Capability
Waterjet Cutting
HPS Fabrications cuts with waterjet in house, in carbon steel, stainless, aluminum and alloys within an overall cutting range of 16 gauge to 2.5 inches. Waterjet is a cold process, so it leaves no heat-affected zone and does not change the metal at the cut edge. If your part cannot tolerate heat, this is the process for it.
| Process | Abrasive waterjet: a cold cut, no heat-affected zone |
|---|---|
| Materials | Carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys |
| Overall cutting range | 16 gauge to 2.5 inches across our cutting processes |
| File formats | DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES, PDF |
No heat, no heat-affected zone
Waterjet cuts with water and abrasive rather than with heat. Nothing about the metal changes at the cut edge: no hardening, no tempering, no discolouration, no distortion from thermal stress.
That matters in three situations in particular:
- The cut edge will be highly stressed in service, and a heat-affected zone is a starting point for a crack
- The material is an alloy whose properties depend on its heat treatment, which a thermal cut would locally undo
- The part is thin and would distort if heated, or needs to stay flat
If none of those apply, laser is usually quicker and plasma cheaper on heavy plate. We will tell you which.
Where it earns its cost
Waterjet is slower than the thermal processes, so nobody should use it by default. It earns its place when the alternative is a heat-treat step afterwards, a scrapped part, or a weld that fails in the field.
On safety-critical defense work that calculation is easy. Where a cut edge carries load for the life of the part, a heat-affected zone is a preferred starting point for a fatigue crack, and “the edge is metallurgically unchanged” is worth paying for.
In house, alongside everything else
Waterjet here is one operation among many, not a service business on its own. Cut parts go straight into forming, welding, machining, assembly and coating without leaving the building.
And if the part still needs designing, our engineers do that too.
What to send
DXF or STEP quotes fastest; DWG, IGES and PDF are fine. Tell us the material, the thickness, the quantity, and what the part has to survive in service, that last one often changes the process recommendation.
Common questions
Waterjet Cutting: questions buyers ask
Why would I pay for waterjet instead of laser or plasma?
Because waterjet cuts cold. There is no heat-affected zone, so nothing about the metal changes at the cut edge: no hardening, no tempering, no discolouration, no thermal distortion. If your part is heat treated, thin and prone to warping, or has to keep its material properties right up to the edge, that is what you are paying for.
What can you cut with it?
Carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and alloys. The overall range across our cutting processes is 16 gauge to 2.5 inches, the top end on our plasma table.
Is waterjet slower?
On thin material, yes, it is the slowest of the three. That is the trade you are making for a cold cut. On the parts that need it, no other process gives the same result.
Can you do the rest of the job, or only the cutting?
The rest of it. Cutting, forming, welding, machining, assembly and coating are all in house, and our own engineers can design the part first if you do not have a finished drawing.
What file formats do you take?
DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES and PDF.