Patent ID: 7147545

Claim:
A method of handling abrasive solids materials used in an abrasive slurry cutting procedure, the handling method comprising or including the steps of: catching the used abrasive slurry together with work piece kerf material in a catcher tank; passing at least some of the abrasive solids collected in the catcher tank as a slurry to a partitioning apparatus that includes a vibratory sieve; partitioning with said partitioning apparatus the slurry to provide at least two solids streams one of which passes through the sieve and one of which passes across the sieve while still entrained as a slurry; passing a pressurized or pressurizable slurry which includes the partitioned solids stream that has passed through the sieve to a nozzle for jetting; and cutting a work piece or the work piece using a high pressure abrasive slurry jetted from said nozzle.