Waterjet cutting removes material with a high-pressure water stream; adding garnet abrasive lets systems cut hard materials. Modern CNC-driven machines deliver sub-millimeter accuracy and can cut mixed-material stacks without thermal damage. Advantages include minimal heat-affected zones and broad material compatibility. Limitations include abrasive disposal, the need for filtration/recycling, wet handling, and substantial noise. The technology is widely used in aerospace, automotive, stone, composites, food processing, and medical device manufacturing; some water-assisted surgical techniques are under research or limited clinical use .
What waterjet cutting is
Waterjet cutting uses a high-pressure stream of water to cut materials. When only water is used it is called pure (or water) jet cutting. For harder materials, operators add a fine abrasive - most commonly garnet - to the stream; this is abrasive waterjet cutting. Modern systems combine high-pressure pumps, precision nozzles, and CNC motion control to produce accurate parts from a wide range of materials.
How it differs from thermal cutting
Unlike laser or plasma cutting, waterjet removes material mechanically rather than thermally. That means there is little or no heat-affected zone (HAZ), so heat-sensitive materials such as composites, coated metals, and some plastics retain their properties and surface finish. Waterjets also cut stacked or layered parts in a single pass, which can speed production for batch work.
Accuracy, software, and machine advances
Early waterjets sometimes left tapered or rough edges. Today's machines use CAD/CAM nesting, multi-axis heads (including tilting heads for bevels), and tighter nozzle tolerances to achieve high repeatability and fine edge quality. Many systems routinely reach sub-millimeter accuracy for typical production parts.
Practical advantages and limitations
Advantages:
- Minimal thermal distortion and no metallurgical changes in most materials.
- Ability to cut a very wide range of materials - metals, stone, ceramics, composites, rubber, foam, and food products.
- Clean edges and reduced secondary finishing for many jobs.
- Flexibility to cut mixed-material stacks.
- Abrasive handling and disposal add cost and environmental considerations. Used garnet and slurry must be managed.
- The process is wet: parts and work area require drying, and filtration/recycling systems add equipment and maintenance.
- Waterjets produce significant noise and require proper shielding and hearing protection.
Environmental and safety notes
Water used in cutting can be filtered and recycled, but filtration systems and spent-abrasive disposal require planning to meet local regulations. Operators should account for dust when cutting dry abrasives and for machine noise, and follow standard safety rules for high-pressure systems.
Typical industries and emerging uses
Waterjet cutting is standard in aerospace, automotive, metal fabrication, stone and tile, composites manufacturing, food processing, and medical device production. Research and some clinical procedures explore hydrodissection and water-assisted surgical techniques; adoption in medicine is limited and typically confined to specific applications and devices .
Bottom line
Waterjet cutting remains a versatile, nonthermal option for precision cutting across many materials. Choosing it means weighing the benefits of low thermal impact and material flexibility against abrasive handling, wet-process logistics, and noise control.
- Confirm typical operating pressure ranges for modern industrial waterjet pumps (e.g., common psi/kPa ranges).
- Verify the names, availability, and scope of clinical water-assisted surgical devices and their current regulatory status.