We should say Hello again, this topic we have continued 4 articles, this will be the last one for the difference between laser cutting and water jet cutting.

 What’s the level of precision of each cutting technique?

We do believe there is no comparability between Laser cutting and waterjet cutting in precise. The minimum size of the cutting slit is 0.1 mm for laser cutting and 1 mm for waterjet. As for their processing tolerance, it is almost 0.05 mm for laser cutting and 0.2 mm for water jet cutting.

How about the cutting results?

Each technique will pose its own problems when it comes to cutting results.

Co2 Laser cutting can cause some burn marks on the material, and make the cut sides dark if there is no suitable gas blowing. It will also happen to fiber laser cutting. But in most cases, the burn or dark marks can be removed with cleaning. For the dark marks, we suggest you need to take into account when thinking the design of your object. Because if you need your product to be very clean and beautiful for selling directly.

On the other side, water jet cutting doesn’t require heat. But it applies very high forces on the material, which can pose problems for small parts, which might get deformed, or even not be able to be cut.

What’s the level of maintanence and safety of laser cutting and waterjet cutting?

There is very little maintanence and waste for laser cutting. It doesn’t require safety goggles, even though it’s always good to wear it to keep safe in some EU or America countries. However, for some materials, the dust and smoke produced can be slightly toxic, and it’s essential to have proper ventilation. Noise pollution is very low with laser cutting. And the machine doesn’t need to be heavily cleaned, as the cutting waste is mostly dust that can be vacuumed.

On the contrary, waterjet cutting involves more risks, high noise pollution, and high clean up. Indeed, the process is extremely noisy and requires ear protection. Protection is also needed against the pressured water jet. Moreover, the cutting area gets quite messy, with large quantities of cutting waste caused by the mixing of water and abrasives.

Conclusion: please find the most suitable machine for you based on your budget and working demands

The point of this article is not to tell the best between laser cutting and water jet cutting, but only the differences. We are here to help you choose the best for your application.

If you have enough budget, we would like to suggest laser cutting first. Cause it will be more advanced than water jet cutting, which we believe it is going to be replaced by laser cutting in the near future.

Want to know more information, please feel free to contact me:

Clara Chai      Email: xintian115@xtlaser.com     Tel: 0086-13335151833