Essentially, it makes use of a water jet cutter consisting of a nozzle with a fine aperture, which is fed with high-pressure ‘softened’ water from a pump. Nozzles have to withstand the high pressures used – typically up to 4,100 bar – and be highly resistant to erosion, says Hinchcliffe.
Water jet cutting requires no blade to be sharpened and cleaned regularly. It also reduces the chances of contamination, he adds.
Cuts are very clean and the water jets are very controllable 90° angles and corners can be cut with ease and, unlike laser cutting systems, they do not heat the product during cutting.
The likelihood of products becoming wet is rare, since the volume of water used is very small and it is moving at such a high velocity, says Hinchcliffe.
Machinery for water jetting include systems for the accurate positioning and movement of the cutter, together with the handling of products.
Depending on the complexity of the application and the degree of accuracy required, a wide range of sensor technologies are used, under the control of a programmable logic controller.
Contact Stelram Engineering for more information.