The versatility of water jet machines make them ideal for cutting a wide range of materials, rubbers, plastics, stone, tiles, composites and even pre-hardened materials. Abrasive water jet cutting is a cost-effective shape cutting method for materials requiring no heat affected zone, no edge damage, no slag, no burnt edges, and no change to the material chemical or mechanical properties.
Thermal shape cutting methods such as torch, plasma, and laser as well as but to a lesser degree mechanical processes like shear, machining, and saw cutting can create substantial heat causing mechanical properties of material to change as a direct result. These localized heat generating processes create what is called a heat affected zone.
Abrasive waterjet cutting is well suited for metallurgical evaluation preparation and cross-section analysis. Mechanical properties of the material will not change and no stress will be introduced unlike the heat generating processes discussed previously.