WATERJET CUTTING
Waterjet cutting uses a high-pressure jet stream of water mixed with an abrasive to cut almost any material. This cutting process allows complicated parts to be produced within tight tolerances.Our waterjet is capable of cutting almost any two-dimensional design that you can imagine. We can use a file provided by you, or our in-house designers can help bring your idea to life. Our designers can utilize your provided digital drawings, cardboard cutouts & templates, sketches, scanned images, and physical parts.Please send our designer an estimate request via email, phone, or fax.
Be sure to enclose the relevant technical drawings and other necessary information about your project.Custom Products
Replicated Mechanical Parts
Signs
Monograms
License Plate Frames
Bottle Openers
Tags and Labels
Clipboards
Quick Estimate
Starting with a digital drawing prepared as DXF, DWG, or PDF is the quickest way to get an estimation. To expedite the estimation and purchase order process, please be prepared to provide the following information.
Other drawing types or design services may increase lead times and costs.
Digital Drawing as DXF, DWG, or PDF
Part Count
Part Tolerance
Material Type
Material Thickness
Special Handling & Notes
Capabilities:
Units: Imperial
Our shop uses imperial units. If your drawing uses metric units be sure to specify this in your documents or verbally.
Cutting Area: 4’x5’
Our machine has a maximum cutting area of 4’x5’ and a maximum loading area of 4’7”x6’4”.
Qualities: Extra Fine to Course
High quality cuts are among the reasons that many designers and manufacturers choose waterjet cutting. The standard medium waterjet cutting quality provides smooth and uniform edges. We also offer a variety of cutting qualities ranging from course to extra fine.
The waterjet uses a cold cutting process which eliminates the effects of heat caused by traditional cutting methods such as distortion, warping, or weak points on the material.
Materials: Any, Up to 6”
Our waterjet is capable of working with a variety of materials and thicknesses. We can cut most materials with thicknesses up to 6”. Below are several materials we work with regularly. Ask us about other materials types.
Aluminum
Steel: Mild, Stainless, and Hardened
Brass, Bronze, and Copper
Inconel & Titanium
Glass & Mirror (No Tempered Glass)
Stone & Ceramics
Plastics, Acrylics, and Resins
Composites such as fiberglass
Wood
We cannot cut these material types.
Diamonds
Tempered Glass
Files
Our preferred working files are .DXF, .DWG, and .PDF.
If you cannot produce one of the accepted file types please give us a call.
AutoCAD
Save as .DXF (Drawing eXchange Format) or .DWG (DraWinG)
Create and save drawing at full scale with only features to be cut (no drawing sheet format, no dimensions)(material outline OK)
Draw holes that will be tapped at tap drill size.
Explode all blocks, groups and symbols.
Purge drawing before saving. (In AutoCad: File|Drawing Utilities|Purge)
We prefer to create any nesting. We can usually nest parts at 0.1 inch spacing.
Provide paper drawing or additional CAD file of part with dimensions and tolerances.
Adobe Illustrator
Ensure that all text is converted to outlines
Verify that View | Outline shows all lines as they will be cut.
Export as DXF with 2013 compatibility.
Raster / Bitmap Art
If you do not have CAD drawings or vector artwork we can produce them for you. We have the tools & techniques to create cuttable outlines from most raster graphics.
Some common examples of raster based files include JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, PSD, PDF, TGA, TIFF, etc.
For best results, ensure the provided image is of the highest quality and resolution possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you supply materials for my project?
A: Yes. We can supply most common materials such as aluminum and steel.
Q: May I provide my own material?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you replicate an existing part?
A: Yes, we can replicate most mechanical parts. Please bring the part to our shop so our team may take accurate measurements.
Q: Can you produce parts with 3D components?
A: No. Our machine uses a 2-axis design which excludes bevels, counter bores, helical shapes, and other 3D designs.
Q: Can you stack materials to increase part yields per run?
A: Yes, this works well in some situations. Ask us about the benefits and drawbacks of material stacking.
Q: Can you cut parts and materials that have already been painted or finished?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you cut parts that have already been formed?
A: Sometimes, please inquire if your part is already formed.
Q: Does waterjet cutting leave a rough edge or burr?
A: Yes. The waterjet cutting will leave an edge similar to conventional machining.