Abrasive water jet: a complementary tool

The abrasive water jet is a powerful cutting tool, whose main advantages lie in the absence of thermal effects and the capability of cutting highly thick materials. Compared with Laser, the abrasive water jet allows the cutting of a larger range of thicknesses and a wider variety of materials such as: ornamental stones, metals, polymers, composites, wood, glass ceramics. The application of this technology has suffered and extensive growth, with successful applications in varied industrial sectors like the automotive, aerospace, textile, metalworking, ornamental stones, etc. The present communication aims at introducing the abrasive water jet as a complementary tool to laser cutting, presenting its advantages by showing some documented examples of pieces cut for different industries. (Author) 5 refs