Wear lives of nozzles of the closest competitor to Boride are shorter by a factor of 10 or more. But this leap forward in technology, with average nozzle life jumping from 1 or 2 hr to 150 to 200 hr, didn't come easy, says Mr Gardner. Extensive research in materials and nozzle design at Boride laboratories and the University of Rhode Island laid the foundation for Roctec 100, the tough carbide mixing tube that appears in most precision OEM waterjet machines today. That development started a cycle of improvements in computer controls, software, tables and controls that brought the technology to its present status, says Richard Ward, Richel Inc, Cleveland, OH, a consulting and training company specializing in waterjet technology. Waterjet facts Orifices are typically made of saphire with 0.006 to 0.014 opening and last approximately 400 hr.
Nozzles are the highest wear item of the systems.
Most US systems use a Roctec 100 nozzle from Boride Products which last from 125 to 250 hr. As the orifice wears the jet stream of water increases in diameter. Abrasives for precision cutting are typically garnet with premium quality crushed garnet. Pressures are typically 10,000 to 60,000 psi. Some work to increase pressures to 120,000 psi but this is still very experimental.