ABRASIVE WATER-JET - A COMPLEMENTARY TOOL

The abrasive water jet is a powerful cutting tool, whose main advantag es lie in the absence of thermal effects and the capability of cutting highly thick materials. Compared with Laser, the abrasive water jet a llows the cutting of a larger range of thicknesses and a wider variety of materials such as: ornamental stones, metals, polymers, composites , wood, glass and ceramics. The application of this technology has suf fered an extensive growth, with successful applications in varied indu strial 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, prese nting its advantages by showing some documented examples of pieces cut for different industries.