Question 1

What materials can a waterjet cut?

Accepted Answer

The Finecut WMC500II waterjet can cut virtually all materials such as wood, rubber, glass, metal alloys, engineering ceramics, carbides, combined materials etc. It can also cut combined materials with complex structures such as sandwich materials like carbon fibre reinforced plastics with honeycomb. Harder materials such as alumina or zirconia generally require harder abrasive material to obtain an efficient waterjet cutting process.

Question 2

Is there any material that a waterjet cannot cut?

Accepted Answer

Hardened glass cannot be cut with a waterjet as it has a stress balance where any disturbance will make it crack. Diamond is difficult to cut due to its extreme hardness. Theoretically, it can be cut but it requires an abrasive material in the cutting process that is extremely hard which will give impractically short life length of the focus tubes currently available.

Question 3

Why do you need abrasive material?

Accepted Answer

Soft materials can sometimes be cut with pure water. Most dense materials of higher strength will require that you add abrasive material in the jet in order to be cut efficiently. Water itself is not erosive enough to quickly remove material and cut through; the particle erosion from the abrasives makes the cutting process more aggressive. You can use abrasive of different materials and sizes and you need to select the abrasive with respect to the hardness of the material you intend to cut.

Question 4

What is the difference between traditional abrasive waterjet cutting and micro abrasive waterjet cutting?

Accepted Answer

The micro abrasive waterjet cutting system is optimized and scaled down, enabling work with a kerf down to 0.2mm. With the small kerf you are able to cut complex, narrow geometries. Micro abrasive waterjet cutting requires a very stable and precise machine. The Finecut WMC500II has a motion system which is mechanically linked to the workpiece, making it less sensitive to external influence. Micro waterjet consumes significantly lower flows of water and abrasive material.

Question 5

How fast can a waterjet cut?

Accepted Answer

The speed of waterjet cutting depends on material properties and thickness of the material you want to cut as well as the edge cut quality you wish to achieve. The Finecut WMC500II waterjet machine can move the cutting head with a speed of 20 m/min. As with any abrasive waterjet, cutting speed will affect the quality of the cut.

Question 6

Can you remove material without cutting through?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Finecut WMC500II can be used for milling purposes. By selecting appropriate nozzle combination, water pressure, abrasive flow and controlling the traverse speed of the jet you can choose if you like to cut through or only remove material to a desired depth. 3D surfaces can be achieved by scanning over the surface.

Question 7

How thick/thin material can you cut with the micro abrasive waterjet?

Accepted Answer

The Finecut WMC500II is suitable for cutting materials up to 30 mm thickness, but there are always exceptions depending on material properties and quality requirements. The machine itself has no limit in how thin materials that can be cut; the limit for thin materials depends on how fixturing and material handling is solved.

Question 8

What do I need to think of before installing Finecut WMC 500II?

Accepted Answer

The Finecut machine requires a controlled environment. The temperature should not vary much and preferably be kept around 20°C. The fine abrasive powders are sensitive to moisture. The machine needs a supply of electric power, pneumatic air (6.5 bar, dry and oil free) and water. Good water quality is essential for the operation.

Question 9

How much space is required for the Finecut system?

Accepted Answer

The Finecut system is easy to place in a normal workshop. Since the machine is encapsulated it can be situated next to other precision CNC machines. The Finecut machine itself has a footprint of 2 by 1.5 meter (6.6 by 4.9 foot). If small footprint is important, the high-pressure pump can be placed at a remote location.

Question 10

Why is the water quality important?

Accepted Answer

Water generally contains minerals both in solution and particles. Particles need to be removed as they can damage pump seals and the jewel orifice that creates the high supersonic water jet. To obtain an efficient jet the jewel orifice needs to have a circular sharp edge. Particles being accelerated towards the jet can strike and damage edges with detrimental effect on jet performance.

Question 11

How long does the focusing tube last?

Accepted Answer

The focusing tubes wear conically from the top down, staying quite stable in dimension until the wear cone approaches the end of the focusing tube. The lifetime depends on orifice size and pressure, diameter ratio, amount and type of abrasives used, and the length of the focusing tube. The FAW300 focusing tubes are often used about 100 hours.

Question 12

Do I need experience from waterjet cutting in order to run the Finecut WMC500II?

Accepted Answer

No, you do not need experience from waterjet cutting nor experience from CNC programming or others. The Finecut WMC500II has a unique intuitive HMI (human machine interface) which is very easy to learn, use and operate. The interface is modern with apps and symbols you know from your daily life.

Question 13

What daily maintenance do Finecut WMC500II require?

Accepted Answer

Most important tasks are: Keep the abrasives dry and always close the containers after filling. Keep the machine clean to make sure any build-up of abrasive will not affect your fixturing or motion. Check the high-pressure connections for leakage. Check that the water treatment is activated. It is always a good idea to end the day by cleaning and inspecting the equipment.

Question 14

Does micro abrasive waterjet cutting generate heat?

Accepted Answer

The micro abrasive waterjet is a non-thermal cutting process. On a micro scale the erosion mechanisms create momentarily very localized heat but it is continuously cooled by water and will not create heating that changes material properties. The process is generally not required to use a water cooler system.

Question 15

Can options be retrofitted?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all options can be retrofitted. Customers that decide to buy a Finecut WMC500II can be sure that they can add existing options later on and they can also benefit from new, future developments.

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