Patent ID: 6908051

Claim:
A waterjet orifice assembly comprising: a) a high pressure tube having an inside diameter defined by opposing sidewalls, a threaded end, and a bottom compressive end portion; (b) a nozzle cap, said nozzle cap having threads sized and shaped for complementary mating engagement with said threaded end of said high pressure tube, said nozzle cap having an outlet bore, and, adjacent said nozzle cap outlet bore, a platen receiving surface; (c) a platen, said platen comprising (i) a body, (ii) a smooth upper orifice receiving surface, and (iii) a lower end portion sized and shaped for complementary mating engagement with said platen receiving surface in said nozzle cap; (d) a spring disk, said spring disk having and upstream side with a top surface and an downstream side with a bottom surface, and an overall diameter larger than the diameter of said central bore in said high pressure tubing, said spring disk comprising (i) a generally circular disc portion, (ii) at least one counterbore through said circular disk portion, said at least one counterbore defined by sidewall portions, said at least one counterbore of preselected height and diameter, said at least one counterbore further comprising an upper flange portion, (iii) an annular ring sidewall portion, said annular ring sidewall portion extending downwardly from said generally circular disc portion, and (iv) a flow conditioning nozzle, said flow conditioning nozzle located upstream of said upper flange portion; (e) at least one orifice, said at least one orifice having a central bore sized and shaped for escapement of high pressure fluid therethrough, said at least one orifice having a height at least slightly larger than said preselected height of one of said at least one counterbores in said spring disk, said at least one orifice removably mounted in said at least one counterbore of said spring disk; and (f) wherein said spring disk is clamped between said bottom compressive end portion of said high pressure inlet tube and said platen, which said platen is compressed by said platen receiving surface of said nozzle cap, so as to force said at least one orifice downward against said upper surface of said platen.