What is a Jet Cutter?

It takes more than the average cutting tool to slice through metal easily, but a jet cutter does just that. Surprisingly, one of the main components of this tool is water, which gives it the necessary power to cut several robust materials. A regular water jet cutter can slice through many materials, but an abrasive water jet cutter is often best for the particularly sturdy matter. Several industries have some uses for either type.

One of the benefits of this kind of tool is that it does not produce the heat that lasers or other extreme cutting devices often do. This advantage means that there is little risk of the material being burned in the process. Additionally, a jet cutter is known for its ability to leave smooth edges rather than a ragged line that needs to be touched up after it is cut. Adding to the convenience is the fact that users can stack materials up to about six inches (15.24 cm) to be cut at one time.

Other than saving effort and time, a jet cutter is also known for its range of materials that it can cut. Soft items like foam, rubber, and plastic can be easily incised by this tool. Harder materials like metal, tile, aluminum, and stone can all be sliced with an abrasive jet cutter if the regular one cannot do the job. For this reason, a range of industries can benefit from this tool for numerous projects, whether they involve making products to be sold, cutting signs for marketing, and more.

While many users of water jet cutters typically use them to complete practical projects, they can be surprisingly useful when it comes to art, as well. Artists with access to this type of tool can create intricate patterns in nearly any kind of material. The ability to carve out a design that previously existed only in their head has proved handy to many artists.

Despite the usefulness of this tool, not everyone needs to buy their own machine. In fact, they can be cumbersome to learn how to use and maintain, which is why only major companies that use jet cutting regularly have their own machine. For this reason, machines can be rented for a specified period of time, usually for a one-time project. Additionally, there are companies that can do the cutting for consumers, which is typically useful for those who do not want to deal with learning how to use the machine.