What Is Water Only Cutting?

Most people associate waterjets with abrasive cutting, and for good reason. Abrasive does most of the work when cutting metals, stone, composites, and other hard materials. However, an OMAX waterjet is capable of far more than abrasive cutting alone.

For certain materials, operators can switch to water only cutting. This allows the same machine to process soft materials such as foam, rubber, leather, and other flexible products without changing equipment or installing a different cutting head.

Cut Soft Materials with One Machine

One of the biggest advantages of water only cutting is versatility. Materials that may require specialized tools on other machines can often be processed using the same OMAX cutting head.

Foam, rubber, leather, and similar materials can be accurately cut using water only operation. This allows manufacturers to move between different material types while keeping the workflow simple and efficient.

More Than Just Cutting

Water only mode can also be used for scribe and etch operations. These features allow operators to add part markings, identification marks, or layout references to harder materials without cutting completely through the workpiece.

This can help simplify downstream processes while improving traceability and part identification.

Flexibility Built into Every OMAX Waterjet

The ability to perform abrasive cutting, water only cutting, and scribe and etch operations using the same nozzle demonstrates the flexibility of OMAX waterjet technology.

Instead of switching machines or changing cutting heads, operators can process a wide variety of materials using a single system. This helps reduce setup time, simplify operation, and expand the range of applications a shop can handle.

Whether you are cutting foam, rubber, leather, or adding markings to harder materials, water only cutting provides another way to get more value from your OMAX waterjet.