Water Jet Vs Laser Cutting Cost

The cutting path of a laser is much thinner than a water jet which can be a benefit when cutting tight geometry on small parts or when components need to be nested close together.

Water jet vs laser cutting cost.

Waterjet cutting is by far the most flexible of these 3 cutting processes because it can cut almost any material. Depending on the pump capacity and cutting depth waterjet cutters cost between 20 40 hr to operate. The choice of whether to use waterjet or laser for your next cutting job depends entirely on what your specifications are. 4 laser cutting vs.

Laser cutting eliminates costly tooling charges and provides a quick turnaround. Waterjet is both slow and costly to run making it the least productive system to operate. Co2 cnc laser tables can cost between 12 20 hr to operate. When your job calls for metal custom laser cutting maximizes uptime while minimizing costs.

Because fixed tooling and fixturing are generally not required in either cutting process set up costs are minimal for both. Here s why laser cutting is more affordable for your project no matter its size or shape. Laser cutters do well with materials that range between 0 12 and 0 4 in thickness and are commonly used to cut flat sheets of medium thickness. Laser cutting involves the use of a laser to melt burn or vaporize material.

However there is one clear winner when you compare laser cutting vs. Plasma is the most limited. During the process a focused beam of light is used for the cut. Fiber cnc laser tables can operate between 10 18 hr.

Waterjet cost factors operating costs. Waterjet is usually the most expensive to operate due to the need for consumable abrasives. As for their processing tolerance it is of approximately 0 002 0 05 mm for laser cutting and 0 008 0 2 mm for water jet cutting. When cutting thin materials with laser very high cutting speeds can be achieved which can help to reduce the cost per part.

A laser cutter is more accurate than a water jet in most instances with a cut tolerance as little as 002. The laser can be static or move across the material. The minimum size of the cutting slit is 0 006 0 15 mm for laser cutting and 0 02 0 5 mm for waterjet. Laser cutting is much more precise than waterjet cutting.

Laser is limited to metalics some plastics and fiberglass some fabric. This method of processing is mostly used for stainless steels or steel metals up to 5 8 thick. Waterjet and laser are typically much more expensive to operate requiring specialist gases and other high cost consumables.