water jet cutting!

I don't know anything the actual pumps used for water jet cutting... however, I do know pumps don't produce pressure. Pumps produce flow. resistance to this flow is what causes a pressure rise.

I'd also like to know more about water jet cutting... was even inspired to take a quick look here...

Erik

Just pumps that pump water. Like on a water blaster. We used water blasters underwater to clean off jacket welds prior to photography to inspect for cracking. They are an awesome device that takes it right down to the steel.

Of course, in our youthful ignorance, we felt the stream to see how strong it really was. ................. once!

Contact a manufacturer for a spec sheet.

Steve

What do you need to know? The only one I ever used had a .875 dia tungsten carbide shaft driven by a 6" hyd cylinder to provide a 47:1 ratio of pressure increase relative to the pressure of on the 6" hyd cylinder that drove it. There was a pump section on both sides of hyd cylinder. Typical inlet and outlet ball checks where used. Life was short.

Accumulation to buffer the reversal of pump so pressure didn't fall off was by a 3-4" dia chunk of stainless pipe with a 1" dia bore. Water is compressable and that pipe did it just fine.

We operated at ~ 50,000 PSI flowing through 0.005 - 0.008" saphire or diamond orifices.

Ours was made by Ingersol Rand and the other major maker is and likely still is Flow Systems. I-R called these pumps intensifiers.

Not a lot of flow with these things but they did a dandy job of profiling fiberglas headliners for automobiles. Also did a fine job of eroding waterjet fixtures.

Wes S

Flow Systems and Ingersol Rand are the two most popular waterjet systems. You're talking 3,000 psi with a 40 HP motor and supersonic velocities as the water goes through a ruby jewel with a .015 orifice. Abrasive material is added for cutting through anything including carbide six inches thick. 30 IPS on .250 Aluminum.

One advantage to this machine is there is no HAZ (Heat affected zone) on any material and a surface finish close to 120 or better.

Either my memory or my literature of those days is wrong... but 60,000 psi sounds about right as the previous poster mentioned. I think it's about one gal per min water consumption but the water has gone through a dozen filters before hitting the orifice.

We did non-abrasive waterjet. I haven't a clue what abrasive jet worked at pressure wise.

Wes

And how many stitches did it take to reassemble the fingertip? ;-)

-->--

60k-60k psi is normal and the abrasive is usually a fine garnet powder added to the jet.

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

Right - and more exotic materials depending on the finish and material to be cut. Just out of my budget range :-)

Martin

Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Gunner wrote: