Advancements in waterjet technology lead to new uses, industries
To say the waterjet industry has undergone major changes over the past few decades is like saying water is wet. For those who work with waterjets on a regular basis, there is much more to it than cool YouTube videos demonstrating how a waterjet can cut through a steel anvil. The evolution has been remarkable, and it has led to new ways for waterjet companies to think about the work they do for their customers and the output they produce on a regular basis.
Talking with industry experts, we’ve identified several key trends that will shape the industry for years to come, as well as how changes will impact those who make a living using waterjets and the companies they work with.
Waterjet technology has come a long way since it was invented as a cutting process in 1965. Originally intended as a new method to cut lumber, Norman Franz invented the first waterjet cutting machine, which led to the installation of a commercial system five years later at a company that cut cardboard boxes. From there, the industry has boomed, with waterjets now capable of cutting through steel anvils and granite countertops like a hot knife through butter.
Similar to early computers that took up entire rooms, waterjets have evolved over time, becoming a much more refined device that can be used alongside other shop tools, instead of taking up entire wings of manufacturing shops—due to their size and the overall unpredictability of the technology.
But thanks to advances in computing power vis-a-vis smart and connected machines, it’s easier than ever for an operator to select the correct setting on the waterjet and achieve the desired part.
One brand at the forefront of advancements in waterjet technology is the Omax line of products, manufactured in Kent, Wash., and part of the Hypertherm Associates family of brands (Hypertherm acquired Omax in 2019). Omax was one of the first companies to introduce efficient abrasive waterjet machining, and its technology is a boon for customers that want to consistently cut to the chase.
“With today’s waterjet technology, operators can be assured that the part will be exactly as they intended, every time,” declared Steve Ulmer, director of regional waterjet sales for Hypertherm Associates. “Our technology optimizes the tool path so that the part comes out properly with less water and abrasives used, meaning the customer gets to lower operating costs at the same time.”
The Omax MicroMAX abrasive waterjet tool has narrowed resolution to one micron—4,400 calculations per inch. This precise level of cutting gives users the ability to cut hyper accurate parts, within one one-thousandth of an inch. This can be used for various applications, and they see a lot of usage from electronics, medical, tool & die, and micromachining companies.
Omax has also rolled out its next-generation waterjet, called, OptiMAX, which is designed to quickly turn prints into parts with less reliance on operators. The new technology provides manufacturers with versatile cutting solutions, featuring intuitive software that includes improved automation to maximize uptime, according to the supplier.
“The OptiMAX represents the pinnacle in abrasive waterjet cutting,” added Ulmer. “It builds upon everything the Omax team has learned during the past three decades to deliver the most capable and efficient waterjet cutting system available today, so our customers are able to easily achieve optimal cutting outcomes.”
Computing power advances aren’t the only thing allowing waterjetting to move forward as a manufacturing tool. Waterjets wouldn’t be where they are today without a steady increase in water pressure that has risen alongside more efficient cutting technology.
As water pressure rises, the garnet added to the head of the jet becomes more efficient, making it more effective in cutting a variety of material.
“We have seen waterjet pressure surpass the 88,000 psi threshold in just the past five years, which is up considerably from the 50,000 psi we had gotten used to,” noted Jim Fields, president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Techni Waterjet LLC. “The change in pressure is the single greatest improvement we’ve seen in this industry over the past 30 years and we expect it to continue to go up as new advancements come on board.”
Techni Waterjet’s variable feeder allows for precise automatic adjustments to the abrasive that is being delivered. This allows for greater versatility when adjusting the time needed to cut materials, a more convenient way of operating the feeder system, and less blockage that can build up during low pressure piercing, according to the company.
“In a traditional waterjet scenario, the garnet is delivered to a waterjet machine via a gravity system that is manually controlled, leading to inaccurate and imprecise measurements,” Fields noted. “We’ve built intelligence into our feeder that allows for better efficiency that, ultimately, leads to cost savings.”
Techni Waterjet is also at the forefront of predictive maintenance, with TechSense ensuring proper abrasive flow during cutting. If the software foresees a problem, TechSense warns the operator with an SMS message or flashing lights, and pauses the machine if it identifies a more severe issue.
In a traditional waterjet scenario, maintenance isn’t done on the machine until it’s too late, which leads to downtime and expensive repairs. With Techni Waterjet’s proprietary reactionary maintenance protocol, the end user can schedule maintenance when the machine isn’t scheduled to cut.
“Advanced diagnostics are going to change the game when it comes to waterjet cutting,” Fields said. “It not only reduces downtime but also helps the company cut costs associated with downtime, which increases their profits. In this case, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
When waterjetting was coming into its own as a viable cutting solution, those who ran the machines had to have a specific skillset because the machines had unique attributes for optimal use.
Early on, waterjet programming was done in G-code, which is the most widely used numerical computer programming language. But even though it was a ubiquitous language used in many machine shops, you had to find the right coder to complete the work.
“The waterjet can be a tricky tool to use, so you had to have the right person in place who could not only program the waterjet, but ensure that the selected cutting speeds were actually optimal for the material type, thickness, and cutting head parameters,” explained Tim Fabian, vice president of marketing and product management, for Shape Technologies Group’s Flow Waterjet unit in Kent, Wash.
But thanks to more advances in how waterjets can be deployed, the need for specific skills has lessened, which means companies don’t have to find a specialist to operate the waterjet. It can be as simple as booting up a laptop, getting trained on the software, and performing the job.
Flow developed software that allows anyone to be at the helm of waterjet cutting, eliminating the need for highly trained individuals. When the software is deployed, more cutting can be done at a faster pace without sacrificing quality.
“FlowMaster Control is our proprietary software that has 40-plus years of experience in this industry built right in, so anyone using it can get the hang of it pretty easily,” said Fabian. “It uses Windows—something everyone is familiar with—so they only have to select options like material type and thickness from drop-down menus, and then the waterjet is ready to start cutting with optimal speed and accuracy.”
The ease in which waterjetting can be done—something that couldn’t be said 10 or 15 years ago—has also led to different types of customers using the technology. With software and guidance that makes it easier than ever, the industry has come a long way from cutting cardboard boxes, giving some of the smaller mom-and-pop shops the opportunity to experience how waterjets can positively impact their business.
It wasn’t so long ago that customers and potential clients were in awe of the ability to cut material with a high-pressure stream of water. The very act was considered an advancement of epic proportions, giving companies “magical-cutting” powers, according to some observers.
Along the way, however, the tech got easier and more intuitive, and waterjet companies became smarter. They realized there were inroads to make by providing customers with the tools to do the waterjet cutting themselves, especially as the threshold for DIY waterjet cutting was lowered.
“There has definitely been a push toward providing equipment with a smaller footprint that is lighter duty to provide waterjet cutting capabilities to the broadest segment of the customer population,” said Steve Murray, president, Jet Edge, based in St. Michael, Minn. “And with this shift in offerings has come a significant change in the level of customization we see, as there is more product specification created that is unique to their specific application, thereby enhancing accuracy, throughput, and labor productivity.”
Thanks to an injection of money into the economy in the form of PPP loans, more shops are doing their own cutting; it makes sense from both a financial and productivity standpoint. Gone are the days when a customer had to work closely with a waterjet company to have projects completed to their exact specifications, worrying if the end product was going to live up to their standards.
“The technology is evolving so rapidly that it makes sense we are seeing a change in the approach to waterjet cutting,” Murray explained. “As applications continue to broaden relative to traditional methods, it becomes easier for the customer to do their own cutting, which leads to greater profits on their end.”
What might not be expected is that waterjetting is going beyond cutting, with some companies looking at additional ways to take advantage of systems with increasing water pressure.
“When you have water pressure like this at your disposal, it suddenly becomes apparent that there are other ways to use it, and we’re seeing quite a few customers using our waterjet technology with robotics in trim cells or to clean aerospace parts with ease. It just goes to show you the versatility of this technology,” Murray noted.
All in all, more companies are using waterjet technology, which benefits the whole industry.
As more companies find ways to use waterjet technology, there are some surprises to be had when it comes to the different industries that have found success in using waterjet cutting for very specific needs.
Take the airline industry, or, more specifically, aviation. This typically has not been an industry that comes to mind when you think about where a waterjet can be deployed, but it makes a lot of sense.
One example is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that debuted in 2007. The high-profile airplane was designed to be more fuel efficient than its predecessor, the 767. But to reach that goal, it would have to be lighter.
The Dreamliner contained hard materials that needed to be cut in precise patterns for the plane to reach its targeted mass. This wasn’t a job for traditional cutting processes due to the aerospace industry’s stringent demands and concerns that extra material could add weight, when every ounce counts.
Waterjetting proved to be an ideal solution because it uses a cold-cutting process (cold water). A traditional hot-cutting process can damage or compromise the integrity of the material it’s cutting, which is a potentially disastrous consequence for an airplane.
Another industry where waterjet is gaining a surprising foothold is food processing. Typically, cutting foodstuffs took a lot of work done by hand with specialty cutting tools.
Not so with waterjets. Waterjet cutting offers users precision and control over the process with the ability to cut in a variety of shapes and sizes not replicated with other cutting methods where you can use only one tool for one job.
“Waterjet is a technology that really can touch every industry imaginable, thanks in part to the myriad ways in which it can be deployed under various conditions,” Jet Edge’s Murray explained. “We’ve even seen waterjet cutting used to cut pits out of cherries before they are jarred,” he continued, “making a process that was once tedious and difficult a snap to implement.”
The ability for waterjetting to be programmed and deployed in such a precise manner as cherry pit removal speaks to the technology’s versatile and broad application potential.
“It used to be that waterjet programming for jobs took hours due to the intricacy of the software and the high level of skill the programmer needed to maintain,” noted Flow Waterjet’s Fabian. “But thanks to advances in software capabilities, programming is a much easier endeavor than it was before, leading to perfect parts in minutes.”
Rather than having to program a project for a specific job and then endure downtime between jobs, today’s waterjet cutting tools can swap out jobs in minutes, finishing multiple projects in the time it used to take to finish one.
Furthermore, the obvious benefits waterjets offer are no longer relegated to enterprise companies with massive budgets. The innovation and proven practical applications have made it so that waterjets are close to becoming a valuable tool for the largest Fortune 100 companies all the way down to small shops that have never been able to reap the benefits waterjetting provides.
In a day and age where technology is constantly being upgraded to give companies across industries an advantage, waterjets are poised to be the next evolutionary tool of customization and results.
Connect With Us
