Laser Cutting or Waterjet Cutting?
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Modern metal fabricators face many unique challenges, including controlling the cost of the latest projects while maintaining flexibility. With a wide range of equipment available, it can be tricky to keep up to date with the latest machine developments and how these can help meet current and future operational needs. As machine technology continues to advance, there may be multiple ways to solve any one problem in a project, so the challenge is to fully understand each of these solutions and the unique advantages offered to remain competitive.
This week we will focus on some of the nuances between waterjet cutting and laser cutting. Read on for more information about each cutting process.
Waterjet cutting adds no heat to the cutting process
Water jet cutting is a cold process and does not introduce any heat into the material when cutting. This means that no heat-affected zone is created during the cutting process. This is a very important fact for those in the aerospace industry as the waterjet cutting process does not change the physical state of the material being cut and does not cause the material to warp due to heat.
In addition, the absence of a heat-affected zone also helps sheet metal manufacturers. The elimination of the heat-affected zone means that the process can go directly from the waterjet to the threading or welding operation without removing any heat-affected material. This ultimately helps to reduce labour and provide a fast and efficient quality product. And because waterjet cutting is so clean, there is no need for grinding or sanding around the edges. This reduces costs and the simple automation of the water jet cutter means that prototypes and high throughput can be utilised.
Laser cutting reduces waste
Laser cutting requires less clean-up than you might think - of course, a small amount of waste in the form of dust is produced, which can be quickly removed by a vacuum or filtration process. In contrast, waterjet cutting requires more clean-up because of the abrasives mixed in with the water. Abrasive waste requires special treatment due to its possible toxicity, which further increases the cost of your project.
Staying competitive in today's market requires a high level of precision. Waterjet cutting and laser cutting are the two most common processes used to produce high precision parts. As we mentioned before, waterjet machines are capable of producing parts without heat affected zones and can process a wide range of materials. Waterjet machines can be used to make precise cuts in metal, glass, stone, ceramics, plastics and even wood.
On the other hand, lasers can be used to quickly machine sheet metal parts while providing good performance on up to 1 in. thick mild steel. In addition to this, laser cutting is beneficial as it offers unattended operation and low operating costs.
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