Glass cutting with Water jet
Waterjet cutting is a great method for the cutting of glass. It allows for contours and shapes that cannot be achieved with other cutting methods or would be very costly to produce. As glass has a tendency to crack, it is very important that the initial holes are produced with a reduced pressure of 500 to 800 bar. Subsequently, the pressure must be increased to a cutting speed that is cost-effective. For the glass cutting, ceramics and other brittle materials, it must be possible to gradually increase and reduce the cutting pressure by means of proportional pressure control of the pump, as the material would otherwise be destroyed. As an alternative to quartz sand, olivine can be used as an abrasive. It is softer than quartz sand, which reduces its cutting performance somewhat. On the other hand, glass cut with olivine is less likely to chip or crack, and the cut edge is polished in the process to a smooth finish.
Main advantages of cutting glass with waterjet:
- Allows for complex and fine profiles that cannot be achieved with other methods at reasonable costs
- Glass does not crack during processing
- Suitable for the cutting of various glass types
- Cuts glass panels up to 20 cm in thickness
- No need to change tool when changing from thin glass to thick glass
- No or reduced need for reworking of the cut edge
- No wastage of material, narrow cutting gap
- Efficient method to produce holes in glass
- No need for resharpening the tool
- Not suitable for the processing of hot glass
Cutting speeds
|
Abrasive flow rate |
350g/min |
|
Abrasive |
80 Mesh |
|
Quality of cutting edge |
fine - medium |
|
Orifice diameter |
0,25 mm |
|
Focussing tube diameter |
0,76 mm |
|
|
|
|
Pump pressure |
4.200 bar |
|
Material |
Thickness |
Cutting speed |
|
Glass |
20 mm |
80 mm / min |
|
Glass |
10 mm |
150 mm / min |
|
Glass |
5 mm |
450 mm / min |
KMT products for glass cutting
High pressure pumps
KMT Waterjet Systems offers a range of high pressure pumps that cater for all applications. They cover everything from maximum cutting waterjet pressures of up to 6200 bar to maximum volumetric flows of more than 15 l/min and simultaneous operation of a large number of cutting heads.
- STREAMLINE 60/125 PRO – waterjet cutting with 6200 bar
- STREAMLINE SL-V 15-100
- STREAMLINE SL-V 30/50 Classic
- STREAMLINE SL-V 150/200
Cutting heads for abrasive and pure water cutting:
- ACTIVE AUTOLINE PRO – abrasive waterjet cutting head for 6200 bar
- ACTIVE IDE PRO – compact abrasive waterjet cutting head for 6200 bar
- ACTIVE AUTOLINE II – modular abrasive waterjet cutting head for 4100 bar
- ACTIVE IDE II – compact abrasive waterjet cutting head for 4100 bar
Abrasive systems for abrasive waterjet cutting
- AMS III – abrasive management system consisting of an ABRALINE III abrasive bulk transfer system, a FEEDLINE IV metering system and ACTIVE AUTOLINE II or ACTIVE IDE II cutting heads
- ABRALINE III – abrasive bulk transfer system
- FEEDLINE IV – abrasive metering system
About KMT Waterjet Systems
KMT Waterjet Systems is a leading multinational manufacturer of waterjet cutting systems. The company develops complete solutions for a wide range of industries and applications. Since 1971 the company has been dedicated to long-term customer relationships. Continuous investment in innovation has made KMT Waterjet Systems the market leader in the waterjet cutting industry. High pressure pumps, cutting heads, abrasive systems, high pressure tubes, original spare parts and a global service network are among the key products and services of the company.