WJM
WJM
WJM
Introduction
Key element in WJM a jet of water.
Water jet travels at velocities as high as 900 m/s (approximately Mach 3).
When the water stream strikes a workpiece surface, the erosive force of
water removes the material rapidly.
The water, in this case, acts like a saw and cuts a narrow groove in the
workpiece material.
WJM Mechanism
The hydraulic pump offers complete flexibility for water jet cutting and cleaning
applications.
Accepts the water at low pressure(typically 4 bar) and expels it, through an
accumulator, at higher pressures of 3800 bar.
The intensifier converts the energy from the low-pressure hydraulic fluid into
ultrahigh-pressure water.
The hydraulic system provides fluid power to a reciprocating piston in the
intensifier center section.
A limit switch, located at each end of the piston travel, signals the electronic
controls to shift the directional control valve and reverses the piston direction.
The intensifier assembly, with a plunger on each side of the piston, generates
pressure in both directions.
As one side of the intensifier is in the inlet stroke, the opposite side is generating
ultrahigh-pressure output.
During the plunger inlet stroke, filtered water enters the high-pressure cylinder
through the check value assembly.
After the plunger reverses direction, the water is compressed and exits at ultrahigh
pressure.
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Maintains the continuous flow of the high-pressure water and eliminates pressure
fluctuations.
Nozzle provides a coherent water jet stream for optimum cutting of low-density,
soft material that is considered unmachinable by conventional methods.
About 200 h of operation are expected from a nozzle, which becomes damaged by
particles of dirt and the accumulation of mineral deposits on the orifice due to
erosive water hardness.
A longer nozzle life can be obtained through multistage filtration, which removes
undesired solids of size greater than 0.45 m.
The compact design of the water jet cutting head promotes integration with motion
control systems ranging from two-axis (XY) tables to sophisticated multiaxis robotic
installations.
6. Catcher
Acts as a reservoir for collecting the machining debris entrained in the water jet.
Moreover, it reduces the noise levels [105 decibels (dB)] associated with the
reduction in the velocity of the water jet from Mach 3 to subsonic levels.
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For a given nozzle diameter, increase in pressure allows more power to be used in
the machining process, which in turn increases the depth of the cut.
Under such conditions, materials of greater thicknesses and densities can be cut.
Moreover, the larger the pump pressure, the greater will be the depth of the cut.
The fluid used must possess low viscosity to minimize the energy losses and be
noncorrosive, nontoxic, common, and inexpensive.
Alcohol is used for cutting meat, while cooking oils are recommended for cutting
frozen foods.
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Brittle materials will fracture, while ductile ones will cut well.
Table below shows the cutting rates for different material thicknesses
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WJM Applications
WJM is used on metals, paper, cloth, leather, rubber, plastics, food, and ceramics.
It is the most flexible and effective cleaning solution available for a variety of
industrial needs.
Typical surface finishes ranges from 1.6 m root mean square (RMS) to very
coarse depending on the application.
Both the produced surface roughness and tolerance depend on the machining
speed.
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Drilling
The process drills precision-angled and -shaped holes in a variety of materials for
which other processes such as EDM or EBM are too expensive or too slow.
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Water jet cutting of a 51 mm deep slot in granite using two oscillating jets at 275
MPa during 14 passes at a 25.4 mm/s feed rate has been reported by McGeough
(1988).
Moreover an oscillating nozzle system operating at the same feed rate and pressure
of 172 MPa, with the standoff distance adjusted every pass was used to cut a 178
mm deep slot in sandstone.
Deburring
A higher pressure (4000 bar) and a lower flow rate (2.5 L/min) are used to remove
burrs from nonmetallic materials.
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Using a small-diameter water jet, a printed circuit board (PCB) can be cut at a
speed that exceeds 8 m/min, to the accuracy of 0.13 mm.
Boards of various shapes for use in portable radios and cassette players can be cut
using computer numerical control (CNC) technology.
Surface Treatment
Removing deposits and residues without toxic chemicals, which eliminates costly
cleanup and disposal problems.
Surface cleaning of pipes and castings, decorative finishing, nuclear
decontamination, food utensil cleaning, degreasing, polishing, preparation for
precise inspection, and surface texturing.
Economical surface preparation and coating removal.
Removing corrosion, spray residue, soluble salts, chemicals, and surface damage
prior to recoating or painting.
Wire Stripping
Can remove the wire insulating material without damaging the metal or removing
the tinning on the copper wire.
Processing time can be decreased to about 20 % of the manual stripping method.
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WJM Advantages
WJM Advantages
WJM Disadvantages
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