Waterjet ( was Re: Direction follower ?

Hi Dave,

I briefly looked into cutting glass with water but what I found was
that a large motor 50 hp to create the 45,000 to 60,000 PSI would be
needed. the choices are a direct pump, or a pump and intensifier.
The direct was mentioned as less maintenance, and less cost in
overhauls.

Running a 50 hp pump seems rather expensive. rebuilding the seals
and stuff would be another additional cost. ( I don't think I'll
complain about using up a $350.00 router)

The pressure tubing between pump and nozzle is probably a one time
purchase.

The cutting head is also a one time purchase, but the nozzle is a
consumable part, between $100 and $1,000 each depending on materials
and they can get used up in as little as 50 hours.

This is not an in depth review of the subject, but running total
shows that the hourly cost, the consumables cost and the overhaul
cost would be out of my league. Heck, I'm so cheap, I hope to get
two years out of a router to keep my costs down.

I certainly would like to hear any hands-on experiences with water.
The only drawback (besides cost) that I came across is that the
supersonic speed of the water and the noise that results.

I looked into laser and found more questions than answers, but that
should be on another post.

Dave

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., Dave Lantz <dlantz@a...> wrote:
> has anyone EVER done a homebrew waterjet cutter? are the pressures
involved
> just too dangerous? as far as i see it, they are just a preasure
> intensifier, attached to a saphire nozzle, right? over a water
tank?
> wouldn't it the best way to cut glass? using abrasives in the water
(needed
> to cut glass) you'd even be doing the sanding!---Dave L.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: studleylee [mailto:indigo_red@q...]
> Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 6:23 PM
> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y...
> Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Direction follower ?
>
>
> I was wondering...
> Couldnt you just use a high speed spindle( or dremel(etc)
> attached to the spindle ) and a small carbide
> (45degree?) bit. Maybe make a spring loaded bit holder
> to control the downward force and depth, or just the
> weight of the dremel in a sliding fixture( counterbalanced?)
>
> All you should need to do is score the glass. The
> rotating bit should be better for the sharp turns.
>
> Care would be needed in the layout of the glass
> pattern so that breaks wouldn't cross/continue over
> other score lines and ruin the piece. There was
> a thread similar to this awhile back I think on
> scoring glass with a bit?
>
> -Lee
>
> > with scissors - provided you did it under water!!
> >
>
>
>
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