Waterjet CNC

[Conrad_Turbo]

I've been budgeting for a 4' x 8' CNC plasma table for quite some time...however I am wanting to do more than just cut steel, stainless and aluminum. I plan on possibly doing marble, plastic and various other "non-plasma working" material. Any idea on the cost of a waterjet setup using the same table/controls as a plasma table? Would a Z axis be needed since there is no need for "torch height control" needed?

I plan on doing a lot of searching on this site.

[HAAS MM]

conrad,
the place i work just bought their second water cutting table. the main table was made by jet edge its a 4 head unit, and the table is some where in the ball park of 6 feet wide by 14 feet long. we cut just about every thing on it as well. from wood to plastic to fire resistant fiber glass. the second table is made by omax and its just a little single head table with a total travel of 26 inches in both directions. as for the z axis its a must, if the head it to high above the part it wont cut the part very nice. and if the sheet isnt even or you need to clear an object you can lift the heads up. as for price i have no idea what one of these machine would cost. but they are worth the money.

[DennisCNC]

You will need a Z axis for sure, also the cost at minimum for the the intensifier, tubing, head and hoper ~$17k, that is if you find used items.

[Conrad_Turbo]

I did quite a bit of searching on the site...wow definatley a lot more to a waterjet system than a "plain old" plasma setup. I'll probably stick with the plasma for now, eventually probably stepping up to a waterjet system since it will be much more versatile for the eventual work I will be doing.

I was thinking THC to control the plasma voltage...however overlooked that the waterjet will be cutting different thickness parts so it will need an adjustable Z axis as well, but maybe not as dynamic as a plasma cutting setup.

[Torchhead]

I can't think of two more incompatable types of cutting than plasma and waterjet! To do some of the media you listed you need to look at rotary cutting (router). That would work better on a combo machine.

All of the stuff stated about waterjet cutting is true. It's expensive to setup, expensive to run and generates a lot of waste to get rid of.

Tom Caudle
www.CandCNC.com

[HAAS MM]

if you go with plasma just keep any machine tools away from it. i was at a place we supply parts to checking out one of their milling machines and we got to talking about plasma cutters and how one of the gases used in the cutting process with cause bare metal objects to rust.

[Torchhead]

Originally Posted by HAAS MM if you go with plasma just keep any machine tools away from it. i was at a place we supply parts to checking out one of their milling machines and we got to talking about plasma cutters and how one of the gases used in the cutting process with cause bare metal objects to rust.

???? Shop air? They must have been using a Hy Def unit with oxygen...very corrosive. The plasma smoke is largely vaporized metal. So mild steel in the presence of moisture and air will rust. The stuff that comes out of the process puts a nasty dirty dark film on anything within 100 ft if good extraction is not used.

I advise anyone considering a commercial application of plasma cutting to think about putting the table in an enclosed room (or tent) with dust extraction if you want to protect other nearby equipment/people.

Tom Caudle
www.Candcnc.com

[ProductionPal]

There are many benefits to waterjet machining that are worth the expense of operation...it's finding the proper work for the machine. It is great for titanium jobs that yeild $$, but can't compete with the speed of a laser on thin metals. Jobs that require the material not be affected by heat is another high-dollar asset to your comany. Also, more companies who cut soft materials or food products are using waterjet(water only cutting) as a more cost-effective/sanitary method. The imagination can still be used in waterjet applicaions...

[ProductionPal]

Average cost of operating a waterjet with one cutting head(approx $$):

Power & Water= $20.84/hr
Consumable Parts & Abrasive(1 1/2 lb./min)= $26.25/hr
Total approx cost being around $47/hr + labor

Average waterjet shop rates MN are approx. $120 to $150/hr.

[xjdubber]

another thing to think about, when coming from plasma where everything cuts nice and fast, waterjets are super slow. A lot of material you'll be cutting at 2-3ipm

[ProductionPal]

Agreed...

[mika28au]

One piece of advice I can offer as far as waterjet machines go stay away from the cheap Chinese ones. I've been around a few waterjets one Italian one which was adequate and two Chinese ones one of them being a SAME waterjet , terrible after market service , they have no part numbers for their machines ???? so when it comes to ordering spares which is quite frequent it's a struggle to get the right parts it took four months and three shipments to get the pump heads and I'm still waiting for a new hand control.
So although @$60,000 us seems cheap but the down time and repairs quickly add to the expense .
And if anyone knows of a suitable waterjet for cutting glass thats capable of working faster than 400mm per minute (SAME waterjet) upto $120,000 I could be interested in a new one.