Introduction

Beyond cost cutting, the waterjet process is recognized as the most versatile and fastest
growing process in the world. Waterjets are used in high production applications across the
globe. They compliment other technologies such as milling, laser, EDM, plasma and routers.
No noxious gases or liquids are used in waterjet cutting, and waterjets do not create hazardous
materials or vapors. No heat effected zones or mechanical stresses are left on a waterjet cut
surface. It is truly a versatile, productive, cold cutting process.
The waterjet has shown that it can do things that other technologies simply cannot. From
cutting whisper thin details in stone, glass and metals; to rapid hole drilling of titanium; to
cutting of food, to the killing of pathogens in beverages and dips, the waterjet has proven
itself unique.

1. The Pump of Waterjet

One of the important part of water jet system is pump. Two types of pump can be used for
waterjet machines applications first is an intensifier based pump and secend one is direct
drive based pump.

1.1 Direct Drive Pump 1.2 Intensifier Based Pumps

The water circuit consists of the hydraulic pump, oil reservoir,

The direct drive pump operates
in the same manner as a low-
pressure “pressure washer” that
you may have used to pressure
wash a house or deck prior to
repainting. It is a triplex pump
that gets the movement of the
three plungers directly from the
electric motor. These pumps are
gaining acceptance in the
waterjet industry due to their
simplicity. direct drive pumps
can deliver a maximum
continuous operating pressure 10
to 25% lower than intensifier
pumps units (20k to 50k for
direct drive, 40k to 60k for
intensifiers).
inlet water filters, booster pump,
intensifier, and shock attenuator.
Ordinary tap water is filtered by
the inlet water filtration system –
usually comprising of a 1 and a
0.45 micron cartridge filter. The
filtered water then travels to the
booster pump, where the inlet
water pressure is maintained at
approximately 90 psi – ensuring
the intensifier is never “starved
for water.” The filtered water is
then sent to the intensifier pump
and pressurized to up to 60,000
psi. Before the water leaves the
pump unit to travel through the
plumbing to the cutting head, it
first passes through the shock
attenuator. This large vessel
dampens the pressure fluctuations
to ensure the water exiting the
cutting head is steady and
consistent. Without the
attenuator, the water stream
would visibly and audibly pulse,
leaving marks on the material
being cut.
The hydraulic circuit consists of
an electric motor (25 to 200 HP),
manifold, and piston
biscuit/plunger. The electric
motor powers the hydraulic
pump. The hydraulic pump
pulls oil from the reservoir and
pressurizes it to 3,000 psi. This
pressurized oil is sent to the
manifold where manifold’s
valves create the stroking action
of the intensifier by sending
hydraulic oil to one side of the
biscuit/plunger assembly, or the
other. The intensifier is a
reciprocating pump, in that the
biscuit/plunger assembly
reciprocates back and forth,
delivering high-pressure water
out one side of the intensifier
while low-pressure water fills
the other side. The hydraulic oil
is then cooled during the return
back to the reservoir.
The advanced technology in the
pump is found in the intensifier.
As mentioned briefly in the
description of the water circuit,
the intensifier pressurizes the
filtered tap water to up to
60,000 psi.

Intensifier pumps utilize the
“intensification principle.”
Hydraulic oil is pressurized to a
pressure of, say, 3,000 psi. The
oil pushes against a piston
biscuit. A plunger with a face
area of 20 times less than the
biscuit pushes against the water.
Therefore, the 3,000-psi oil
pressure is “intensified” twenty
times, yielding 60,000-psi water
pressure. The “intensification
principle” varies the area
component of the pressure
equation to intensify, or
increase, the pressure.
Pressure = Force /Area
If Force = 20, Area = 20, then
Pressure = 1. If we hold the
Force constant and greatly
reduce the Area, the Pressure
will go UP. For example,
reduce the Area from 20 down
to 1, the Pressure now goes up
from 1 to 20. In the sketch
below, the small arrows denote
the 3,000 psi of oil pressure
pushing against a biscuit face
that has 20 times more area than
the face of the plunger. The
intensification ratio, therefore,
is 20:1.
In the illustration below, the biscuit and plungers are in the green
section and outlined in red. The biscuit contains the small arrow
suggesting movement to the left. The two water plungers extend
from either side of the biscuit. High-pressure water is delivered
out the left side while low-pressure water refills the right. At the
end of travel, the biscuit/plunger assembly sequence is reversed.
Sophisticated check valves ensure the low pressure and high-
pressure water is only allowed to travel one direction. The high-
pressure cylinders and end caps that encase the plunger and
biscuit assembly are specially designed to withstand the
enormous force and the constant fatigue.The entire unit is
designed for long life, while also designed to fail in a safe way.
Waterjet systems fail in a gradual, rather than instantaneous way.
The seals and connections begin to leak slowly through specially
designed weep holes. The operator or maintenance person can see
a drip escaping from a weep hole. The location of the drip and the
amount of water indicate when maintenance should be performed.
Usually, the maintenance person can schedule the periodic
maintenance of seals and check valves out 1 to 2 weeks into the
future by simply monitoring the gradual weeping. Warning and
shutdown sensors also cover the pumping unit to further
safeguard against pump damage.
Troubleshooting of an intensifier is quite simple. Dripping of hot
water from a weep hole indicates a high-pressure leak, cold water
indicates low-pressure. In the actual image, those drops labeled
hot or warm are in red, cold is in blue.
Full Screen of this picture
at final paper

2. Types of Waterjets
2.1 Pure Waterjet
Pure waterjet is the original
water cutting method. The first
commercial applications were
in the early to mid 1970s, and
involved the cutting of
corrugated cardboard. The
largest uses for pure waterjet
cutting are disposable diapers,
tissue paper, and automotive
interiors. In the cases of tissue
paper and disposable diapers
the waterjet process creates less
moisture on the material than
touching or breathing on it.
2.1.1 Pure Waterjet Attributes
• Very thin stream (0.004 to 0.010
inch in diameter is the common range)
• Extremely detailed
geometry
• Very little material loss due
to cutting
• Non-heat cutting
• Cut very thick
• Cut very thin
• Usually cuts very quickly
• Able to cut soft, light
materials (e.g., fiberglass insulation up
to 24” thick)
• Extremely low cutting
forces
• Simple fixturing
• 24 hour per day operation
2.1.2 Pure waterjet cutting head
As you may recall from an
earlier section of this document,
the basic waterjet process
involves water flowing from a
pump, through plumbing, and
out a cutting head.
In waterjet cutting, the material
removal process can be
described as a supersonic
erosion process. It is not
pressure, but stream velocity
that tears away microscopic
pieces or grains of material.
Pressure and velocity are two
distinct forms of energy. But
how is the pump’s water
pressure converted to this other
form of energy, water velocity?
The answer lies in a tiny jewel.
A jewel is affixed to the end of
the plumbing tubing. The jewel
has a tiny hole in it. The
pressurized water passes
through this tiny opening
changing the pressure to
velocity. At approximately
40,000 psi the resulting stream
that passes out of the orifice is
traveling at Mach 2. And at
60,000 psi the speed is over
Mach 3. Pure waterjet orifice
diameter ranges from 0.004 to
0.010 inch for typical cutting.
When waterblasting concrete
with a nozzle traversing back
and forth on a tractor, a single
large orifice of up to 1/10 th of
an inch is often used.
The three common types of
orifice materials (sapphire,
ruby, diamond) each have their
own unique attributes. Sapphire
is the most common orifice
material used today. It is a man-
made, single crystal jewel. It
has a fairly good quality stream,
and has a life, with good water
quality, of approximately 50 to
100 cutting hours. In abrasive
waterjet applications the
Sapphire’s life is ½ that of pure
waterjet applications. Sapphires
typically cost between $15 and
$30 each.
2.2 Abrasive Waterjets
The abrasive waterjet differs
from the pure waterjet in just a
few ways. In pure waterjet, the
supersonic stream erodes the
material. In the abrasive
waterjet, the waterjet stream
accelerates abrasive particles
and those particles, not the
water, erode the material. The
abrasive waterjet is hundreds, if
not thousands of times more
powerful than a pure waterjet.
Both the waterjet and the
abrasive waterjet have their
place. Where the pure waterjet
cuts soft materials, the abrasive
waterjet cuts hard materials,
such as metals, stone,
composites and ceramics.
Abrasive waterjets using
standard parameters can cut
materials with hardness up to
and slightly beyond aluminum
oxide ceramic (often called
alumina, AD 99.9).
2.2.1 Abrasive Waterjet Cutting
Heads
Within every abrasive waterjet
is a pure waterjet. Abrasive is
added after the pure waterjet
stream is created. Then the
abrasive particles are
accelerated, like a bullet in a
rifle, down the mixing tube.
The abrasive used in abrasive
waterjet cutting is hard sand
that is specially screened and
sized. The most common
abrasive is garnet. Garnet is
hard, tough and inexpensive.
Like the pink colored sandpaper
found at the hardware store,
different mesh sizes are used for
different jobs:
120 Mesh – produces smooth
surface
80 Mesh – most common,
general purpose
50 Mesh – cuts a little faster
than 80, with slightly rougher
surface
The mixing tube acts like a rifle
barrel to accelerate the abrasive
particles. They, like the orifice,
come in many different sizes
and replacement life. Mixing
tubes are approximately 3
inches long, ¼ inch in diameter,
and have internal diameters
ranging from 0.020 to 0.060
inch, with the most common
being 0.040 inch. Although the
abrasive waterjet machine
typically is considered simple to
operate and ‘bullet proof,’ the
mixing tube does require
operator attention. A major
technological advancement in
waterjet was the invention of
truly long-life mixing tubes.
Unfortunately, the longer life
tubes are far more brittle than
their predecessors, tungsten
carbide tubes. If the cutting
head comes in contact with
clamps, weights, or the target
material the tube may be
broken. Broken tubes cannot be
repaired. Today’s most
advanced systems incorporate
collision detection to spare the
mixing tube.
The standoff distance between
the mixing tube and the target
material is typically 0.010 to
0.200 inch. Larger standoff
(greater than 0.080 inch) can
cause a frosting to appear atop
the cut edge of the part. Many
waterjet systems reduce or
eliminate this frosting by
cutting under water or using
other techniques.
The consumable items in an
abrasive waterjet are the water,
abrasive, orifice (usually Ruby)
and mixing tube. The abrasive
and mixing tube are exclusive
to the abrasive waterjet. The
other consumables are also
found in the pure waterjet.
2.2.3 Abrasive Waterjet Attributes
• Extremely versatile process
• No Heat Affected Zones
• No mechanical stresses
• Easy to program
• Thin stream (0.020to 0.050 inch in
diameter)
• Extremely detailed
geometry
• Thin material cutting
• 10 inch thick cutting
• Stack cutting
• Little material loss due to
cutting
• Simple to fixture
• Low cutting forces (under 1 lb.
while cutting)
• One jet setup for nearly all
abrasive jet jobs
• Easily switched from single
to multi-head use
• Quickly switch from pure
waterjet to abrasive waterjet
• Reduced secondary
3. Basic waterjet principles
Waterjets are fast, flexible,
reasonably precise, and in the
last few years have become
friendly and easy to use. They
use the technology of high-
pressure water being forced
through a small hole (typically
called the "orifice" or "jewel")
to concentrate an extreme
amount of energy in a small
area. The restriction of the tiny
orifice creates high pressure and
a high-velocity beam, much like
putting your finger over the end
of a garden hose.Pure waterjets
use the beam of water exiting
the orifice to cut soft material
like diapers, candy bars, and
Typical design of a pure waterjet nozzle
The inlet water for a pure
waterjet is pressurized between
20,000 and 60,000 Pounds Per
Square Inch (PSI) (1300 to
6200 bar). This is forced
through a tiny hole in the jewel,
which is typically 0.007" to
0.020" in diameter (0.18 to 0.4
mm). This creates a very high-
velocity, very thin beam of
water (which is why some
people refer to waterjets as
"water lasers") traveling as
close to the speed of sound
(about 600 mph or 960 km/hr).
An abrasivejet starts out the
same as a pure waterjet. As the
thin stream of water leaves the
jewel, however, abrasive is
added to the the stream and
mixed. The high-velocity water
exiting the jewel creates a
vacuum which pulls abrasive
from the abrasive line, which
then mixes with the water in the
mixing tube. The beam of water
accelerates abrasive particles to
speeds fast enough to cut
through much harder materials.
A diagram of an abrasivejet nozzle

thin soft wood, but are not

effective for cutting harder
materials.
The cutting action of an
abrasivejet is two-fold. The
force of the water and abrasive
erodes the material, even if the
jet is stationary (which is how
the material is initially pierced).
The cutting action is greatly
enhanced if the abrasivejet
stream is moved across the
material and the ideal speed of
movement depends on a variety
of factors, including the
material, the shape of the part,
the water pressure and the type
of abrasive. Controlling the
speed of the abrasivejet nozzle
is crucial to efficient and
economical machining.
4. Advantages of waterjet
"If you need a machine and don't buy it,
then you will ultimately find you have paid
for it but don't have it" - Henry Ford.
There is a reason that waterjet
machining has rapidly grown in
popularity since the mid-1990's.
Actually there are a number of
reasons, listed below, but they
mostly come down to
"versatility." A waterjet is a
versatile and flexible machining
tool. You can cut a wide variety
of material efficiently and cost-
effectively and can create a
wide variety of parts.
4.1 Cut virtually any material
Because waterjets cut using
water and abrasive, they can
work with a wide variety of
materials. These materials
include:Aluminium, brass,
copper, Pre-hardened steel,
Mild steel, Exotic materials such
as titanium, inconel and
hastalloy, 304 stainless steel,
brittle materials such as ceramic,
quartz, stone, laminated
materials, flammable materials
One of the few materials that
cannot be cut with a waterjet is
tempered glass.
4.2 Fast setup and programming
With waterjet machining, a flat piece of material is placed on a table
and a cutting head moves across the material (although in some
custom systems, the material moves past a fixed head). This
simplicity means that it's fast and easy to change materials and that
no tool changes are required. All materials use the same cutting head,
so there is no need to program tool changes or physically qualify
multiple tools.
The movement of the machining head is controlled by a computer,
which greatly simplifies control of the waterjet. In most cases,
"programming" a part means using a CAD program to draw the part.
When you "push print," the part is made by the waterjet machine.
This approach also means that customers can create their own
drawings and bring them to a waterjet machine for creation.
4.3 No mechanical stresses
Waterjet machining does not introduce any stresses into the material.
4.5 Almost no heat generated on your part
What little heat is generated by the waterjet is absorbed by the water
and carried into the catch tank. The material itself experiences almost
no change in temperature during machining. During piercing 2" (5
cm) thick steel, temperatures may get as high as 120° F (50° C), but
otherwise machining is done at room temperature.
The result is that there is no heat affected zone (HAZ) on the
material. The absence of a HAZ means you can machine without
hardening the material, generating poisonous fumes, recasting, or
warping. You can also machine parts that have already been heat
treated.
4.6 Are very safe
Obviously, you don't put any body parts in front of a waterjet
machining head while it is on. Anything that can cut through 2" steel
will make short work of flesh and bone. Aside from this, however,
waterjets are very safe. A leak in a high-pressure water system tends
to result in a rapid drop in pressure to safe levels. Water itself is safe
and non-explosive and the garnet abrasive is also inert and non-toxic.
One of the largest hazards is cuts from the sharp edges of material
created by the waterjet.
4.7 Modern systems are now very easy to learn
Control of the waterjet head is complicated and requires careful
calculation to get the proper speed that will give the best result. This
means that the system needs to be controlled by a computer, which
means that the user-interface for the system can be simplified and
made friendlier. Modern systems are designed the same way as many
other computerized CAD systems and are quickly learned.
4.8 Environmentally friendly

As long as you are not machining a material that is hazardous, the spent abrasive and waste material become
suitable for land fill. The garnet abrasive is inert and can be disposed of with your other trash.If you are
machining lots of lead or other hazardous materials, you will still need to dispose of your waste
appropriately, and recycle your water. Keep in mind, however, that very little metal is actually removed in
the cutting process. This keeps the environmental impact relatively low, even if you do machine the
occasional hazardous material.In most areas, excess water is simply drained to the sewer. In some areas,
water treatment may be necessary prior to draining to sewer. In a few areas, a "closed loop" system that
recycles the water may be required.The pumps do use a considerable amount of electricity, though, so there
is some additional environmental (and cost) impact due to this.

4.9 No start hole required

Start holes are only required for materials that are difficult or impossible to pierce. A few poorly bonded
laminates can fall into this category, in which case pre-drilling or other special methods may be used.

4.10 Narrow kerf removes only a small amount of material

The amount of material removed by the waterjet stream is typically about 0.02" (0.5 mm) wide, meaning that
very little material is removed. When you are working with expensive material (such as titanium) or
hazardous material (such as lead), this can be a significant benefit. It also means that you can get more parts
from a given sheet of material.When machining or roughing out expensive materials such as titanium, your
scrap still has value. This is because you get chunks, not chips.

5. Advantages of waterjets compared with lasers

Laser cutting involves using a laser focused on

material to melt, burn, or vaporize the material.
The laser can be a gas laser (such as CO2) or a
solid-state laser. The laser beam can be static, and
the material moves in front of the laser, or the
laser can itself be moved across the material.
When the laser moves across the material,
additional optics are required as the distance from
the emitting end of the laser changes. Lasers have
the advantage over traditional machining methods
that the laser never touches the material (avoiding
contamination) and the HAZ is relatively small.

Waterjets have a number of advantages over lasers. In many respects, however, the two tools are
complementary and many machine shops own both of them.

1. Waterjets can machine reflective materials that lasers cannot, such as copper and aluminum.
Waterjets cut a wide range of material with no changes in setup required. Also, materials which are
heat-sensitive can be cut using waterjets.
2. Waterjet cutting does not heat your part. There is no heat-affected zone (HAZ) or thermal distortion,
which can occur with lasers. Waterjets do not change the properties of the material.
3. Abrasivejets typically use garnet as the abrasive material. Garnet is a non-reactive mineral that is
biologically inert. The only issue with waterjets is when you are cutting a material that is potentially
hazardous (such as lead), since small pieces of the material will be abraded and mix in with the spent
garnet.
4. There are no noxious fumes, such as vaporized metal, and no risk of fires. The distance between the
end of the waterjet nozzle and the material is typically very small, although caution is needed when
the waterjet nozzle is raised.
 5. The cost of a waterjet machine is generally much lower than that of a laser. For the price of a laser,
you can purchase several waterjet machining centers.

6. With lasers, the material needs to be relatively uniform. In particular, when cutting over uneven
surfaces, the laser can lose its focus and cutting power. A waterjet will retain much of its cutting
power over uneven material. Although the material may deflect the cutting stream, it typically has a
negligible effect.
7. How thick you can cut is a function of how long you are willing to wait. Waterjets easily handle 2"
(5cm) steel and 3" (7.6 cm). Although some people have used waterjets at thicknesses of up to 10"
(25 cm) in steel, it is difficult to maintain precision in materials thicker than 2" (5 cm). Lasers seem
to have a maximum practical cutting thickness of 0.5" (12 mm) to 0.75" (19 mm).
8. Maintenance on a waterjet is simpler than that of a laser
9. Waterjets are computer controlled, so that the operator does not have to be highly skilled and
trained.
10. Material cut by waterjets have a fine, sand-blasted surface because of the way the material was
abraded, which makes it easier to make a high-quality weld. Material cut by laser tends to have a
rougher, scaly edge, which may require additional machining operations to clean up.
rn denotes the distance between water molecules
after expansion, r0 denotes the original distance
6. A Research and design the nozzle of water jet
Crusher [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,15]
between water molecules before expansion, r0 = 0.4
The nozzle is the core engine of the water jet crusher [7] nm; ηn for the expansion of multiples.
and can launch a fan-shaped water jet and control According to last picture and calculation we can
the density of water jet (that is, the distance between know r1 <r2 <r3 <r4,and r controls particle size for r
water molecules). If the needs of smaller particles, denotes the size of the place where water jet fail to
the distance between water molecules should be impact of microbe cells, as for the control of the
smaller. If the biological needs of larger particles, production of biological particles broken the basis of
the distance between water molecules should be data. Now, living examples of diameters of biologic
bigger, with direct proportion of its function: y = f particles obtained by the machine were illustrated.
(x). The fan-shape water jet is fired through nozzles. Structure of the spray nozzle was presented in last
picture, Water jet in left and right spray pipes where
the interval between the water molecules r0, r0=0.4
nm, was interfused 10%-12% of microbe cells and
given strong pressure P which was strong enough to
crush microbe cell. The size of obtained biologic
particles was calculated as follows:
With the practical measuring values:
d=1.2mm, d1=2.4mm, d2=4.8mm,d3=9.6mm,
d4=19.2mm. The interval between the water
In this picture, we can see from d4, d3, d2, d1 the molecules at the position d1 may be calculated: r1,
water density is different. We summarised the By the same way we can know, r2=6.4nm,
distance between water molecules expansion r3=25.6nm, r4=102.4nm.
multiplier formulation[6,7,8] in accordance with the
relevant principles of mathematics.the expansion of
multiples ηn where dn,

When ηn =1， rn =0.4 nm, the size of particle is

under nano-grade. When ηn =2.6～ 250, rn =1～ 100
nm, the particles are just nanograde. When
ηn﹥ 250， rn﹥ 100 nm, the particles are upper nano-
grade.

The expansion formula of the distance between

water molecules [6,7,8] rn= r0×ηn
7. WATER PREPARATION SYSTEM
All too often, issues such as power requirements and
water quality are overlooked. When high pressure
water jet cutting machines were first installed in
factories it was anticipated that the equipment would
be able to operate for a considerable period of time
without needing a great deal of maintenance and
upkeep. However, as equipment began to be
installed in factories in different regions, a particular
and unexpected problem arose form the water. The
problem is that local water is not all of the same
quality. The standards which the water must meet,
may make the water acceptable for drinking and
normal use, but can sometimes give problems in
equipment where the water is subject to pressures
above 350 MPa and where it is moving in excess of
700 m/sec.
The presence of small amounts of solid material in
the jet fluid can cause an accelerated wear of either
the nozzle body or other points within the circuit
where jet velocities are high. Also, slight changes in
water chemistry can significantly affect the erosion
resistance of some of the components within the
pump mechanism. The problem of water quality has
been recognized and addressed by the vendors of
the equipment. As a result it has been found
necessary to set water quality standards in order to
operate high-pressure water jet cutting systems
effectively. Many localities do not have water
sources that satisfy these requirements. It has been
found that if the water supply is inadequate then the
result is equipment malfunction. A solution was
found through water preparation system.
There are several ways to treat the water prior to
use. The simplest is a water softening treatment
similar to that used in the household. The second
method is reverse osmosis, which consists of passing
the water through a very fine membrane which
filters out the impurities on the molecular level. And
the third is de-ionizing circuit.
Ordinary tap water is used to feed the water jet
systems. 90% of all water jet and abrasive water jet
users require only water softening prior to sending
that water through the pump’s inlet water filters and
then to the intensifier. Reverse Osmosis (RO) and
De-Ionizers (De-I) tend to make the water so pure
that it becomes "ion starved." This aggressive water
seeks to satisfy its’ ion starvation by taking ions
from surrounding materials, such as the metals in the
pump and high-pressure plumbing lines. RO and De-
I can greatly extend orifice life,while simultaneously
performing very expensive damage to the intensifier
and plumbing. Orifices are rather inexpensive. High-
pressure cylinders, check valves, and end caps
damage will far outweigh orifice life improvements.
A high concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS)
in your shop’s water supply causes accelerated wear
of pump components. If maximum values for TDS
silica content and pH are exceeded, then water
treatment - ranging from water softening to
deionization or reverse osmosis - is required.
8. REQUIRED WATER QUALITY
Firs step in the process of making decision of hether
water preparation system is needed or not is to
analyze a sample of local water on certified
laboratory and make a treatment recommendation.
Water should be lean top water. Although the water
passes though a filtering system before it reaches the
pump, the cleaner the water the less frequently you
will need to service the filter. If you are using a
separate water filtering system, you should make
sure you service the filters at the recommended
intervals. The water should not be hard or contain
large quantities of dissolved iron and silica. These
materials cause problems in both the pump and the
nozzle. The water circuit consists of the inlet water
filters, booster pump, intensifier, and shock
attenuator. Ordinary tap water is filtered by the inlet
water filtration system – usually comprising of a 1
and a 0.45 micrometer cartridge filter. For these
reasons the original 5 micrometer fiber cartridge
filter fitted to the first machine has not always been
adequate to protect the pump and jet delivery
system, even though, in that installation, no erosion
of the seals and shafts had occurred after the first six
months of operation. In these circumstances, slight
changes in water chemistry can significantly affect
the erosion resistance of some of the components
within the pump mechanism.
Water quality required for an Ingersoll-Rand Water jet Cutting System
9. Water jet can cutting alloy steels with out change the properties.
Look at the diagram, minimum heat for transforms ferrite to austenite is around 730 digree. And
maximum heat that waterjet creat is around 120 digree. It means waterjet can cutting alloy steels
with out change the properties.

9.1 Low alloy steels can cutting with waterjet

Low alloy steels contain alloying elements as Ni, Mn, Cr, Si, Mo, Nb, Cu. The percentage of all
alloying elements does not exceed 5%.

9.2 High alloy steels can cutting with waterjet

High alloy steels contain alloying elements as Ni, Mn, Cr, Mo, Nb, W, V, Cu. The total percentage
of all alloying elements is higher than 5%.

9.3 Stainless steels can cutting with waterjet

Stainless steels are high alloy steels. Their chromium content is at least 12%. for example if cut
stainless steels with laser cutting machines then chromium will be burn.