustment that has improved the ability of water as a cutting device involved changing the water itself. This was done by linking the individual water molecules into polymers, or connected chains of molecules. This made it possible to create a more precise and greater controlled stream of water and make for even more precise cuts than were previously possible.
One of the greatest advantages of water cutting, also called abrasive water- jet cutting, is the fact that it doesn't alter the materials being cut since heat, produced by the use of more traditional methods of cutting, is not a factor and therefore has no effect.
Another major advantage of using water, for industrial cutting applications, is its cleanliness. This means, for one thing, that there is less need to spend time cleaning up residue from the cut since there is much less residue produced. Cleanliness is more than a convenience when water jet cutting is used for something like meat cutting and the possibility of contamination from the cutting device is eliminated. Even the abrasive material used contributes to the cleanliness of the process. It can be recycled and used for additional cuts several times, and when it has finally lost its abrasive quality, can be placed in a landfill without fear of it being a pollutant.
Water-jet cutters can make cuts as small as a human hair and, yet, are capable of cutting through material as much as eighteen inches thick. The use of interchangeable nozzles makes it possible to adjust the process rapidly allowing for greater variety and speed. Machines have been developed to allow as many as five cuts to be made simultaneously. Water jet cutting can be used in a wide variety of industries and is likely to become increasingly popular.
When you draw a glass of water from your kitchen tap to satisfy your thirst, or open a bottle of spring water for the same purpose, it might feel like water is a well controlled and docile substance. Anyone who has ever witnessed or, worse, experienced the ravages of a flood knows how inaccurate this perception is.
The uses of the power of water are also quite familiar. Hydraulic mining was developed in the 1800's. This involved the use of water to wash away materials from the target ore and it proved to be quite effective. We are all familiar with the power of water propelled from a fire hose. The use of that power is not just limited to putting out fires either, it has also been used for riot control and even to repel boarders on ships. Water pressure machines, which are useful for a wide variety of cleaning applications, are another familiar device where water is more than a thirst quencher.
Water as a cutting tool is a relatively unknown but nonetheless exciting development.
Water jet cutting machines work by using high pressure and small nozzles to produce a very small stream of water, moving at a high rate of speed as a cutting device. The use of an abrasive material is a usual method of increasing its power.
In the 1930's a paper company in Wisconsin introduced a machine that marked a major milestone in the use of water power for the needs of humanity. This was a machine that used a pinpoint stream of water moving at a high rate of speed to cut the sheets of paper as they were being produced. This was the first water jet cutting machine.
The potential of the technology was quickly grasped and began to be developed and improved upon. The use of an abrasive added to the water was one of the most far reaching of these. The abrasive made it possible to cut virtually anything on earth. The only exceptions are some ceramics, tempered glass and diamonds.
Precision, cleanliness, and versatility are some of the advantages of water-jet cutting.
Most water jet cutting machines today do include the use of an abrasive. Only soft materials, like paper and wood can be cut without the inclusion of the abrasive. Another adjustment that has improved the ability of water as a cutting device involved changing the water itself. This was done by linking the individual water molecules into polymers, or connected chains of molecules. This made it possible to create a more precise and greater controlled stream of water and make for even more precise cuts than were previously possible.
One of the greatest advantages of water cutting, also called abrasive water- jet cutting, is the fact that it doesn't alter the materials being cut since heat, produced by the use of more traditional methods of cutting, is not a factor and therefore has no effect.
Another major advantage of using water, for industrial cutting applications, is its cleanliness. This means, for one thing, that there is less need to spend time cleaning up residue from the cut since there is much less residue produced. Cleanliness is more than a convenience when water jet cutting is used for something like meat cutting and the possibility of contamination from the cutting device is eliminated. Even the abrasive material used contributes to the cleanliness of the process. It can be recycled and used for additional cuts several times, and when it has finally lost its abrasive quality, can be placed in a landfill without fear of it being a pollutant.
Water-jet cutters can make cuts as small as a human hair and, yet, are capable of cutting through material as much as eighteen inches thick. The use of interchangeable nozzles makes it possible to adjust the process rapidly allowing for greater variety and speed. Machines have been developed to allow as many as five cuts to be made simultaneously. Water jet cutting can be used in a wide variety of industries and is likely to become increasingly popular.