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Frequently
Asked Questions
(Click on the question
to find the answer!)
How does a waterjet cut?
A water jet cuts with a thin stream of high pressure water.
An abrasive is added to the water to cut most materials. The
pressure of the water is precisely controlled (depending on the material
being cut) between 15,000 PSI and 55,000 PSI. The jet of water
is moving over twice the speed of sound - Mach 2! The
cutting head is computer controlled (CNC).
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How
precise is a waterjet?
A waterjet cuts with a precision of about 5 thousandths of an inch.
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What kind of finish does a waterjet give?
A waterjet can leave an extremely smooth finish. Most pieces
need no further machining, sanding or other treatment. The finish
quality is selected before cutting and is controlled by the computer.
Basically, the slower the head travels, the better the finish.
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How
does a waterjet compare to a laser, EDM or plasma cutter?
A waterjet cuts with near laser quality. However, a waterjet
uses no heat - it is a "cold" cutting process. It
does not rely on electrical current to control it's cut as an EDM.
Most importantly, it is almost always less costly.
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How thick
of material can you cut?
We can cut steel with very close tolerances up to about 4 inches thick
Thicker steel can be cut with less tolerance. Softer materials
over 4 inches thick can be cut with close tolerances.
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How large
can the piece be?
By indexing the material, we've done parts 5' x 14' even though the bed
size is 2' x 4'..
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What
kinds of materials can you cut?
A waterjet can cut almost anything. Because it uses no heat
or flame it can cut materials with low melting points like plastics
or lead. When cutting small parts there is no problem with warping
or distortion. There is no risk of changing the composition
or strength of hardened steels or other materials with heat.
Flammable materials like wood, paper and magnesium are easily cut
with no burning or scalding. Brittle materials like glass (except
for tempered glass), mirror and tile can be cut with precision.
Because only purified water is used to cut (no lubricants, gasses,
etc) waterjets are even used to cut cheeses and meats! If you
need something cut a waterjet can probably cut it.
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How
expensive is it?
Waterjet cutting is usually less expensive than laser and EDM cutting.
Pricing is very favorable compared to methods such as flame, plasma,
sawing and shearing coupled with their respective finishing processes
- sanding, grinding, etc. Top of
page
How
do I get my design to you?
We can cut from just about any media. Pictures, drawings, cad
files, graphics files, scanned images or objects are all easily turned
into finished pieces. We can draw the items for you from just
a verbal idea or you can send us the completed files. Ultimately
we need .dfx files to convert to our CNC programming language.
We have the capability to convert just about any type of source to
our CNC language. Emailing files is the best method of delivery.
Fax, email, snail mail or courier service for images. Email
or telephone for ideas or questions. See the
Contacts page for addresses. Top
of page
Do
I need to furnish the material?
We can obtain most materials locally. You may need to furnish
specialty materials and color specific materials.
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Can a
waterjet do anything but cut?
Yes. It can scribe and etch.
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Does
Rapid Creek Cutters do anything else but cut stuff up?
Sure. Rapid Creek Cutters does light fabrication, welding, custom sand-blasted
signs as well as in-house design and drafting. All items shown
on this web site are made in-house.
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