Dynamic Waterjet
Certain characteristics are inherent to the abrasive waterjet process.
There are two distinct attributes that waterjet operators can encounter when cutting with water: stream lag and taper.
- Stream Lag occurs when the entry point of the waterjet cuts faster than the exit part. This is because the jet is most powerful when entering the material and loses some of it’s power as it exits. In effect the exit stream is "lagging" behind the entrance point. Accuracy is decreased, and part geometry errors are visible.
- Taper is a V-shaped natural occurrence that takes place when the power of the waterjet stream decreases as it cuts through the material
Both stream lag and taper can be minimized by dramatically reducing the cut speed. Slowing your cut speed means higher cycle times and increased cost per part.
How is this problem solved?
Dynamic Waterjet
Faster, More Accurate Parts.
Given the challenges of stream lag and taper, the development of Flow's Dynamic Waterjet with Active Tolerance Control was essential to the advancement of abrasive waterjet. Invented and patented by Flow in 2001 to counteract stream lag and taper, Dynamic Waterjet allows you to cut at top speed and to high precision.
Stream lag and taper are no longer an issue in the waterjet process, and the most versatile cutting tool has been transformed into a system that is highly competitive with alternative cutting methods in accuracy, precision, and speed.
SmartStream™
Dynamic Waterjet Technology utilizes advanced SmartStream™ mathematical models that automatically tilt the waterjet head to the side as needed in order to eliminate taper.
Additionally, those same models tell the waterjet head when to tilt forward in order to control the stream.
All of this is completed behind the scenes. The operator simply enters basic cutting parameters including material type, thickness, and desired edge quality, and Flow's simple yet powerful FlowMaster software does the rest. It will calculate the necessary movements to give you a part that is cut fast and highly accurate.
Higher Cut Quality
What's more, Dynamic Waterjet provides a higher quality cut part, which can often (or virtually) eliminate secondary processing saving valuable time and money.