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Wow! Two years later and this post is still going...
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Some of you guys that have done it post up some pics please.
Wow! Two years later and this post is still going...
Waterjet cutters do an excellent job on most types of soft and hardwood but you need some garnet to cut- pure water is NOT enough.
CNC routing and CNC waterjet are two totally different beasts; if you have ever experience the mess that a waterjet generates you would quickly see that adapting a router is not a practical or viable solution.
A pressure washer; even one at 1750 PSI is no where near powerful enough. Even on foam and light materials you need a lot more power than that. To give you an example; our system runs at over 30,000 PSI which is at the lower end of pump pressures.
A home built water jet is something which isn't realistic; these machines have some very precisely machined parts manufactured from specialist materials.
It is hard to accept that DIY or homebuilt waterjet isn't realistic, because somewhere in the very early machines someone had had to start with the DIY process. This is almost with every invention and creation of products. How did most inventors of our time come up with the great inventions? Mostly at home in their shops or garages.
Given that some processes require especialized parts and machinery is not a reason for not been able to cook one up in a basement or garage somewhere. There are a lot of creative people in this forum and I believe that if we do not take the chance to experiment a little and build up on that process (DIY) then it makes it difficult to know the end results.
In this realm, I like to define success by stumbling on failures first and understaing of the process to control such. When you can do this, and not be afraid to get your hands dirty and your ego slapped, a couple times, then the sky is the limit.
amen CNCZONERAMICO, to gettin your hands dirty....nothing like proving those"you cant do that "people wrong too !!!
I don't think you appreciate just how dangerous waterjet cutting is. Homebuilt CNC routers are a realistic undertaking, waterjets just aren't something that can be thrown together on a "hit and miss" basis using whatever components are to hand. When you buy waterjet components and spare parts they all come with a pressure rated test stamp- a steel vessel exploding under 60,000 PSI in an enclosed workshop is the same as setting off a small bomb packed with shrapnel!!!!!
Find a local waterjet shop and ask to watch their system in action- you'll soon see exactly why a DIY approach is a non starter.
Waterjets are great machines BUT they have the potential to maim or kill in the blink of an eye.
When it comes to it just about any reasonable sized CNC machine can maim or kill very quickly, and pressure vessels filled with water at very high pressure may release an invisible jet at a leak but they will not explode generating shrapnel.Originally Posted by Signmaker
It would certainly be possible for one person to build a 'DIY' waterject but the range of machine tools and expertise needed to tackle such a project successfully puts them way beyond what is normally considered DIY especially home based DIY.
An open mind is a virtue...so long as all the common sense has not leaked out.
I have seen a waterjet in real action and have looked at the components that are used. But the pressure to cut steel is considerably a lot more than that which would be required to cut material I am interested in. The other thing is that I am thinking a little differently in the way typical water jets use water to cut and so this is where I think it is quite feasible to build something that will work, with a well equipped shop. I have some ideas but need time to realize them, current workload is heavy and I need to think the manufacturing of the parts well and through. Yes I am appreciative and respectful of Ultra High Pressure, having experienced the feel of a sand blaster on my hands running at only 100 PSI, multiply that times 600, you certainly have to keep this constantly on your mind.
As little as 5000psi can cut clothes. i worked with machines that cut 36 layers of clothes at 25000psi . Most pump are stainless steel and very heavily designed. for that psi. I have used presure washer pumps to cut plastics.they range from 1500 to 5000 psi.
in a sense I agree with signmaker water under high pressure is nothing to be fooling around with. But like with anything else with some caution and logical thinking quadruple checking you can work carefull. Ive worked on the kmt waterjets before, the way they work is quite simple power two hydraulic rams to move a piston in a smooth continuing motion to create the pressure.
The best and simple pump with alot psi is to design a dual stage Hydraulic ram (simular to concrete pumps( gear,bent axis and piston))
and have this reduced to active 10:1 again at the tool head.
the concept of the pumps is simular to this idea schwing concrete pump shown below.
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD-x3O0u0AA&lr=1"]Flow Waterjet Technology Overview - YouTube
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpDpnmyYraQ&feature=player_embedded"]The Next Generation of Waterjet - YouTube
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw0JZ6-83wc&feature=related"]Schwing concrete pump - YouTube
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wguZ3iBnotA&feature=related"]schwing concrete pump 2 - YouTube
some info on ABRASIVE PARTICLES AND WATER MIXING
http://lyle.smu.edu/rcam/research/waterjet/par9.html
Last edited by eloid; 01-29-2012 at 09:09 PM.
Below is a list of parts for water jet this will help user under stand how the over system works.
Waterjet Type 23
Waterjet Type 23 for Waterjet Cutting Machines by AMC Jets
Mixing Box
Paser 3 Mixing Box for Waterjet Cutting Machines by AMC Jets
Actuator Assembly on/off
Actuator Assembly on/off for Waterjet Cutting Machines by AMC Jets
Outlet for Check Valve Body
Outlet for Check Valve Body for Waterjet Cutting Machines by AMC Jets
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