## 1 Introduction
[13] reported that the most influential parameters for MRR in AWJM of AI/075-TiB2 were traverse speed and abrasive mass flow rate. In their study, traverse speed is the most influential factor in achieving higher volumetric MRR. [PERSON] et al. [14] studied how traverse speed and abrasive mass flow rate are significant parameters for material removal rate, where traverse speed is considered the most influencing factor on AWJM of stainless-clad steel workpieces. [PERSON] et al. [15] concluded that a slower feed rate allows more abrasives to strike the material and its jet does not drop much of its energy during the machining process, resulting in a lower kerf taper angle and surface roughness on abrasive waterjet cutting of AISI 1018 with 5 mm thickness. [PERSON] et al. [16] investigated the effect of traverse speed, abrasive mass flow rate, and standoff distance on material removal rate in abrasive waterjet cutting of mild steel. Their experimental results showed that a higher traverse speed and abrasive mass flow rate increased the material removal rate. Moreover, a higher traverse speed has been shown to decrease kerf taper in AWJM straight line of AISI 304 [17]. Traverse speed regulates the quality of cut surfaces generated by AWJM applications, measured in mm/min [3]. Challenges of material reactions to AWJM have been investigated since the inception of this technique, where they continue to be studied, with regards to performance, including low material removal rate and distorted kerf geometries when employing varied traverse speed levels. A summary of experimental results obtained from several reviewed studies that investigated the impact of traverse speed on MRR and KTA in different metals in AWJM i.e., TRIP steel sheets, AISI 304, AISI 1018 and Inconel 600 is given in Figure 1 [8; 15; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22]. It is evident from Figure 1 that a lower kerf taper angle can be attained by utilising a lower traverse speed, whereas a higher rate of material removal can be obtained by increasing traverse speed. Accordingly, traverse speed is directly proportional to the material removal rate but inversely proportional to kerf taper [23]. Previous studies have applied specific material thicknesses in their AWJM experiments. However, in stainless steel fabrication industries, cutting involves different thicknesses for product formation, where it is necessary to investigate the influence of material thickness in precise AWJ cutting. [PERSON] et al. [22] conducted machinability study in cutting low alloy steel of different thicknesses (5, 10, 15, 20 mm). Their experiments reported that material thickness impacts machine performance, including aspects of material removal rate, surface roughness, and kerf wall inclination. Further, their study showed that increasing the thickness of the material requires a higher traverse speed and water jet pressure in order to achieve better results. Additionally, [PERSON] et al. [8] investigated the influence of sheet thickness, nozzle diameter, standoff distance, and traverse speed to kerf geometry and surface roughness in AWJM of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) sheet steel with varied thickness of 0.9 and 1.25 mm. They concluded that for higher thickness material, decreased kerf width and roughness can be achieved by applying a low standoff distance, a lower rate of traverse speed, and by using a smaller nozzle diameter. This could be due to the combination of high-level standoff distance and high rate traverse speed that effectively lower the contact time of abrasive particles within the cutting process. The literature to date indicates that AWJM experiments and studies have been used specifically in relation to cutting straight line profiles, with only limited investigations regarding the machining of complicated shapes, such as curves with differing radii. Further, the cutting of complex geometries is more frequently applied in manufacturing industries than straight-slit or linear cutting [24].