Water-jet Cutting vs. Laser Cutting

The two main cutting methods often used by metal fabricators when cutting materials include laser cutting and water jet cutting. Depending on the type of material used and the desired end result, it can be beneficial to understand the differences between the two. Read further on this blog to learn more about these cutting processes to better evaluate the differences between laser cutting and waterjet cutting.

Waterjet Cutting

Waterjet cutting is an abrasive cutting process that uses high-pressure water to cut almost any material. The water is pressurized and passed through a concentrated stream that is designed to cut materials such as steel into plastic with precision. Waterjet cutting services have several advantages, including.

Waterjet cutting eliminates the need to purchase custom tooling, thereby reducing setup time and unnecessary costs. Unlike laser cutting, waterjet cutting is a much less expensive solution.

Top Waterjet Cutting Machine Cutter Head Assembly

The cutting system is capable of cutting a wide range of materials. The system typically cuts steel, stainless steel, aluminum, high temperature and aerospace alloys (such as titanium, inconel, Waspaloy, Hastelloy), reflective metals (such as brass and copper), plastics, composites, and is particularly adept at cutting laminated materials such as carbon fiber.

Water jet cutting is a cold process that does not put any heat into the material during the cutting process. This means that no heat-affected zone is created during the cutting process. This is a very important fact for people in the aerospace industry because the waterjet cutting process does not change the physical state of the material being cut or cause the material to warp due to heat.

In addition, the lack of a heat affected zone helps sheet metal manufacturers. The elimination of the heat affected zone means that the process can go directly from the waterjet to the threading or welding operation without removing any heat affected material. This reduces labor and helps metal fabricators produce quality products quickly and efficiently.

Cutting Head Assembly

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is known for its ability to cut thin metal sheets quickly and accurately. It is a "thermal" cutting process that cuts material by using a laser beam, controlled by computer parameters. The path of the laser burns or melts the material, resulting in a uniform cut. A major advantage of laser cutting technology is the speed at which it can cut materials less than 3/8 of an inch thick. For materials thicker than 3/8 of an inch, the cutting speed is significantly lower.

According to ThomasNet, laser cutting machines are suitable for a variety of materials, including steel, stainless steel and thin aluminum, copper and brass plates. However, if the material mix consists of materials with different melting points, cutting can be quite difficult. Sandwich structures with cavities simply cannot be cut with a laser, and access to restricted materials is also difficult. 3D material cutting is also difficult to manage due to rigid beam guidance (source). The accuracy of laser cutting is key. However, be sure to use thinner materials to use the proper distances to avoid damage and potential burrs.

Additional advantages of laser cutting are as follows.

Time savings during setup and the ability to react and modify quickly when needed.

Efficiency is increased because multiple jobs or parts can be placed and cut in a single process.

The latest laser technology, the fiber laser, is even faster than the more common CO2 machines.