Study: Abrasives for waterjet cutting: Which is the right one?
Waterjet cutting is a flexible cutting technology that can be used to cut a wide range of materials. From soft materials such as plastic or rubber to stone and ceramics to hard materials such as steel - waterjet can process these workpieces.
However, a simple high-pressure water jet is not enough for hard materials such as metal. An abrasive is required to support the cutting process during waterjet cutting.
The choice of abrasives for waterjet cutting is huge. However, choosing the wrong abrasive can not only have a negative impact on the quality of your cuts, because in the worst case scenario, the material can also suffer irreparable damage.
Our experts at Eckert Cutting would like to help you avoid making mistakes with the wrong abrasive when waterjet cutting. Based on our latest study, you can see how much an abrasive can affect the quality and also the cutting speed.
Study by Eckert: comparison between abrasives
Our experts compared several abrasives with each other. An OPAL WATERJET waterjet cutting machine from Eckert Cutting equipped with a Pro-X 3D FL cutting head served as the basis. The abrasives tested for waterjet cutting include:
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GMA CLASSIC CUT 80
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GARNET POLSKA MESH80 E+
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Barton HPA 80
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Barton HPX 80
The cutting material used was aluminum #20 with grade PA. All settings of the waterjet cutting machine remained the same, including the water flow and the amount of abrasive used.</p
Based on the selected quality of the cuts, our experts were able to use the cutting speed (in mm/min) to determine which of the abrasives is best suited to waterjet cutting this grade of aluminum. In order to obtain meaningful values, the abrasive GMA CLASSIC CUT 80 from Australia was determined as a reference.
The result:
The cutting speed differs greatly, especially for coarser cuts (Q2). The more precise the cuts become, the smaller the deviation in the values.
Nevertheless, Barton HPX 80 is by far the best performer. However, the better cutting speed also comes at a price. GARNET POLSKA MESH80 E+ comes from India as an abrasive for waterjet cutting, but performs only slightly worse. However, the costs are significantly lower.
Barton HPA 80 delivers the worst result, but it can still make sense to choose it instead of its "big brother" HPX 80. If you only use the cutting machine for a few hours a day, HPA 80 could be a cheaper alternative. For three-shift operation, however, a higher-quality abrasive should definitely be used.
Our study shows you how much the performance of abrasives for waterjet cutting can differ from one another. However, the test only shows you part of the spectrum of abrasives and compares them with each other on one material grade. A different abrasive may be more suitable for other grades.
Do you need advice? Contact the experts at Eckert Cutting now! We will help you to find the right abrasive for your purposes!
Why do many people choose the wrong abrasive?
The choice of the wrong abrasive for waterjet cutting is not always due to insufficient experience or poor advice from the manufacturer. In most cases, cost-effectiveness is the main reason for choosing the wrong abrasive.
But what advantages does an abrasive have in waterjet cutting if the precision of the cuts becomes inaccurate? The cutting speed can also be reduced to such an extent that the low-cost abrasive no longer pays off in terms of production volume.
Eckert Cutting will be happy to advise you on finding the optimum abrasive for your purposes. We also offer training and refresher courses that you and your staff can attend on topics such as abrasives and more. Here you will also receive the know-how on how to find and select the perfect abrasive for your requirements.