Ask Dr. Hashish

Dr. Mohamed Hashish is the inventor of the abrasive waterjet and an expert in high pressure design and tribology. Go ahead; ask him your most curious waterjet questions!

Will glass shatter if you waterjet glass that is not tempered?

Glass or any fragile material (stone, marble, glass, composite, etc) may crack, or in the case of composites delaminate, from the initial contact pressures of 60,000 psi + waterjet stream.

Flow offers an easy solution to this natural reaction.

UltraPierce™ is a feature on our waterjets that gently pierces the starter hole and allows the jet to quickly resume full power, providing the most productive cut.   

Wouldn't your models be too much (dollar cost/unit) for production cutting for items like diapers, paper, foam and gaskets? Also, how well would a unit be at cutting CAD designed pieces of 3" thick memory foam?

Flow offers the widest range of products to meet the needs of our customers. We make small, entry level machines for low production and complexity to higher end Waterjets for intricate 5 axis, high production running companies and up to specialized equipment for companies such as Boeing and Kimberly Clark. For companies such as Kimberly Clark, their main business revolves around diaper and various paper products. These products are typically cut with our custom slitter Waterjet machines and not done on a standard shape cutting Mach series machine.

Our Flow Waterjet software utilizes some of the most widely used CAD CAM file types. Simply upload the software design, select water only and the Waterjet would easily slice the 3" thick memory foam. The justification to purchase a waterjet would rely on your production runs. If these are smaller runs, we also offer job shops locally in your area that have our equipment and outsource to the public.

We would be happy to have a Regional Manager contact you with the local job shop information if you would like!

Yes, it can definitely cut through 2-5/8” Titanium!

Based on the relationship between the waterjet and titanium, titanium actually cuts faster than stainless steel. We have customers who cut over 5" of Titanium every day.

Most accuracies in the waterjet industry will yield +/- .005" - .010" of tolerance. With Flow's patented Dynamic Waterjet taper control technology, we have the ability to control tolerances as accurate as +/- .001.

Can a waterjet cut Tungsten metal?

Although Tungsten metal is extremely hard, it can be cut using a Flow Waterjet!

Flow Waterjets are one of the most versatile machine tools, cutting everything from baby diapers to very hard materials like Tungsten!

What are the benefits purchasing a Waterjet compared to a CNC Plasma or a laser?

A waterjet is hands down the most versatile machine tool in the market; it can cut anything.

A Flow waterjet can cut types of metals from mild steel, stainless, aluminum, and titanium at nearly any thickness. A waterjet opens doors to other materials as well, such as stone, glass, and composites.

Another strong benefit to using a Flow waterjet is it's a cold cutting process – there is no heat affected zone. That means you can have a satin smooth edge that does not need any grinding or finishing. Because it's a cold cutting process there is no slag, dross, or change in material properties.

What is the hardest material that a pure waterjet can cut?

A pure waterjet uses only water and no abrasives. The rule of thumb is that if you can cut it with scissors, you can cut it with water only. This limits pure waterjet to mainly softer material. The most common materials cut with water are gaskets, paper, rubber, and food.

What is the most important benefit in a waterjet machine?

There are many benefits when using a waterjet, it is difficult to narrow them down to just one. There are two equally important benefits to waterjet that separate it from other machine tools; versatility and no heat affected zone.

• Versatility: Flow waterjets enable you to cut a variety of material with ease using a single machine. Metal, stone, plastic, composite, glass, ceramics, and more can all be cut with a single Flow Waterjet. The same system can also cut a variety of thicknesses - most Flow Waterjets can cut up to 8" thick.
  
  
• No heat affected zone:  Waterjet cutting is a cold cutting process. Heat can have a negative effect changing the structure and properties of metal alloys. Waterjet cutting is high-speed erosion which does not affect the structure and allows for many layer to be cut simultaneously.

Can a Waterjet cut 24" of Stone that is square, circle, or tapered?

Absolutely! Waterjet cutting is high speed erosion focused through a tiny jeweled orifice with pressures up to 94,000 PSI.

Waterjet allows for highly intricate designs, inlays, and mosaics in stone – no other cutting technology is better suited for intricate stone cutting than waterjet.

When etching, how is the lead in/out set without ruining the design?

When etching with a Flow Waterjet draw your lead-ins and lead-outs in FlowMaster on a line in the design with no offset.

That should let you etch without ruining your design.  

 
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