Micro Waterjet LLC uses proprietary equipment developed with new Abrasive Waterjet Micro Machining (AWJMM®) technology to cut a wide range of materials, including heat sensitive ones, with a cutting accuracy of +/-0.01mm and a positioning accuracy of +/-0.003mm. This occurs by mixing a very fine abrasive with accelerated water at an average impact speed of approximately 800m/s to quickly and accurately remove material and produce a finished piece with little to no burr and no heat deformation. For soft materials such as rubber or silicone, only high pressure water is required.

There are low occurrences of process forces and thermal stress, the water cools the processing spot and transports chips (shavings) away. With these properties even the most delicate contours can be cut, which would bend or melt away using alternative processes. Due to the small diameter of the jet is it possible to create sharp edged contours with high cutting edge quality; in addition with the jet diameter being less than 0.35mm a very high material efficiency is achieved. In addition, the start and end points can be chosen almost freely for the machining process.

COMPARING PROCESSES

The MicroWaterJet™ used by Micro Waterjet was specifically designed to machine two-dimensional, high precision and micro parts with a substantially smaller kerf width (0.08 mm for pure water cutting; 0.3 mm for abrasive cutting) compared to traditional waterjet machines (0.8 mm) that is primarily used to cut or rough large shapes and/or thicker materials. In addition, the MicroWaterJet™ utilizes smaller nozzles and a finer garnet than conventional machines.

More competitive with EDM and Laser Cutting, Micro Waterjet can cut without Heat Affected Zones (HAZ), allowing cutting of materials with little to no biocompatibility issues or deburring required. It is possible to stack cut on the MicroWaterJet™, although some taper may occur depending on the material/thickness and speed of the cut.