When it comes to surprising practical applications, there seems to be no stopping what waterjet machines can do. They are not just used in the metal fabrication and manufacturing sphere, but due to their great potential and a string of benefits that can be taken advantage of from them, they have been tapped for use by several other industries and one of which is the aerospace industry.
When you speak about aeronautics, the vast majority of material cutting projects here in this sphere will always require the use of state-of-the-art technology with a very high level of precision that you can rely on. This sector is not just responsible for the design and the production of aircraft engines but aircraft themselves as well as all of its related parts, but it is also responsible for making some of the most invaluable military solutions come to life such as guided missiles, related scientific developments such as space vehicles, and many other components that help define our modern world.
The aerospace industry is one of the few sectors that leave no room or has no margin for error, the reason being that it employs the versatility and accuracy of a waterjet machine in creating a wide array of components – from turbine blades to jet engines, and down to custom control panels and a whole lot more.
The Aerospace Industry and Why It Needs High Level of Precision
The aerospace industry is as diverse as diverse can be. It covers many different aspects of modern living, starting from commercial aircraft to military solutions intended for use in defense. In producing any of these components, it is paramount that they are machine fabrication with the utmost care and to the highest possible quality because the occurrence of even the slightest structural weakness or slightest error could pave the way for serious repercussions to happen, even a disaster.
Compared to the production of other consumer goods, machining the required parts and components for the aerospace industry, with regard to its exotic, highly-durable materials, is indeed more complex. It is normal for this industry to have excessively stringent traceability requirements, with much stricter tolerances. This signifies that this industry is requiring machining processes that are more than capable of adhering and complying with what can be considered as very sophisticated levels of production. The water jet cutting machine working principle came into the picture and with all its merits swept away any existing competition.
What Waterjet Manufacturers Offer to Aerospace Production?
Waterjet manufacturers say that it is pretty easy to market waterjet cutting machines as highly precise and reliable pieces of equipment, but how were they able to prove this so far? With the aerospace production industry’s tight demands, this came as a challenge.
Due to their high level of adaptability, waterjets are highly favored. Abrasive waterjet systems will not only allow you to make necessary adjustments to its settings for any given part, but they also come with a room for standardization so you can have a uniform and precise production on a large-scale basis.
These machines are highly adaptable across a wide array of projects, even across material types. They can seamlessly and effectively cut through an array of materials and substances — this includes those objects that are susceptible to get damaged with other methods of fabrication, such as:
- Glass
- Alloys
- Foam
- Stainless Steel
- Rubber
- Aluminum
- Titanium
- Brass
- Copper
- Carbon fiber
- Plastic
The underlying reason why waterjet systems are very reliable and dependable in cutting a wide range of materials is that it makes use of the cold-cutting process. It does not leave any heat-affected zone in the surrounding target areas. Other tools and even laser cutters are struggling so hard in this area.
Cutting materials with high levels of thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or steel, other than waterjet systems, most of the time present some level of challenge to fabricators and machine operators. On the other hand, the waterjet machine removed the possible occurrence of heat-affected zones (HAZ). HAZ has been found to pave the way for the appearance of microscopic cracks. This makes your cut material eventually more susceptible to damage and degradation.