Among various cutting methods, Waterjet cutting is one of the most useful machining processes that can be readily substituted for many other cutting methods; however, this method too has some limitations to what Steel Profiles it can cut. And for the people dealing in Waterjet Metal Cutting industry, it is necessary to be aware of these limitations. Listed below are some points that will give you a brief description of each.
- By using waterjet metal cutting method only a limited number of materials can be cut economically. Thus being one of the main disadvantages of waterjet cutting. While it is possible to cut tool steels, and other hard materials, the cutting rate has to be greatly reduced, and the time to cut a part can be very long. Because of this, waterjet cutting can be very costly and outweigh the other advantages that it offers.
- One more disadvantage of waterjet cutting method is that it is not possible to cut very thick parts with waterjet cutting as there may be problems in maintaining the dimensional accuracy of the metal to be cut. If the part is too thick, the jet may dissipate some, and cause it to steel cut on a diagonal, or to have a wider cut at the bottom of the part than the top. It can also cause a ruff wave pattern on the cut surface.
- Taper is also a problem with waterjet cutting in very thick materials. Taper is when the Steel Cutter jet exits the part at a different angle than it enters the part, and can cause dimensional inaccuracy. Decreasing the speed of the head may reduce this, although it can still be a problem.
