How Does It Work?

The Waterjet pressurises water up to 55,000 psi and then forces it through a small sapphire or diamond orifice at 2500 feet (762 meters) per second, or about two and half times the speed of sound.

Garnet abrasive is then pulled into this high-speed stream of water, and mixed with the water in a long composite carbide mixing tube. A stream of abrasive-laden water moving at 1000 feet per second (305m/sec - 682mph) exits the ceramic tube. This jet of water and abrasive is then directed at the material to be machined.

The jet drags the abrasive through the material in a curved path and the resulting centrifugal forces press the particles against the work piece. Abrasivejet machinings' cutting action is a grinding process, but rather than using a solid grinding wheel, the forces and motions of the cutting action are provided by water.