Our Water Jet
What is a Water Jet?
A water jet is a machine that uses high-pressure water to blast through materials with high accuracy and mobility. Most water jets use Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs to guide the high-pressure water nozzle across the cutting surface. This provides limitless programmability, allowing water jets to cut virtually any material along any path. Naturally, such versatility and power can only be achieved through a complex, finely-tuned machine operated by trained technicians.
How does it work?
The cutting mechanism of a water jet works by:
Generating Pressure
Water pressure is built up to extremes by a high-power pump which forces water through a series of continuously smaller pipes, eventually reaching the thickness of a human hair. The pressure in these pipes can reach over 90,000 psi, that's over 6,000x the pressure of the atmosphere at sea-level. For perspective, the pressure at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, the deepest point in the ocean, is a meager 15,750 psi. That's 6x less than a water jet.
Adding Abrasive Material
Next, many water jets, including ours, add a fine abrasive material to the high-pressure water in order to give added cutting power. At SolidTops we use the precious gemstone, garnet, which yields maximum cutting power and speed.
Directing Mixture Velocity
Finally, the mixture of water and abrasive is forced through a pinhole sized nozzle, reaching speeds of over 3,000 mph or 4x the speed of sound. Such intense pressure and velocity allows our water jet to cut through several inches of solid steel with an accuracy of ~±0.04 in.
