Introduction

Have you ever struggled to properly cut through thick materials using traditional methods and need an effective solution for your business.

In this blog post, we’ll look at why water jet cutting services are such a precise, efficient, and versatile way to cut through virtually any material, even thick and tough ones.

Applications in industry

Thick material cutting can benefit a number of different industrial applications including but not limited to the following:

• Machinery implements including buckets, rippers, machinery cages.
• Tooling dies
• Ship Building
• Mining
• Structural brackets
• Machining blanks

What types of materials can you cut

• Aluminium (6061, 5083, 2024, 7050 & 7075) up to 200mm thick
• Steels including mild steel 400, 450, 500, 80, 700 up to 200mm thick
• Specialty steel including Amour plate boiler plate

Here are some examples of projects we have completed using our water jet machine:

Reasons to waterjet cut over laser, plasma or oxy fuel?

A waterjet can cut small holes in thick plates and other pieces including very intricate designs such as text and unique shapes for straight cuts or engraving. For example a 5mm hole is easily achievable in thick plate with the water jet machine.

Likewise cutting thick aluminium or stainless steel parts isn’t a problem and easily achieved with water jet technology as opposed to plasma and laser cutting which still face challenges in this area.

Cutting thick plate with plasma, laser and oxy can cause excessive heat which can require post cutting treatment which is not required when waterjet cutting.

Waterjet cutting can also produce a high-quality edge finish without the need for secondary finishing processes like grinding or sanding, which are frequently required when other cutting techniques are used.

Lastly it’s a great way to reduce machining time on a CNC mill or lathe helping to take most of the material out then processing the critical areas with a lathe or mill.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can waterjet cut hardened steel?

Yes all steels mentioned above as well as a host of other exotic materials can be cut easily with a water jet machine such as Bisalloy & Hastelloy.

Conclusion

We hope you found this post to be helpful and learnt about how water jet methods can help you with thick material projects.

If your in need of any help with your next cutting project be sure to get in touch with the MRC team and we will be happy to help!

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