Patent ID: 7775854

Claim:
A fluid jet machining system, including: an open-frame workpiece support structure; a fluid jet source having a fluid jet discharge disposed above the workpiece support structure and adapted to direct a high-velocity fluid stream comprised of the liquid and a suspended particulate abrasive toward the workpiece support structure at a predetermined flow rate, causing the stream to impinge upon a workpiece supported by the support structure to perform a machining operation on the workpiece; a reservoir disposed to receive the liquid and abrasive beneath the workpiece support structure; a continuous flow particulate abrasive separation stage disposed downstream of the reservoir to receive the liquid and particulate abrasive at about the predetermined flow rate, and adapted to remove a relatively coarse larger-diameter portion of the particulate abrasive from the liquid as the liquid progresses through the continuous flow separation stage; wherein the continuous flow separation stage comprises a container and a plurality of barriers that divide the container into a series of horizontally spaced apart compartments, and the barriers are alternatively comprised of first barriers open at the top to confine inter-compartmental flow of the liquid to an upper region near the tops of the compartments, and second barriers open at the bottom to confine the inter-compartmental flow to a lower region near the bottoms of the compartments; a filtration device disposed downstream of the continuous flow separation stage and having an entrance for receiving the liquid at about said predetermined flow rate, an exit for discharging the liquid at about said flow rate, and a plurality of alternative fluid flow paths between the entrance and the exit having respective filtration components; and a flow directing system operable to selectively and alternatively direct the liquid exclusively along different selected ones of the fluid flow paths, whereby the respective filtration components are operable alternatively to remove a relatively fine smaller-diameter portion of the particulate abrasive from the liquid.