3 Reasons Why Almandine Garnet is the Best Material for Waterjet Cutting Abrasives

Abrasive waterjet cutting is among the popular means of cutting materials. Waterjet cutters are easily programmable, and the ability of the jets to cut just about every metal with any thickness makes them suitable for a variety of cutting applications. In addition, one of the most elemental features of waterjet cutting is the accuracy in the cold cutting processes that allows for metal cutting without leaving heat affected zones. Are you looking for waterjet cutting abrasives? Whether you are a metal fabricator, or you're only looking for the abrasives, here are three reasons why almandine garnet abrasives will be suitable for the majority of your cutting work.

Wear and Speed

There has to be a balance between wear and cutting speed in waterjet cutters. Using soft abrasives can extend the life of your cutter's nozzle, but may slow down the cutting. On the other hand, hard abrasives will offer faster cutting, but may quickly erode the nozzle. In these cases, there will be a reduction in accuracy in the cutting process, leading to increasing cutting time as well as additional expenses of regular replacement of the nozzle. An MOHS hardness scale is often used in distinguishing soft and hard minerals with one as the softest and ten as the hardest. Almandine garnet measures approximately seven on this scale, meaning that it can provide a reasonable cutting life for your tool while actually reducing the cutting speed as well.

Friability

Friability, or toughness, of an abrasive plays a vital role in determining the rate of performance your waterjet cutter will perform. Materials that are too friable are likely to break down in your cutter's focusing tube, making them too fine to cut efficiently. For this reason, you need an ideal abrasive with a measured breakdown rate and one that will produce angular and sharp cutting edges. Almandine garnet has a conchoidal fracture (curved breakage) and semi-friable to accomplish this need.

Density

The major cutting force of your waterjet cutter is the momentum. This means that ideal abrasives should have the heaviest particles that will accelerate the stream of water to maximum velocity, which will, in turn, generate the maximum force for cutting. Too light abrasives may not have enough punching force on the metal or material to be cut while too heavy ones won't allow the water stream to accelerate to maximum velocity. Almandine garnet is denser than water, giving it an ideal range for acceleration and punch.

If you have any other questions about water cutting, consider contacting a local specialist, such as Intracut, for more information.